8. On Sitting, Showing Interest in Veterans, Concept of Evil, What About the Ego, Sense of Self, Weight of Karmic Doom

These are questions and topics that Claude AnShin Thomas - fully ordained Zen Buddhist Monk in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition - reflects on. He reminds the listener of how to stay awake to life and how to understand more deeply the trappings of a deluded mind.

This episode was recorded during a zoom questions&responses session with a German-speaking audience.

For more interesting information: https://zaltho.org/

If you want to ask a question: [email protected]

Want to read up on this topic? Book recommendations:

-       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021)

-       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003)

https://zaltho.org/en/media/our-books.html

Questions and Time Stamps:

1:18 What is the significance and meaning as well as the difference between sitting to the front and sitting to the back?
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3:18 From where I am sitting, I am noticing a design stitched into the back of your rakusu and everybody seems to have it who has a rakusu. What is it?
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4:11 What is most important for civilians to know about military veterans?
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6: 32 How do you know the point is where the breath comes in without thinking about it?
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7:40 Does Buddhism and/or you recognize the concept of evil? And, if so, what does it mean in that context for you and Buddhism?
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10:55 But one has to name things because otherwise the world wouldn’t function either, right?
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13:25 Does this retreat with veterans feel more familiar than other retreats?
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16:51 What is this ongoing joke about Bielefeld (city in Germany) existing or not existing?
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19:06 Talking about the relative and the absolute realm, where, if anywhere, does the ego play in the relative realm?
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21:44 If there was a death to the sense of self, would I then experience the absolute realm?
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28:27 My question is if you are either interacting or doing a retreat with police officers, in the relative realm, how would either work with them or encourage them to be non-violent?
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40:32 How can I use the tools that you give us to throw off this very oppressive and heavy weight of karmic doom?
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42:42 Do you have an idea how it comes  that for example my grandmother with age she now tells things about the war which she hasn’t done before?