Bringing Meditation to Life

Claude AnShin Thomas is a Zen Buddhist monk and the author of the book At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the US Army and served in the Vietnam War as a helicopter crew chief. Since that time, he has been working to heal the wounds of war-emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Ordained in Auschwitz in 1994 by Bernie Tetsugen Glassman, he walked on pilgrimage from Auschwitz to Vietnam, begging for alms along the way in the ancient Buddhist tradition of takuhatsu. He has walked several
other pilgrimages since then in the United States and Europe.

Claude AnShin is the guiding teacher at the Magnolia Zen Center in Mary Esther, Florida, and the founder of the Zaltho Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes meditation and nonviolence. Claude AnShin teaches frequently in the United States, Europe, and South America. For more information, visit zaltho.org or email info@zaltho.org.

Meditation is not just something we do on the cushion, it's a way of life.
Zen teacher, monk, and peace activist Claude AnShin Thomas shares his experiences and insights into how Zen teachings and practice can move off the meditation cushion and into everything we do, transforming all aspects of our lives.
Presented in 108 short, to-the-point, provocative chapters, this book offers essential instruction on sitting meditation practice and how it can inform our relationships, communication, conflicts, peace work, and more. Interspersed throughout the book are some of the author's favorite quotes from Zen literature.
AnShin touches on such topics as: Living the Buddhist precepts
Embracing not knowing
Coping with uncomfortable emotions such as fear, guilt, and shame
The simple yet powerful practice of bowing
How to find peace with our unpeacefulness


Drawn from public talks and earlier writings, Bringing Meditation to Life distills the essence of Claude AnShin's approach to Zen practice