15. On Making Your Bed and How to Explain Witnessing the Killing of a Chicken to a 1-Year-Old (#41)

ZalthoLIVE - Claude AnShin Thomas

These are questions and topics that Claude AnShin Thomas - fully ordained Zen Buddhist Monk, Combat Veteran, and Author - 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 weekly zoom session of questions&responses.

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

If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question: [e-mail]

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

If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you.

Questions and Time Stamps:1:24 How do you respond when someone who has asked you forsupport consistently doesn’t change? ****2:20 Is it possible to have your mind on the essential point (of breath) and on something else at the same time while supposedly sitting in meditation?****3:36 AnShin, do you ever feel like you are going crazy when you had that experience or those experiences (referencing previous response)? ****3:50 Is it your impression that nowadays in society dehumanization is increasing, for example with artificial intelligence? ****4:58 You often respond to questions pointing in the direction of acceptance and surrender. Would you speak about that? ****6:14 Why is it important to you to make your bed in the morning? ****6:53 I heard you say and write that it is important to keep telling our story. How do you make sure that you are not cementing one particular narrative? ****7:29 Is the essential point part of relative and absolute at the same time?****8:29 Last weekend I was with my son, and we went on a walk with our dog in the countryside. The dog killed three chicken. My son and I witnessed that killing. He is 1-year-old, and he clearly was affected by this. How do I explain this to him? ****9:25 Do you think a machine could ever become sentient? ****10:34 I read emotions are empty. The problem is I tend to attach to them and then they become very powerful and have this feeling I am right. So, my emotion is right and it gets even bigger. How could I do better? ****14:20 Where would you draw a line when your being generous crosses over into being exploited? ****15:08 Can you expand on what you just said, about how inappropriate giving is fodder for more extreme reactions?