16. On Unconditional Giving, Near-Death-Experience, Can Westerners be ’True’ Buddhists? (#42)

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:01:11 What do you look forward when you go back to the US? What do you hope for? **** 2:04 I met a young man who was asking for money to buy himself something to drink. I told him I don’t want to give him money but that I would buy him something to drink. He did agree. In this case, is this unconditional giving? **** 3:19 As Buddhist practice originated in Asia, how much do we need to look there regarding authentic practice? ****4:31 Can you speak about relative and absolute a bit? Do relative and absolute ever cross or come together at all? **** 6:22 I had a near death experience two days ago. What surprised me is that I wasn’t too afraid of death, but I was terrified of leaving alone my little son and my wife. How do I deal with this without controlling another's life? **** 8:21 Is there any sense in feeling upset and disrespected when a religious text is being burned? **** 9:48 I was traveling yesterday and people were driving very erratically. A group of cars got into a pileup, and I drove by and thought that was 'poetic justice'. Is my thinking just crazy? **** 10:58 What do you say to someone who asserts: the “true” Buddhism exists among people in Asia or people of Asian descent and not among Western converts like you or me? **** 12:04 Is there meaning to define ourselves as Buddhist? **** 12:49 What would be your reaction when someone says a comment like: "All the BASF places are closing now in Ludwigshafen and so all the Turkish people will go away, and then it’s finally German again.” How would you react to such sentences? **** 13:58 Do you never have the wish or a desire to convince someone else about a right or wrong position? **** 14:46 Someone said that on the 4th of July they were thanking their father and grandfather for fighting. I was tempted to say something about what the 4th of July stands for. All this is a waste of time, did I understand this correctly? **** 17:03 What is with finding a compromise when there are two different opinions and a discussion is necessary to find a compromise?