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: info@zaltho.org 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? **** 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? **** 4:11 What is most important for civilians to know about military veterans? **** 6: 32 How do you know the point is where the breath comes in without thinking about it? **** 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? **** 10:55 But one has to name things because otherwise the world wouldn’t function either, right? **** 13:25 Does this retreat with veterans feel more familiar than other retreats? **** 16:51 What is this ongoing joke about Bielefeld (city in Germany) existing or not existing? **** 19:06 Talking about the relative and the absolute realm, where, if anywhere, does the ego play in the relative realm? **** 21:44 If there was a death to the sense of self, would I then experience the absolute realm? **** 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? **** 40:32 How can I use the tools that you give us to throw off this very oppressive and heavy weight of karmic doom? **** 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?