Bringing Meditation to Life: 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice

by Claude Anshin Thomas

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.

242 pages, Paperback

Published February 10, 2021

About the author

Claude AnShin Thomas is a Zen Buddhist monk and a combat veteran. 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 1994 by Bernie Tetsugen Glassman at the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp, 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 www.zaltho.org or email info@zaltho.org.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I will be reading over and over!
Short chapters that can be used for a meditation time and then put into practice.
The chapters are full of wisdom and brought a new appreciation of the interconnectedness in all things. Highly recommend!

[Meyka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I will enjoy it over and over!

[Carra S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful gem of a book. With 108 concise teachings. I've found this book a great fit for a monthly Zoom visit with fellow meditators as we can choose one reading to discuss. It's a perfect bedside, read one a day, or binge on many book.

Having practiced Buddhist meditation for about a decade, I particularly appreciate Claude AnShin Thomas's particular approach and guidance with meditation practice. He reminds us that meditation does not fundamentally change who we are or what we've done, but how we can live in relationship to these conditions. This allows a lot more ease and a lot less suffering. His experience as a Vietnam soldier brings a focus to developing peacefully and he wisely directs us to the truth that peace starts within us. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep this small book by my bedside. I’ve read it through all the way but now, I open it to whatever page and a little jewel pops out. Zen teacher, Claude AnShin Thomas, gives you true words of wisdom that help in personal situations. His insight and experience are to the point. It is my personal go to book.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an okay book. It took me a while to get through it, even though each “teaching” was less than 2 pages, most only half a page. I feel like most of it is already in other books/teachings. It was a good read at the end of the day to calm me down.

[Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nachdem ich die Chance hatte Claude Anshin Thomas bei einem Vortrag kennenzulernen musste ich dieses Buch lesen.
Es hat einige sehr interessante Kapitel.
Insgesamt war es ein gutes Buch, aber nach dem Vortrag hatte ich mir noch mehr Tiefe erhofft.

[AL Kepple · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the thoughts on aspects of life. While this is aimed at practicing meditation in the practice of Zen there is something to be gained by anyone who reads this book.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful.

[Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides tips on meditation and gives insight into the meaning and importance of meditation. The chapters are short and succinct, which makes them easy and interesting to read.