At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace

Thomas, Claude AnShin

Reference

Shambhala

In this raw and moving memoir, Claude Thomas tells the dramatic story of his service in Vietnam, his subsequent emotional collapse, and how he was ultimately able to find healing and peace. Thomas went to Vietnam at the age of eighteen, where he served as a crew chief on assault helicopters. By the end of his tour, he had been awarded numerous medals, including the Purple Heart. He had also killed many people, witnessed horrifying cruelty, and narrowly escaped death on a number of occasions. When Thomas returned home he found that he continued to live in a state of war. He was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, fear, anger, and despair, all of which were intensified by the rejection he experienced as a Vietnam veteran. For years, Thomas struggled with post-traumatic stress, drug and alcohol addiction, isolation, and even homelessness. A turning point came when he attended a meditation retreat for Vietnam veterans led by the renowned Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Here he encountered the Buddhist teachings on meditation and mindfulness, which helped him to stop running from his past and instead confront the pain of his war experiences directly and compassionately. Thomas was eventually ordained as a Zen monk and teacher, and he began making pilgrimages to promote peace and nonviolence in war-scarred places around the world including Bosnia, Auschwitz, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and the Middle East. At Hell's Gate is Thomas's dramatic coming-of-age story and a spiritual travelogue from the horrors of combat to discovering a spiritual approach to healing violence and ending war from the inside out. In simple and direct language, Thomas shares timeless teachings on healing emotional suffering and offers us practical guidance in using mindfulness and compassion to transform our lives.

At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

In this raw and moving memoir, Claude Thomas describes his service in Vietnam, his subsequent emotional collapse, and his remarkable journey toward healing. At Hell's Gate is not only a gripping coming-of-age story but a spiritual travelogue from the horrors of combat to the discovery of inner peace—a journey that inspired Thomas to become a Zen monk and peace activist who travels to war-scarred regions around the world. "Everyone has their Vietnam," Thomas writes. "Everyone has their own experience of violence, calamity, or trauma." With simplicity and power, this book offers timeless teachings on how we can all find healing, and it presents practical guidance on how mindfulness and compassion can transform our lives. This expanded paperback edition features: • Discussion questions for reading groups • A new afterword by the author reflecting on how the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are affecting soldiers—and offering advice on how to help returning soldiers to cope with their combat experiences

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

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

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Alternative Medicine

Oakwood Publishing

Meditation is not just something we do on the cushion, it's a way of life.\nZen 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.\nPresented 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.\nAnShin 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\nDrawn from public talks and earlier writings, Bringing Meditation to Life distills the essence of Claude AnShin's approach to Zen practice.

Mental Health

Oakwood Publications

On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory

Literature & Fiction

Poetry

Am Tor zur Hölle: Der Weg eines Soldaten zum Zen-Mönch

Theseus Verlag

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Books by Thomas, Claude AnShin