# 7. Bearing Witness to War: Reflections on Violence, Identity, and the Path to Peace, Claude AnShin Thomas Speaks With Veterans

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Podcast: [ZalthoLIVE - Claude AnShin Thomas](https://stenobird.com/podcast/zaltholive-claude-anshin-thomas-3463909)
Published: 2025-07-06T18:22:57+00:00
Episode link: https://zaltholive.libsyn.com/on-blah-blah-blah
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Duration seconds: 2293

## Resource

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - speaks with veterans on the themes of personal transformation, the complexity of war, and the deep moral and spiritual inquiry reflected in the questions—while remaining short, impactful, and thought-provoking. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to info@zaltho.org . 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) - On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/zen-books-by-zen-monk-claude-anshin-thomas/ To support , donate . 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 What was your process of discharging from the Army after the Vietnam War? 4:35 Would you expand on the topic of being both a victim and a perpetrator? 9:16 Would you speak on the practice of bearing witness? 12:25 How would you say the various war conflicts differ or are similar? 15:20 How do I sit with the realization that I am my own enemy? 18:42 Do you believe veterans deserve a special treatment? 23:00 How to you speak with people who are living in a country at war about the fact that violence is not a solution? 26:45 Did you educate yourself before you went into Bosnia Herzegovina?

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