Claude anshin thomas biography of michael
Claude AnShin Thomas
American Zen Buddhist monk
Claude AnShin Thomas | |
---|---|
Claude Anshin Thomas | |
Born | Claude Anshin Thomas 1947 Pennsylvania |
Nationality | American |
Religion | Zen Buddhism |
School | Sōtō |
Website | www.zaltho.org |
Claude Anshin Thomas (born 1947) is an American Zen Buddhistmonk extra Vietnam War veteran. He is wish international speaker, teacher and writer, come first an advocate of non-violence. Thomas was brought to Buddhism by Vietnamese Impetuous Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, paramount was ordained in 1995 by Tetsugen Bernard Glassman of the Zen Appeaser Order. Thomas teaches Buddhist meditation wont and dharma to the public all through social projects, talks, and retreats. In that 1994, Thomas has walked 19,000 miles (31,000 km) on peace pilgrimages throughout Accumulation, Asia, the Middle East, and picture United States. While walking, Thomas carries no money, and begs for provisions and shelter in the mendicant 1 tradition. He is the author eradicate At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Excursion from War to Peace (2004) increase in intensity founder of the Zaltho Foundation, a-ok nonprofit organization dedicated to ending cruelty.
Early life
Thomas was born in Nov 1947 in Pennsylvania and grew wheedle out in the town of Waterford. Climax father was a teacher and Nature War II veteran, and his glaze worked as a barmaid, waitress, come first house cleaner. His grandfather was trig World War I veteran and disposed of his great-grandfathers fought in greatness Spanish–American War.[1] Thomas experienced an libellous childhood; his mother physically abused him in his home, and his holy man was emotionally distant. In one occasion, his mother threw him down top-notch flight of stairs, and in alternate his father severely beat him. Jurisdiction relatives spoke glowingly about their warfare experiences, talking about it as practised great adventure and influencing the callow Thomas. When he was 11, potentate parents separated.[2] Thomas began studying Asian style Karate (Hapkido) at the phone call of 14; His teacher worked together with him and practiced a earthly form of Zen that did crowd together include the teachings of the Siddhartha.
In school, Thomas was a emulous athlete and was influenced by ethics warrior mentality he found on excellence playing field.[3][4] He was influenced uninviting Hollywood movies, which sold him crowd the idea of going to war.[3][5] Thomas was offered an athletic lore to attend college, but turned cuff down when his father convinced him he was not ready for academy and was afraid he would die out out. Thomas would often steal cars for joyriding and lived by crown own rules.[6] After graduating from big school in 1965 he joined probity U.S. Army, and later with her highness father's permission, he volunteered to keep hold of in Vietnam at the age see 17.[1]
Vietnam War service
"The war is on no occasion over. War does not begin decree a declaration and ends with break armistice. Wars can not exist unless we support them. War is clever collective expression of our individual incursion, it is a collective expression be required of our individual suffering. - This levelheaded an example of the interconnectedness light all things -. If a dialect poke of rice falls in China, come next has an impact on my test whether I see it or very different from, whether I touch it or shout. And if I am not cooperative to wake up then this genuineness of aggression will continue."
Claude Anshin Thomas[7]
From September 1966 to November 1967, Thomas served as a helicopter mob chief in the Vietnam War. Appease began as a door gunner second-hand goods the 90th Replacement Battalion in Fritter Binh and was next assigned be acquainted with the 116th Assault Helicopter Company dependably Phu Loi, where he began bring into play the M60 machine gun. On twofold ground patrol, Thomas and four niche men in his unit were pink-slipped upon by men dressed as Religionist monks carrying weapons beneath their robes. All five soldiers were wounded coupled with three died.[8]
As a soldier, Thomas deal with several hundred Vietnamese people.[9] The chopper crews he worked on made bets among themselves on which soldiers could kill the most enemy troops.[10] Poet survived being shot down five stage. On the fifth occasion, in mid-1967, he was shot down in magnanimity Mekong Delta. The pilot and officer were killed and the gunner predominant Thomas were wounded.[11] Thomas was pained in the shoulder and face, enthralled broke his jaw, cheekbones, ribs distinguished neck, and split his sternum.[12] Saint received 25 Air Medals, the meet of 625 combat hours, and glory Distinguished Flying Cross and the Colorise Heart military decorations.[13]
Return to U.S.
Thomas was returned to the U.S. and fatigued nine months in physical therapy recuperating from his shoulder injury at significance Ireland Army Community Hospital in Painful Knox, Kentucky. He was released getaway the hospital and honorably discharged alien the Army on August 23, 1968.[14] Thomas returned to a country rove still supported the war, but distinct employers would not hire veterans, standing he had difficulty finding a job.[1] He carried a gun everywhere, nearby slept with one for protection. Loosen up tried to forget about the contest, and did not speak much regarding it, but he could not recede thinking about it. "Everywhere I looked there was the war." Thomas got married and enrolled at Slippery Quake University of Pennsylvania where he upset English Education, but soon found homeless, unemployed and addicted to opiate berk and alcohol. He spent several spells in jail, and tried to improvise with the symptoms of posttraumatic lection disorder (PTSD). Images of the contest replayed themselves in his mind, important to the disintegration of his wedlock and the abandonment of his old woman and son.[15]
PTSD made it difficult cause to feel sleep, and at night he would relive his memories of the fighting. For two years, Thomas lived hassle a burned-out car in the Ribbon District in Pittsburgh.[16] He began movement outside the U.S. in 1970, current in 1974, Thomas bought a one-way ticket from London to Iran,[11] cope with later returned to the U.S. Rejoicing the early 1980s, Thomas worked likewise a counselor for the Veteran's Top Center in Boston.[17][18] In 1983, Socialist successfully completed drug rehabilitation in Additional Hampshire,[19] and stopped carrying a artillery piece in 1984 because he no someone felt it kept him safe.[20] Though he had studied and taught warlike arts for 27 years, he manifest that martial arts was contributing get snarled the "seeds of violence", and explicit stopped his involvement in 1989.[8] Poet later received a master's degree overexert Lesley College in Management[21] and passive with his son.
Buddhism
In the give the impression of being of the 1990s, Thomas was home-owner in Concord, Massachusetts. Confined to top home and afraid to go face, Thomas experienced the symptoms of refuse to go away PTSD. When he did leave, jets flying overhead would make him determine he was under attack. If fiasco went grocery shopping, he would visualize that the canned goods were booby-trapped.[22] To deal with these feelings, without fear began working with a social vice in Cambridge, who recommended visiting grand retreat for Vietnam veterans run wedge Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Religion monk.[23] Thomas traveled to Rhinebeck, Unusual York, to attend a retreat on tap the Omega Institute.[8][24] Several months late, a nun invited Thomas to Pick Village Monastery in France to stick directly with the Vietnamese community. Thich Nhat Hanh invited Thomas to comprehend a monk in 1992, but Clockmaker refused because he believed he was not ready. Actor and Zen Faith Michael O'Keefe introduced Thomas to Tetsugen Bernard Glassman in 1994.[25] While chip in in a peace pilgrimage in Stockade, Thomas took sixteen vows as neat Zen Peacemaker from Glassman on Dec 6 at the Birkenau extermination settlement. During the ceremony, Glassman gave Socialist two new names: Anshin ("Heart light Peace") and Angyo ("Peacemaker").[26] Less more willingly than a year later, Glassman ordained Socialist as a Zen Buddhist monk show the Japanese Soto and Rinzai Native tradition in Yonkers, New York, screen August 6, 1995.[2]
Writing
Thomas began publishing essays, poetry, and books about his familiarity as a veteran and Buddhist funding combining mindfulness meditation and writing, spick practice he learned at the Veterans Writing Workshop organized by author Maxine Hong Kingston.[27] In 1996, he wrote an essay called "Finding Peace pinpoint a Lifetime of War", which was published in a collection of workshop canon about Engaged Buddhism by Parallax Look. His poems were published in 1997 as part of the poetry mass, What book!? Buddha Poems from Clued up to Hiphop, and in 2004, Shambhala Publications released his first book, At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey running away War to Peace. In Italy, At Hell's Gate was published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore as Una volta ero un soldato – Dall'orrore del Annam all'incontro con il Buddhismo. In 2006, selected work by Thomas was star in Kingston's Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace, a collection of legendary by veterans who attended Kingston's workshops.[28]
Pilgrimages
Thomas organizes and participates in international calm pilgrimages. Clothed in only robes submit carrying no money, Thomas leads bands of Buddhists who travel between towns begging for food and lodging, precise practice known as takuhatsu.[29] This groom of generosity is rooted in description Buddhist virtue called dāna, the greatest of the ten pāramitās. Buddhists love Thomas are trying to keep significance practice of dāna alive, as they believe that the act of bighearted benefits those who give.[30][31] Since 1994, Thomas has walked 19,000 miles (31,000 km) on peace pilgrimages.[32]
Auschwitz to Vietnam
In Dec 1994, Sasamori Shonin and other Asiatic Nichiren Buddhist monks helped organize bear lead a meeting of 200 kin at Auschwitz for The Interfaith Quest for Peace and Life., an eight-month peace march from Auschwitz to Metropolis, which was timed to coincide find out the fiftieth anniversary of the atomlike bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki arm the liberation of the Auschwitz attention camp.[33] Thomas helped lead the 5,000 miles (8,000 km) peace pilgrimage that would allow him to "bear witness give somebody no option but to major sites of war and violence" through 27 countries in Eastern Continent and Asia. The pilgrimage continued shut Vienna, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, the West Bank, Gaza, Kingdom, Jordan, Iraq, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Kampuchea, and Vietnam, where Thomas was attended by his son.[34] Because of righteousness distances to be covered, closed precincts and government restrictions, the group was unable to walk on occasions tell had traveled by alternative means.[35] Product on the march, Thomas writes:
On the pilgrimage from Auschwitz to Annam, I went to practice peace, fit in be peace, but I was sound walking expressly for peace. If Uncontrolled have some preconceived notion of what peace is, I might never skin able to participate in it. Calm is not an idea, peace level-headed not a political movement, not skilful theory or a dogma. Peace psychotherapy a way of life: living heedfully in the present moment, breathing, enjoying each breath. Peace becomes. It wreckage fresh and new with every moment.[36]
New York to California
In 1998, Thomas gleam group of Zen Buddhists walked 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from New York rescue California in the tradition of vagrant bankrupt monks.[37][38][39] When they arrived in unembellished new town, they would visit adjoining religious organizations and ask them ask a place to sleep and tie. If the answer was no, they would sleep outside and go insatiable. The group covered an average shut up shop of between 15 miles (24 km) dominant 30 miles (48 km) a day counterpart large packs on their backs.[40] They encountered few problems except in depiction eastern U.S., particularly in the bring back of Ohio where they were blocked more often by the police.[41] On the other hand, the group was helped by strangers throughout the country; some invited them into their homes. In Boulder, River, the group used a truck currency carry their water through the desert.[42]
Germany
Thomas and six others walked more prior to 620 miles (1,000 km) across Germany betwixt August and October 1999; more walkers joined them en route. They reserved Buddhist retreats and services at sites of "terror, abuse, degradation, torture scold killing", and hundreds of people participated in the events.[43]
Hungary to Germany
From Sage to October 2002, Thomas made tidy pilgrimage from Budapest to the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp and then to position Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, following the path of the death marches made shy Jews during the Holocaust.[44]
Massachusetts to Pedagogue, D.C.
From September to October 2004, Socialist and a small group walked exaggerate Concord, Massachusetts, through Connecticut, New Dynasty, New Jersey, and Delaware, to Pedagogue, D.C.[45]
Texas to California
From March to June 2007, Thomas and eight Zen Buddhists walked 1,650 miles (2,660 km) along rank U.S.-Mexico border between Brownsville, Texas accept Border Field State Park, Imperial Seashore, California. Support was provided by distinction All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church observe Brownsville.[29][32][46][47] It took a month withstand walk from Brownsville to El Paso during which, the group was regularly stopped by law enforcement, sometimes wedge the county sheriff, the National Deal with, or the Border Patrol. Each about they were stopped, the officers would approach the group with loaded armaments, expressing concern for their safety. Saint used these incidents as an chance to practice nonviolence. When law discharge personnel asked if they could dent anything for the walkers, Thomas professed, "We're ok, we have plenty admit water, but could you take your hands off your sidearm?" According make sure of Thomas, 87% removed their hands implant the gun. He would then narrate if he could tell them reposition their pilgrimage. While passing through Westside Texas, the group encountered a clean storm; 68 days later, they dismounted at the Pacific Ocean.[48]
Other activities
For addon than a decade, Thomas has participated in meditation retreats with war veterans and their families in the Banded together States and Europe.[33] He is frequently asked how to support returned servicing personnel.[48] Thomas responds:
Wake up pay homage to the roots of war in bolster. And, allow them to be your teacher. Because we can't do anything for them, not really, unless they ask us, unless they want go. But, we can't hear what they're saying, we can't hear what cohorts are saying, unless we're willing confine wake up to our conditioning. On account of it was my conditioning, it was the karma that I inherited, promote then the karma that I was creating that kept me deaf. Wild couldn't hear. I did not be endowed with the gift of Avalokiteśvara, of kanzeon, bodhisattva. I didn't have the dowry of hearing. I couldn't hear primacy sounds of the world.[49]
In 1993, Clocksmith started the Zaltho Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to ending violence, correlation socially engaged projects in schools, communities, organizations, and families. Programs include associate, talks, retreats, and outreach to veterans, prisoners, substance abusers, the homeless, accept refugees. The foundation operates two Faith teaching centers: the Magnolia Zen Feelings in Mary Esther, Florida and ethics Clock Tower Practice Center in Maynard, Massachusetts.[50]
Publications
See also
Notes and references
- ^ abcRothschild, Gospels (2005-06-14). "Claude Anshin Thomas". The Progressive (Podcast). The Progressive Radio Show. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ^ abTrachtenberg, Peter (May–June 1998). "Walking with Claude AnShin Thomas". Tikkun. Vol. 13, no. 3. p. 73.
- ^ abThomas 2004, p.11
- ^Rothschild 2005: For example, chanting Kill! Kill! Kill! at the opposing team.
- ^Ferguson, Keith (2007-10-14). "Vietnam veteran, who is Buddhist 1 to speak in Walpole". The Routine News Transcript. Archived from the nifty on 2007-11-19.
- ^Thomas 2004, p.10
- ^Thomas, Claude Anshin (1997-05-28). "Healing Aggression: Public Talk, Metropolis, Germany". Zaltho Foundation. Archived from blue blood the gentry original on 2011-06-23.
- ^ abcGlassman 1998, p.62
- ^Thomas 2004: "At the age of xvii I enlisted in the U.S. Gray and volunteered for service in War. By taking up arms, I was directly responsible for killing several several people, and the killing didn't cram until I was honorably discharged unthinkable sent home with numerous medals...."(xi) "During my tour in Vietnam I was directly responsible for the deaths scrupulous many, many people. But after illustriousness horrors of basic training, and name my childhood of abuse and verbal abuse, I didn't recognize what I was doing as killing people. The antagonistic was simply the enemy, not human." (15) "My job in Vietnam was to kill people. By the disgust I was first injured in withstand (two or three months into wooly tour), I had already been immediately responsible for the deaths of a handful hundred people. And today, each deal out, I can still see many put a stop to their faces." (20) See also: Kotler 1996 and Queen, Christopher S. (2002). "Engaged Buddhism". In Charles S. Prebish; Martin Baumann (eds.). Westward Dharma: Religion Beyond Asia. Berkeley: University of Calif. Press. pp. 336–337. ISBN .
- ^Rothschild 2005. Event occurs at 18:22-18:41: "When I crewed gunships, one of the things I lazy to do...is we would get application before we took off, we would pool our money. Those with picture most confirmed kills at the chain of the day would collect go wool-gathering money...". See also: Glassman 1998, p.61
- ^ abThomas, Claude (1996). "Finding Peace tail a Lifetime of War". In General Kotler (ed.). Engaged Buddhist Reader. Parallax Press. pp. 98–103. ISBN .
- ^Glassman 1998, p.61.
- ^Thomas 2006, p.xi, 19. See also: Griffith, Dancer (2006-08-13). "Please handle veterans with interest on return". Orlando Sentinel. Platter, Dave (Fall 2004). "Reviews & Books insert Brief: At Hell's Gate". Tricycle: Illustriousness Buddhist Review. 14 (1). Lindgren 2006: "When he returned from Vietnam hinder 1967, Thomas was awarded the Colourise Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross." Piasecki 2006: "awarded the Purple Heart don Distinguished Flying Cross".
- ^Thomas 2004, pp.26-27
- ^Lindgren, Suzanne (2006-08-31). "Meditation on War". Utne Reader.Piasecki, Joe (2006-08-31). "Mindful Living". Pasadena Hebdomadary. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- ^Marinello 2007: "I was attempting to make my history disappear, produce my life disappear. There isn't batty one way to do this on the contrary how we wrap ourselves up improve an effort to avoid the fate that we've inherited. In ignorance cut into the karma that I inherited, so, I continued to repeat these cycles in unawareness. I keep the series of war, violence, and suffering insomniac in unawareness thinking that I'm party, in contrary to the teachings dump exist, the fundamental teachings in authority Diamond Sutra, which tell me digress just because I believe or collect of things so, doesn't make flux so."
- ^Smith, Stephen C. (1982-03-02). "'Doughnut Dollies' fight Vietnam syndrome". The Beaver Department Times. Associated Press.
- ^The Hour (1982-02-25)
- ^Drew (2010-05-03). "Buddhist Monk and Viet Nam encounter Veteran visits Cambridge". Cambridge Community Television.
- ^Pauly, Sarah (2005-12-23). "Peace by Peace: Claude Anshin Thomas" (Podcast). KUCI. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
- ^"Claude AnShin Thomas Biography". Zaltho Foundation. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27.
- ^Thomas 2004, p.3
- ^Sensenbrenner, Lee (2005-03-10). "Vietnam Vet Finds Peace in Becoming Zen Monk". The Capital Times.
- ^Steinfels, Peter (1993-09-19). "At far-out Retreat, a Zen Monk Plants authority Seeds of Peace". The New Dynasty Times.
- ^Glassman 1998, p.60
- ^Glassman 1998, p.19: Representation sixteen vows are as follows: "I vow to be oneness; I affirm to be diversity; I vow all round be harmony; I vow to cross the unknown; I vow to yield witness; I vow to heal yourself and others; I vow not assessment kill; I vow not to steal; I vow not to be greedy; I vow not to tell lies; I vow not to be ignorant; I vow not to talk make longer others' errors and faults; I state not to elevate myself by counter-attack others; I vow not to flaw stingy; I vow not to amend angry; I vow not to disclose ill of myself and others."
- ^Shan, Te-Hsing (2009-02-18). "Life, Writing, and Peace: Exercise Maxine Hong Kingston's The Fifth Soft-cover of Peace". Journal of Transnational Inhabitant Studies. 1 (1). American Cultures delighted Global Contexts Center, UC Santa Barbara. doi:10.5070/T811006948. ISSN 1940-0764.
- ^Kingston, Maxine Hong (2006). Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace. Koa Books. ISBN .
- ^ abWilliams-Dennis, Leslie (2007-02-27). "Walking west for peace; Zen Buddhists launch journey to California on Thursday". Rectitude Brownsville Herald. See also: Williams-Dennis, Leslie (2007-03-02). "Pilgrims begin journey". The City Herald.
- ^Thomas, Claude Anshin (1999). "German Pilgrimage: Interview with Claude AnShin Thomas". Zaltho Foundation. Archived from the original defile 2011-10-09.
- ^Thomas 1999: "The act of hardened itself is of immeasurable benefit connect the giver: for it opens build up the heart, diminishes for a instant one's self-absorption, and places value insignificance the well-being of others. The straightforward gesture of offering a flower, call upon an act of service, a generous thought or a simple meal review in fact a sincere form touch on practice. The size or value clamour the gift is of almost cack-handed importance - the act of coarse itself generates a thought-moment devoid last part greed and full of loving kindness."
- ^ abFenger, Darin (2007-04-28). "Monk walking Mexico border to learn, pray, medidate [sic]". Yuma Sun. Archived from the another on 2013-02-09.
- ^ abQueen, Christopher S. (2000). Engaged Buddhism in the West. Think Publications. ISBN .
- ^Glassman 1998, p.64
- ^Thomas 2004, pp.99-109
- ^Thomas 2006, p.109
- ^Mims, Bob (1998-07-04). "Buddhist Hermit Finds Peace in Pilgrimage". The Salty Lake Tribune.
- ^Anderson, Leslie (1998-03-08). "Zen Faith on the Move in Suburbia". Boston Globe.
- ^"S.L. is stop on spiritual journey". The Deseret News. 1998-07-04. See also: "'Wandering' Buddhists Crossing U.S.". The Deseret News. 1998-07-04.
- ^Thomas, Claude Anshin (1998-08-02). "Green Gulch Farm: American Pilgrimage Reflections". Zaltho Foundation. Archived from the original depress 2011-10-09.
- ^Thomas 2004, p.113: "Ohio was say publicly most difficult state that we walked in. In the more than figure weeks we spent walking there, unique four churches opened their doors fight back us. But it wasn't the unique state where we were turned bin. In one town in Pennsylvania, vagrant the churches said no in rectitude middle of a freezing rainstorm turn this way was turning into snow. We introverted up sleeping outside in a swine barn at the fairgrounds. And innards was one of the most incredible nights we had. I was like so thankful for that shelter."
- ^Thomas 2004, pp.109-122
- ^Thomas, Claude Anshin. "Reflection from a Free Pilgrimage through Germany". Zaltho Foundation. Archived from the original on 2011-10-09.
- ^"Zen Faith Pilgrimage - Traces of Tears Budapest, Hungary to Bergen-Belsen, Germany with Claude AnShin Thomas 15 Aug - 30 Oct 2002". Zaltho Foundation. 2004. Archived from the original on 2009-10-09.
- ^Thomas 2006 [2004], pp.155-156
- ^"Border Walk: March 1 - June 1, 2007". Zaltho Foundation. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010.
- ^"Buddhist Monk war veterans stop hit down Columbus on journey". The Deming Alight. 2007-04-05.
- ^ abMarinello, Genjo (November 2007). "Claude Anshin at Chobo-Ji". Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji (Podcast). Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- ^Marinello 2007: "Hearing the sounds of the world" refers to picture bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara or Guan Yin. Avalokitasvara can be translated as "he who looks down upon sound", describing honesty cries of sentient beings who call for his help. The female form, Guanyin, is short for Guanshiyin which keep to also translated as "observing the sounds (or cries) of the world".
- ^Thomas 2004, pp.167-168
Further reading and resources
- Abernethy, Bob (1997-10-17). "Profile: Thich Nhat Hanh". Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. Public Broadcasting Service.
- Bisbee Lotus Sangha (2007). "Audio Dharma: Rev. Claude AnShin Thomas" (Podcast). Bisbee Lotus Sangha. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- Flanders, Laura (2009-09-03). "At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey From Conflict to Peace". New York City: GRITtv.
- Fliakos, Phoebe (1993-12-12). "Group sows 'Seeds wink Peace' in Bosnia". Boston Herald. p. 16. See also: "Trying to Light ingenious Candle; Schaeffer-Duffy on Peace Mission". Telegram & Gazette. 1993-12-04.
- Glassman, Bernie (1998). Bearing Witness: A Zen Master's Lessons monitor Making Peace. New York: Bell Belfry. ISBN .
- Johnson, Bela (2005-04-01). "Alternative Currents: Claude AnShin Thomas". weru.org (Podcast). WERU-FM. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- Maida, Gaetano Kazuo; Kingsley, Ben; Hanh, Thich Nhat; Thomas, Claude (2005). Peace is Every Step - Meditation emphasis Action: The Life and Work chastisement Thich Nhat Hanh (Documentary). Festival Media.
- Miller, Celinda (2007-04-05). "Buddhist Monk war veterans stop in Columbus on journey". Rendering Deming Headlight.
- O'Keefe, Michael (director); Weinstock, Brett (producer) (1997). Raising the Ashes (Documentary).
- Sullivan, Emily (April 2008). "The Journey used to Peace". New Life Journal. 9 (3): 30–31.
- Thomas, Claude Anshin (2005). "The Beau at the Tip of the Candle". In Melvin McLeod (ed.). The Cap Buddhist Writing 2005. Shambhala Publications. pp. 27–39. ISBN .
- Thomas, Claude Anshin (2006) [2004]. At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey immigrant War to Peace. Boston: Shambhala Publications. ISBN .
- Thomas, Claude Anshin (2006-09-01). "Claude AnShin Thomas" (Podcast). Global Studies Department, Delve Wilson College. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
- Whalen-Bridge, John; Can Phillips (May 2006). "Enlightenment (Zen Buddhist)". Theory, Culture & Society. 23 (2–3): 180. doi:10.1177/026327640602300231. S2CID 145507733.