Two Events to Feature Claude AnShin Thomas

AnShin_Claude_what'shappeningHighly decorated combat veteran, zen priest, world renowned retreat leader, and public speaker Claude AnShin Thomas will facilitate a meeting with soldiers/veterans and peace activists to address the painful alienation often existing between them at 4 p.m. Sunday November 22, 2009 above the Tea Party Bookshop, 210 Liberty Street N.E. Salem, OR.

Then at 7:30 p.m., Thomas will offer a public talk to share the story of his own struggle with PTSD and the way it manifests in his life. He speaks knowledgeably about the long term effects of war and his journey to healing and peace.

Biography

Claude Anshin Thomas enlisted in the United States Army and volunteered for duty in Vietnam. Although he was awarded numerous medals and honorably discharged, he witnessed horrifying cruelty, narrowly escaped death on multiple occasions, and was responsible for the deaths of many people.

In the years after his Army service Thomas was very politically and socially active. In 1991, Thomas joined the Plum Village Vietnamese monastery and retreat center in southern France, founded and guided by the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. There he awakened to the devastating and lasting effects of war and how to make peace with unpeacefulness.

Thomas is founder of the Zaltho Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote peace and nonviolence in and among individuals, families, societies, and countries.

Co-sponsored by Salem Fellowship of Reconciliation, Fallen Warriors Foundation, Synergy Productions Incorporated, Tea Party Book Store, Salem Friends Meeting, Alternatives Magazine, and the River Sangha.Φ

Photo courtesy of: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Anshin2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anshin2.jpg&usg=__-AbIWA9fEIDgnaiCLHF6k1KyLcc=&h=844&w=578&sz=156&hl=en&start=19&sig2=h4qEP6M12qyTaDEGtBva4Q&um=1&tbnid=s6Fo0i1s3ToqJM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCLAUDE%2BANSHIN%2BTHOMAS%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18%26um%3D1&ei=Hbq7Sue5IJLUtAPEh4n8Aw

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