Zen Buddhist Monk Claude AnShin Thomas to Present Talk and Workshop on “What Does It Mean to Wake Up?”

Sept. 1, 2015 – Zen Buddhist monk, Vietnam War veteran and Meadville native Claude AnShin Thomas will present a talk and workshop – “What Does It Mean to Wake Up?” – to kick off a 30-Day Mindfulness Challenge at Allegheny College.

Both the talk, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 in the Tillotson Room of the Tippie Alumni Center, and the workshop are free and open to the public. The workshop will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Schultz East Alcove.

Thomas trained with Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen master, and is the author of the book “At Hell’s Gate: A Soldier’s Journey from War to Peace.” He also founded the Zaltho Foundation, a spiritually based nonprofit committed to ending violence by promoting mindfulness and positive change within individuals.

Upon graduation from high school, Thomas enlisted in the Army and volunteered for duty in Vietnam, where he served as a helicopter crew chief from September 1966 to November 1967. During his service, he was shot down on five occasions and wounded.

Thomas went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University. He then traveled throughout Europe and Asia before returning to the U.S. to pursue a musical career that spanned 11 years and yielded four independent albums. He also earned a master’s degree in management from Lesley College.

In 1991 Thomas came in contact with Thich Nhat Hanh and later became a member of a Vietnamese monastery and retreat center in southern France. He was ordained as a Zen priest in 1995 and now leads retreats and speaks in the U.S. and abroad on mindfulness practice, transformation and reconciliation.

Thomas will be in residence at Allegheny College September 8-18, visiting classes and assisting with a number of 30-Day Mindfulness Challenge events for the campus community. His visit is sponsored by Allegheny’s Office of Spiritual and Religious Life. For more information or to reserve a place at the workshop, contact Professor of Political Science Sharon Wesoky at 814-332-3343 or sharon.wesoky@allegheny.edu.