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

Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc, 2004. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xii, 168, [2] pages. Illustrations. Inscribed by the author on the half-title page. Inscription reads: To Tim: For your support I bow to you in gratitude!! In Gassho: Claude Anshin Thomas Thurs. 28 Oct '04 Wash., D.C. Includes Preface, Appendix, Further Reading, Acknowledgments, and The Zaltho Foundation, as well as chapters on The Seeds of War; The Light at the Tip of the Candle; The Bell of Mindfulness; If You Blow Up a Bridge, Build a Bridge; Walking to Walk; and Finding Peace. Claude Anshin Thomas (born 1947) is an American Zen Buddhist monk and Vietnam War veteran. He is an international speaker, teacher and writer, and an advocate of non-violence. Thomas was brought to Buddhism by Vietnamese Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, and was ordained in 1995 by Tetsugen Bernard Glassman of the Zen Peacemaker Order. Thomas teaches Buddhist meditation practice and dharma to the public through social projects, talks, and retreats. Since 1994, Thomas has walked 19,000 miles on peace pilgrimages throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. While walking, Thomas carries no money, and begs for food and shelter in the mendicant monk tradition. He is the author of At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace and founder of the Zaltho Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence. 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 war-scarred places round the world including Bosnia, Auschwitz, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and the Middle East. 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.