EP63. Ryushin Marchaj | Zen Buddhist Perspective on Existence, Death, and Impermanence

I interview my friend and teacher, Zen Buddhist priest Ryushin Marchaj, about how to live when you know you will die. We explore death, reincarnation, impermanence, and the existential pain—and beauty—of being human, through the lens of Zen Buddhism.***Rev. Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, is a Zen priest in the tradition of Zen Buddhism, and a dharma heir of the late John Daido Loori, Roshi. Ryushin Sensei was the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Born in Warsaw, Poland, he immigrated to the United States in 1967. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Yale University in 1976, and his medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1980. He worked first as a pediatrician in Portland, Maine, later serving in the US Navy as a physician for three years. He then returned to Albany for postgraduate training in psychiatry. After completing his residency, he served as medical director for a community psychiatric outreach program, the Mobile Crisis Team, which served Albany County’s disenfranchised and homeless population. He entered full-time residential training at the Monastery in 1992. In addition to his roles as the Monastery’s abbot and director of operations, he explored contemplative practices in higher education, collaborating with several liberal arts educators and administrators in the Northeast to look at ways for college students to engage religious practice as part of their education. He has been practicing Buddhism since 1983. Since 2014, he has been rigorously exploring and training in ayahuasca ceremonies in various traditions, guided by several teachers. Drawing on his background as a physician and psychiatrist, Ryushin’s infectious interest and thorough training in the workings of the mind and compassionate expression of unconditional love, combined with his skill at translating complex concepts into the accessible, everyday language, characterize his unique teaching style. Currently, he resides and guides at River Refuge Zen Temple in Roxbury, Connecticut.Contact: Ryushin Marchaj at 845-282-4278 or [email protected]***TIMESTAMPS00:00 Zen Buddhism on Death and Dying01:45 Childhood Fascination with Death04:00 Buddhist Teachings on Death and the Ego08:00 How to Die Peacefully: Lessons from Zen09:00 What Is the Ego? The Illusion of Self12:00 Loneliness, Isolation, and the Human Condition15:00 Spiritual Materialism and the Spiritual Ego17:00 Mortality, Meaning, and the Urgency of Life20:00 Ayahuasca, Consciousness, and Facing Death24:00 Zen Lineage, Dharma Transmission, and Awakening25:30 Watching a Zen Master Die29:00 Love, Vulnerability, and Letting Go33:00 Death, Love, and Human Connection34:00 Reincarnation in Zen Buddhism39:00 The Wheel of Samsara Explained41:00 Consciousness, Rebirth, and the Afterlife43:00 The Nature of Consciousness and Reality47:00 Impermanence, Grief, and Loss49:00 What Death Teaches Us About Love50:00 Meditation, Surrender, and Preparing for Death52:00 Nirvana, Enlightenment, and the Wisdom of No Escape55:00 Nonduality, Oneness, and Buddhist Philosophy57:00 How to Cope with Fear of Death58:00 Final Wisdom: Receive Some Love Today***PODCAST LINKSWebsite: www.innercalling.orgApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innercalling/id1809177408Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4K2khwqNKgs90Hs8vrQenZ?si=ad3d2dbeceab49c4Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_zIrjdevY1Q91PX5woaNtjTDvell1ZJ8CONTACT DR. VICTORIA HEREDr. Victoria Ranade: www.victoriaranade.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/drvictoriaranadeHope+Wellness: https://www.hope-wellness.comDisclaimer: https://innercalling.org/disclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.