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.
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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 fusanryushin@gmail.com
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Zen Buddhism on Death and Dying
01:45 Childhood Fascination with Death
04:00 Buddhist Teachings on Death and the Ego
08:00 How to Die Peacefully: Lessons from Zen
09:00 What Is the Ego? The Illusion of Self
12:00 Loneliness, Isolation, and the Human Condition
15:00 Spiritual Materialism and the Spiritual Ego
17:00 Mortality, Meaning, and the Urgency of Life
20:00 Ayahuasca, Consciousness, and Facing Death
24:00 Zen Lineage, Dharma Transmission, and Awakening
25:30 Watching a Zen Master Die
29:00 Love, Vulnerability, and Letting Go
33:00 Death, Love, and Human Connection
34:00 Reincarnation in Zen Buddhism
39:00 The Wheel of Samsara Explained
41:00 Consciousness, Rebirth, and the Afterlife
43:00 The Nature of Consciousness and Reality
47:00 Impermanence, Grief, and Loss
49:00 What Death Teaches Us About Love
50:00 Meditation, Surrender, and Preparing for Death
52:00 Nirvana, Enlightenment, and the Wisdom of No Escape
55:00 Nonduality, Oneness, and Buddhist Philosophy
57:00 How to Cope with Fear of Death
58:00 Final Wisdom: Receive Some Love Today
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PODCAST LINKS
Website: www.innercalling.org
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innercalling/id1809177408
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4K2khwqNKgs90Hs8vrQenZ?si=ad3d2dbeceab49c4
Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_zIrjdevY1Q91PX5woaNtjTDvell1ZJ8
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