Zen Buddhist Perspective on Existence, Death, and Impermanence with Ryushin Marchaj
In this episode, 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 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. You can contact Ryushin Marchaj at 845-282-4278 or fusanryushin@gmail.com
In this conversation, we discuss:
Buddhist teachings on death and ego
Ego and the illusions that make up the self
Modernity, isolation & the self
How Ayahuasca visceralized Ryushin’s conversation with death and what it means
Watching a Zen master die, and the lessons learned in that process
The teachings of The Wheel of Samsara
How engaging in love more fully can help to manage the grief of impermanence
How to know if you’ve made contact with Nirvana
Victoria Ranade: Impermanence is one of the saddest things. It's one of the hardest things for me to be with. I think about my dogs, who I love, and then they're here, and then they're gone. It's just one of the most difficult things to be with. Do you have any advice? I don't know how to be with this kind of pain when I really sit with it.
Ryushin Marchaj: Well yeah, if you're, if you are with your dogs, to the degree that you're entertaining that thought, what percent of you is not available to love them completely? You know, it's a profound question, because you know so many of us, when we are with a person, are loving the idea of that person; as possibly dying, as possibly different, and to the degree to which we are preoccupied and lost in those ideas, which are ultimately about “me” indulging, not about them, I'm not engaging them, I'm engaging a thought about them. Let go of the thought, and scratch the dog a little bit more
Listen to the full conversation on the innercalling podcast here.
For those who prefer a visual experience, you can check out the conversation on YouTube here.
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