Awaken

Can letting go into death be the ultimate act of awakening? In this episode we explore how the process of dying can be an act of truly living. We speak with hospice and palliative medicine physician and author BJ Miller, who discusses his first encounter with death, facing his own mortality as a triple amputee, and what it means to have a good death. To start, BJ responds to a four-foot-tall sculpture of the fierce protector Vajrabhairava. Enormous and terrifying, he embodies the power and wisdom that can help us conquer our greatest attachment—life—and our ultimate fear—its cessation. Dr. BJ Miller is a longtime hospice and palliative medicine physician. He currently sees patients and families via telehealth through Mettle Health, a company he co-founded with the aim to provide holistic care for individuals and families who need help navigating the practical, emotional,and existential issues that come with serious illness and disability. Led by his own experiences as a patient, BJ advocates for the roles of our senses, community,and presence in designing a better ending. His interests are in working across disciplines to affect broad-based culture change, as well as furthering the message that suffering, illness, and dying are intrinsic aspects of life.BJ has given over 100 talks on the topics of death, dying, palliative care,and the intersection of healthcare with design. Visit the podcast webpage to see the art that inspired this episode, read a transcript, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/mediacenter/dying-is-living-with-palliative-care-doctor-bj-miller-awaken-podcast About the podcast: AWAKEN is a 10-episode series from the Rubin Museum of Art hosted by acclaimed musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson that explores the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” Each episode dives into the personal stories of guests who share how they’ve experienced a shift in their awareness, and as a result, their perspective on life. From deep introspection to curious life-changing moments, awakening can take many forms, from the mundane to the sacred. Taking inspiration from the exhibition “Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment,” each story uses artworks as a jumping off point as we hear from authors, artists, wisdom bearers, and Buddhist teachers, because every journey is different.

Welcome to AWAKEN, a new podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Art and hosted by acclaimed musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson. AWAKEN explores the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” In ten episodes we dive into the personal stories of guests who share how they’ve experienced a shift in their awareness, and as a result, their perspective on life. Hosted by Laurie Anderson. Episode guests (in order of appearance): Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tara Brach, Alok Vaid-Menon, Latham Thomas, BJ Miller.

What if enlightenment is not something to strive for, but an innate quality born to every human being? Gender non-conforming writer, performer, and public speaker Alok Vaid-Menon challenges us to see the divine nature in every person, including ourselves, and asks who we might be if we choose to step outside of the limitations of judgment. Alok considers a sculpture of the Buddha Triumphing Over Mara, which depicts the moment the Buddha overcame ignorance, touched the earth as his witness, and became enlightened, declaring, "I am not a man, I am awake." Visit the podcast webpage to see the art that inspired this episode, read a transcript, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/mediacenter/our-divine-nature-with-writer-alok-vaid-menon-awaken-podcast About the podcast: AWAKEN is a 10-episode series from the Rubin Museum of Art hosted by acclaimed musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson that explores the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” Each episode dives into the personal stories of guests who share how they’ve experienced a shift in their awareness, and as a result, their perspective on life. From deep introspection to curious life-changing moments, awakening can take many forms, from the mundane to the sacred. Taking inspiration from the exhibition “Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment,” each story uses artworks as a jumping off point as we hear from authors, artists, wisdom bearers, and Buddhist teachers, because every journey is different.

What is enlightenment? What does it mean to be truly awake? Are you awake? Enlightenment can take many forms. In this final episode, we will look back at highlights from all our guests and consider enlightenment from Tibetan Buddhist perspective with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a highly respected Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher from the Kagyu tradition, one of the four main lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. This episode features Youngey Mingyur Rinpoche along with Aparna Nancherla, Alok Vaid-Menon, Tara Brach, Latham Thomas, Amanda Palmer, Lama Rod Owens, Tsherin Sherpa, BJ Miller, Patricia James, and host Laurie Anderson. Visit the podcast webpage to see the art that inspired this episode, read a transcript, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/mediacenter/awakening-with-mingyur-rinpoche-awaken-podcast About the podcast: AWAKEN is a 10-episode series from the Rubin Museum of Art hosted by acclaimed musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson that explores the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to "wake up." Each episode dives into the personal stories of guests who share how they've experienced a shift in their awareness, and as a result, their perspective on life. From deep introspection to curious life-changing moments, awakening can take many forms, from the mundane to the sacred. Taking inspiration from the exhibition "Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment," each story uses artworks as a jumping off point as we hear from authors, artists, wisdom bearers, and Buddhist teachers, because every journey is different.

Welcome to Season 3 of AWAKEN—a Webby Honoree podcast about the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” In this season, hosted by singer and songwriter Falu, artists, writers, scientists, poets, Buddhist teachers, and others delve into the notion of life after and explore how we navigate the key events and qualities of human life—birth, learning, emotion, aspiration, morality, conflict, and death—as well as grapple with the ultimate mystery: the afterlife.

Everything is in a constant cycle of birth and death: cells are born and die, synapses, emotions, ideas. Whether it’s the birth of a new identity, way of seeing, or spiritual awakening, these transitions occur every day, every moment. How we face those moments—and move through them—can be a source of great awakening.

View the artwork discussed in this episode, beginning at 14:20.

Read about this artwork, learn more about the Rubin, donate, and more

Guests featured in this episode include Visionary artists and founders of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors Alex and Allyson Grey, artist, director, and author Chella Man, professor, clinical psychologist, and scientist Dr. Lisa Miller, Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and author Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, neuroscientist and author Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, author and poet Michelle Tea, and neuroscientist Dr. Kay Tye.

• (14:18) - Artwork