There was once a man who gave away his children in order to prove that he could master letting go. When his wife returned home, she thought his approach made sense. But does it?
What is it we attach to? We attach to sensual pleasures, ideas and views, rites and rituals, and our view of ourselves. Dr. Segall reminds us that for the most part, we are not told that we cannot be attached to people.
It is about the intention behind those attachments. Human beings need other human beings to flourish. Together we discuss how life depends on attachment.
And Seth reminds us all that there is a positive side to impermanence. As things change, on the way to letting go, we grieve. (In case you wondered what all of this has to do with Death Dhamma.) In fact, Seth shares his own path to embracing the changes in his life and in his relationship with who he is today.
It is a privilege to have Dr. Seth Zuihō Segall return to the Death Dhamma podcast.
Seth Zuihō Segall, PhD is a Zen Buddhist priest and clinical psychologist who is a contributing editor for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, a teacher at Pamsula Zen of Westchester and the New York Insight Meditation Center, a review editor for The Humanistic Psychologist, and the science writer for the Mindfulness Research Monthly. His publications include The House We Live In: Virtue, Wisdom, and Pluralism (2023), Buddhism and Human Flourishing (2020), Living Zen: A Practical Guide of a Balanced Existence (2020), Encountering Buddhism: Western Psychology and Buddhist Teachings (2003) and chapters in The Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Meditation (2022) and Springer’s Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality (2022). His blog, The Existential Buddhist, contains essays on Buddhist philosophy, ethics, history, art, meditation, and social engagement.
If you are curious about our first discussion on the Death Dhamma podcast, here is his season 1 episode: https://www.margaretmeloni.com/blog/lessons-learned-from-dr-seth-zuiho-segall-however-you-are-feeling/