Frank Ostaseski: A Glimpse Into Mortality

The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Srinivas Rao

Society & Culture

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 April 2017

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We spend all this time imagining we’re going to get ready for our dying. And I think it’s kind of an absurd idea, to imagine that at the time of our dying that we will have the strength of body, the emotional stability, and the mental clarity to do the work of a lifetime. It’s an absurd gamble. We should do this work now and that includes those of us who are not dying. Our aging parents for example. Be with them now. Tell them you love them now. Waiting is full of expectation. Waiting for the next moment to arrive we miss this one. Waiting for the moment of dying we miss all the moments in between. Hold death out there. Shine a light on it. Hold it out there as a way of reminding you to attend to what most matters.

Frank Ostaseski is a Buddhist teacher, international lecturer and a leading voice in contemplative end-of-life care. In 1987, he co-founded of the Zen Hospice Project, the first Buddhist hospice in America. In 2004, he created the Metta Institute to provide innovative educational programs and professional trainings that foster compassionate, mindfulness-based care. He’s also the author of The Five Invitations

Subscribe for ad-free interviews and bonus episodes https://plus.acast.com/s/the-unmistakable-creative-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	We spend all this time imagining we're going to get ready for our dying and I think it's a kind of absurd idea
0:06.0	to imagine that at the time of our dying we will have the strength of body the emotional stability the mental clarity to do the work of a lifetime it's an
0:14.9	absurd gamble so we should do this work now and that includes those of us who are
0:19.9	not dying who are with you know our aging parents for example.
0:24.2	Be with them now.
0:25.8	Tell them you love them now.
0:27.4	You know, waiting is full of expectation, waiting for the next moment to arrive.
0:34.1	We miss this one, you know, waiting for the moment of dying.
0:37.2	We miss all the moments in between.
0:40.0	So that's the great thing.
0:41.0	Whole death out there as a shine, as a light on it so to speak, and
0:46.0	hold it out there is a way of reminding you to attend to what most matters. I'm Sreeny Rao and this is the unmistakable creative
0:59.0	podcast where you get a window into the stories and insights of
1:02.0	the most innovative and creative minds who started movements,
1:05.2	built driving businesses, written best selling books, and created insanely interesting art.
1:09.6	For more, check out our 500 episode archive at unmistakable Creative.com. Attention at all passengers. You can now book your train tickets on Uber and get 10% back in Uber credits to spend on your next train journey.
1:30.0	So no excuses not to visit your in-laws this Christmas.
1:34.0	Trains, now on Uber.
1:37.0	Tees and seas apply.
1:38.0	Check the Uber app.
1:40.0	Frank, welcome to the unmistakable Creative.
1:43.2	Thanks so much for taking the time to join us.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Srinivas Rao, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Srinivas Rao and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.