YONGEY MINGYUR RINPOCHE:

We are dying every day, but at the same time, we are reborn every day. That in-between moment is the most precious moment in our life. Because that moment is the possibility to transform, to change, to grow.

MICHELLE TEA:

I am aware all the time that my marriage had to collapse and die for this other relationship to be able to take root and grow.

FALU:

Welcome to AWAKEN, a podcast from the Rubin Museum of Art about the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” I’m singer and songwriter Falu. This season, we delve into the notion of life after—those big transitional moments that propel us into the unknown. We’ve gathered artists, writers, scientists, Buddhist teachers, and others to explore the key events and characteristics of a human life—from birth to death and everything in between—as well as grapple with the ultimate mystery: the afterlife.

JILL BOLTE TAYLOR:

I lost all my past. I lost all expectations and hopes for the future. But what I was given was the present moment. And the present moment is always a perfect moment.

SPRING WASHAM:

Nothing is everlasting. And this is the hardest piece, I think, for everyone to surrender to, is constant change. Our bodies, our minds, the world, the—everything shifting. And so, that’s an important piece that death reminds us of.

FALU:

Their stories offer insights on how we might approach change. And with art from the Himalayas in the Rubin Museum’s collection, we can make even better sense of those changes. Wake up to what is possible. Tune in to Season 3 of AWAKEN wherever you get your podcasts or at rubinmuseum.org.

AWAKEN Season 3 and Death Is Not the End are supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation, Robert Lehman Foundation, and The Prospect Hill Foundation.

The Rubin Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

Death Is Not the End is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.