Charlesly Joseph, MD

on Engaged Buddhism, Racial Justice,
and Practical Applications of Meditation
in Times of Suffering

Focusing on what’s wrong helps a doctor diagnose patients, but it isn’t always an effective strategy for dealing with life. What does meditation practice look like from a physician’s point of view, particularly in these challenging times?

In this episode, Dr. Charlesly Joseph joins Kate and Alex to discuss his spiritual journey from growing up Episcopalian to embracing the dharma and finding his way to back to church and sangha in a time of personal difficulty. He explores the parallels between Buddhism and Christianity and reflects on the power of engaged Buddhism to address racial injustice. He also shares how being a physician informs his meditation practice and how he thinks about sickness, old age and death.

Charlesly Joseph, MD is a father, husband and physician (among multiple intersectional identities) practicing in Albuquerque NM. He is interested in engaged Buddhism and making connections between the dharma and his Episcopalian roots.

Land Acknowledgment: Albuquerque occupies the traditional homelands of the Pueblo of Sandia. The original peoples of New Mexico – Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache – since time immemorial, have deep connections to the land and have made significant contributions to the broader community statewide.

Key Takeaways:

• How Dr. Joseph came to meditation from a place of suffering
• The continuity in Dr. Joseph’s spiritual journey from growing up Episcopalian to embracing Buddhist teachings
• How the hero archetype informs both Christianity and Buddhism
• Why Dr. Joseph credits loving-kindness meditation practice for the compassionate shift of the voice in his head
• How to think about emptiness as spaciousness or possibility
• The hidden curriculum in medicine to be compassionate toward patients but hard on yourself
• How Dr. Joseph thinks about his experience with suffering, old age and death
• How being a doctor informs Dr. Joseph’s charnel ground practice and 32 parts of the body meditation
• The challenges of contemplating the end of life
• Dr. Joseph’s perspective on George Floyd’s death and how mindfulness makes him willing to feel things more deeply
• How sangha practice and Black and BIPOC spaces for meditation have helped Dr. Joseph heal
• The power of engaged Buddhist activism in times of social unrest

Resources Recommended by Dr. Joseph:  

• Yoga for People of Color Sangha
• Albuquerque Insight Meditation Center
• UCSD Center for Mindfulness
• Upaya Institute and Zen Center
• Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation and Freedom edited by Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles

Resources Mentioned:

• Books by Tara Brach
• Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Sangha Practice
• The Center for Nonviolent Communication
• Loving-Kindness Meditation
• Shambhala
• Jack Kornfield
• Sharon Salzberg
• Joseph Goldstein
• Insight Meditation Center
• Gil Fronsdal
• Happy Hour with Nikki Mirghafori
• The Heart Attack Sutra: A New Commentary on the Heart Sutra by Karl Brunnholzl
• Charnel Ground Practice
• The 32 Parts of the Body
• Thich Nhat Hanh