Stimulus - Learn Tools to Crush It in Your Medical Career

Impatience, Anger, and the Guilt of Abundance | Insights from the Dalai Lama’s Doctor

Jul 1, 2024

Dr. Barry Kerzin, a US-born family physician and Buddhist monk, serves as the Dalai Lama's personal physician. He discusses the emotional challenges of living in abundance amidst global hardship and offers insightful strategies for managing guilt, anger, and impatience. Barry shares his transformative journey from medicine to monastic life, emphasizing the role of mindfulness and self-compassion in healthcare. He also introduces his app, AIMIcare, designed to combat burnout and promote emotional well-being among medical professionals.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

From U.S. Family Doc To Monk In Dharamsala

Barry Kerzin left a U.S. family medicine career after his wife's death and a growing interest in Buddhism.
He moved to Dharamsala, extended visas repeatedly, and has lived there for 35 years integrating medicine and monastic life.

ANECDOTE

Clinic Work Inside The Dalai Lama's Compound

Barry lives inside the Dalai Lama's compound in two rooms and provides on-demand visits rather than a formal clinic schedule.
He treats staff and consults externally for patients who can't access the compound.

INSIGHT

Guilt Isn't Built Into The Tibetan Frame

Tibetan language lacks a concept of guilt and instead has shame or regret without guilt-laden meaning.
This framing allows living with less self-condemnation by changing how we label our emotions.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

It's natural to feel guilt or shame when living in abundance while much of the world faces hardship. In this episode, Dr. Barry Kerzin, the Dalai Lama's personal physician and a Buddhist monk, shares his approach to managing these emotions with a simple yet powerful tool. He also discusses his journey to becoming a monk, life within the Dalai Lama's compound, as well as anger management, self-compassion, and impatience strategies.

💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡

Guest Bio: Barry Kerzin, MD is a US born and trained family physician who for the past several decades has resided as a monk in Dharamshala, India — home of the Tibetan community in exile. In addition to serving as H.H. the Dalai Lama’s personal physician, Dr. Kerzin is the founder of the Altruism in Medicine Institute, whose mission is to increase compassion and resilience among healthcare professionals and extended professional groups, such as police officers, first responders, teachers and leaders.

Self described as “…a doctor, a monk, a teacher, a lazy man. All of these things, yet none of these things,” you can follow Dr. Kerzin on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram or learn more about his story here.

He's also got a new app that you might be interested in -- AIMIcare. This app is crafted to counteract the distressing prevalence of burnout, depression, and frustration among those facing the brunt of human suffering by instilling the virtues of compassion, mindfulness, and self-care

Download AIMIcare: here

AIMIcare Mobile App Website: https://aimicare.altruismmedicine.org/

We Discuss:

How Dr. Kerzin made the trade from US-based family doctor to Buddhist monk and the Dalai Lama's personal physician
Studying Tibetan medicine for the treatment of high blood pressure
A day in the life of the Dalai Lama’s doctor
What the food is like in the Dalai Lama's compound
How Barry feels about being referred to as 'The Dalai Lama's Doctor'
Two experiences in younger life that sparked Barry's spiritual quest
The guilt of living in abundance
The importance of generosity
Self-compassion
An approach to imposter syndrome
Anger management
Healthy self-confidence
Using purpose as an antidote for impatience
Having patience in the time-compressed reality of medical practice

Mentioned in this episode:

Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.

If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

1 on 1 Physician Coaching

I work with physicians to help them flourish in medical practice. If you're feeling stuck, burned out, or in trouble at work because of communication or conflict, check out our FAQ page for more info. Ready for real change? Book a discovery call. It’s free, low-pressure, and will give you clarity on your next steps.

Physician Coaching FAQ

4 Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice

Scripting your least favorite conversations. The Driveway Debrief. My 4 favorite documentation templates. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults.

Free Resources Link