Mind & Life Podcast

Neil Theise – Everything is Connected

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February 20, 2025

View or download a transcript of this episode

In this episode, Wendy speaks with pathologist, scientist, author, and Zen Buddhist, Neil Theise. Neil’s pioneering work in human anatomy has revolutionized our understanding of interconnectedness at the level of the body and beyond. This conversation covers many topics, including:

Neil Theise, MD
  • his interest in medicine & Buddhism;
  • pathology as contemplative practice;
  • how a mystery from the wall of the bile duct led to a new understanding of our bodies;
  • overview of the interstitium;
  • how the interstitium may relate to fascia, energy systems, chakras, meridians, and other traditional systems of healing;
  • connecting healing traditions through a cultural interstitium;
  • a meditation to visualize the interstitium;
  • studying living vs. dead tissue;
  • cell doctrine and reductionism;
  • complexity theory and interconnectedness at all scales;
  • Buddhist ideas of emptiness, interdependence, impermanence;
  • randomness in a complex system and adaptability;
  • and the power of an interconnected view.

Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Through his scientific research, he has been a pioneer of adult stem cell plasticity and the anatomy of the human interstitium. Neil’s studies in complexity theory have led to interdisciplinary collaborations in fields such as integrative medicine, consciousness studies, and science-religion dialogue. He is also a senior student of Zen Buddhism at the Village Zendo, New York City, under the guidance of Roshi Enkyo O’hara.

Resources

Personal website
New York University faculty page