Attachment. Pride. Envy. Anger. Throughout this season’s Brainwave series, we have explored the four “afflictive emotions” that surround the center of the Vairochana Mandala, the inspiration behind the Rubin Museum’s innovative Mandala Lab installation. With Tibetan Buddhist teacher Khenpo Pema we may begin to see that the four afflictive states of mind have one element in common: ignorance. In conversation with the philosopher of cognitive science, Dr. Adriana Renero, Lama Pema brings the insights of the Vairochana teachings and compares them to our current understanding of how we relate to the whole and what our role in community could and should be.
This talk is part of the Rubin Museum’s 2022 Brainwave: Emotions program series. Based on the teachings of the Vairochana Mandala, which inspired the Rubin Museum’s Mandala Lab, the Brainwave: Emotions talk series focuses on challenging emotions and how we might transform them.
Lead support for Brainwave is provided, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
Additional support is provided by Cheryl Henson.
Khenpo Pema Wangdak became a monk at the age of seven and went on to attend the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies and Sanskrit University. In 1982 he was sent to teach in New York City, becoming the first of his generation of Tibetan teachers to settle in the United States. He founded the Vikramasila Foundation in 1989 to support educational initiatives around the world. In recognition of his humanitarian work, he became the first Tibetan to be awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
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