Meditation session led by Kate Johnson.
For centuries Himalayan practitioners have used meditation to quiet the mind, open the heart, calm the nervous system, and increase focus. Now Western scientists, business leaders, and the secular world have embraced meditation as a vital tool for brain health.
Whether you’re a beginner, a dabbler, or a skilled meditator seeking the company of others, join expert teachers in a forty-five-minute weekly program designed to fit into your lunch break. Each session will be inspired by a different work of art from the Rubin Museum’s collection and will include an opening talk, a twenty-minute sitting session, and a closing discussion. Chairs will be provided.
Presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg and the Interdependence Project. This program is supported in part by the Hemera Foundation.
RELATED ARTWORK
Theme: Discovering
This painting of the great treasure revealer Terdag Lingpa (or Lama Lingpa Gyurme Dorje) dates to the 17th century. He is known for discovering buddhist teachings hidden away for centuries by Tibetan Buddhist master Padmasambhava.
Despite being from a separate lineage of Buddhism (Nyingma), he had close ties to the fifth Dalai Lama and even received monk’s ordination from him at the age of 23. Upon entering retreat, he had several visions of Buddhist saints like Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal giving him teachings and directions on where to discover new terma (treasure teachings). While being part of the old tradition, Terdag Lingpa, through his ties with the fifth Dalai Lama, was able to incorporate the best of old and new traditions to help people make discoveries for centuries.
About the Speaker
Kate Johnson works at the intersections of spiritual practice, social action, and creative expression. She teaches mindful yoga in NYC public schools, teaches Buddhist meditation at the Interdependence Project, and facilitates an embodied approach to organizational and leadership development for social change agents and communities. Johnson holds a BFA in dance from the Alvin Ailey School/Fordham University and a MA in performance studies from NYU. She has trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, Laughing Lotus Yoga, and the Presencing Institute. She is working on a book about waking up to power and oppression as a spiritual practice, to be published by Parallax Press.