ABOUT THE MEDITATION
This week’s meditation session is led by Kimberly Brown and the theme is Reimagine.
The guided meditation begins at 10:01.
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 45-minute weekly program designed to fit into your lunch break. Each session is inspired by a different work of art from the Rubin Museum’s collection and includes an opening talk, a 20-minute meditation session, and a closing discussion.
RELATED ARTWORK
This exquisite scroll from 19th-century Tibet is embroidered with silk thread. It depicts Vajravarahi, the sow-faced goddess. She is one of the most well-known Tantric goddesses in Tibetan Buddhism.
Vajravarahi derives her name from the small sow head atop her own. According to ancient Indic traditions, pigs are adept at uprooting things. Hence, Vajravarahi is a meditational deity who assists practitioners with uprooting ego.
Vajravarahi is usually portrayed as red in color—the color of this silk thread may have faded over time. Vajravarahi is both peaceful and wrathful. In her right hand she grasps a knife for severing mental afflictions. In her left hand she holds a skull cup close to her heart.
The relatively small scale of this sacred work of art indicates that it was intended for personal devotional use. Vajravarahi is typically depicted dancing atop a corpse, which represents her defeat of the ego. She is surrounded by the flames of pristine awareness. As we gaze upon her, may we gain greater clarity regarding how we can rise above the trappings of our own ego.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. Her teachings provide an approachable pathway to personal and collective well-being through effective and modern techniques based on traditional practices. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her new book, Navigating Grief and Loss: 25 Buddhist Practices to Keep Your Heart Open to Yourself and Others, was published in November 2022, and an updated edition of Steady, Calm, and Brave was released in January 2023. Both are published by Prometheus Books. You can learn more about Kimberly on her website.
This program is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg and teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, and Parabola Magazine and supported by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism.
