Mindfulness Meditation · Gratitude
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Gratitude. The guided meditation begins at 16:43.
Illustrated Manuscript Depicting the Story of Water; Nepal; 17th century; Pigments on paper; 25 1/4 x 11 1/8 x 3/8 in. (64.1 x 28.3 x 1 cm); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1996.31.33
This illustrated manuscript containing five folios was created by Nepalese artisans in the 17th century. Folding like a map, it depicts a drought and its subsequent end, mirroring the weather patterns of the monsoons. The top folio depicts two brothers fighting; an unnatural and inauspicious event that angered the god of rain causing the drought to occur. The drought was resolved finally when a yogi practiced austerities and gained the power to make rain. As the rains returned, it restored the natural order of things and left those suffering full of gratitude for the returning water.
Tracy Cochran has taught meditation and spiritual practice for many years. She is a speaker and author whose most recent book, Presence: The Art of Being At Home in Yourself, was published by Shambhala Publications in 2024. Tracy is the founder and leading teacher of the Hudson River Sangha and has taught mindfulness and mindful writing at New York Insight, the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, and many other venues. In addition to serving as the editorial director of the acclaimed spiritual quarterly Parabola, her writings have appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Psychology Today, The Best Spiritual Writing series, Parabola, and many other publications and anthologies. For more about Tracy, please visit tracycochran.org and parabola.org.
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