About the MeditationAbout the Meditation

This week’s meditation session is led by Jon Aaron and the theme is Acceptance. The guided meditation begins at 12:18.

Related ArtworkRelated Artwork

Buddha Shakymuni and scenes from his life; Tsang Province, Central Tibet; second half of the 14th century; Pigments on cloth; 30 × 23 7/8 × 1/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2011.3

This artwork features many characteristics of early Tibetan painting. This detailed representation of the Buddha’s life is based on a composition derived from northeastern India. At the center of the painting is a depiction of the Buddha’s awakening. Here we see Mara, a personification of evil, and Mara’s army attempting to stop the Buddha from reaching enlightenment.

How are they doing this? By sending him illusions of beautiful women. But that didn’t work. By sending in an army with slings and arrows of monstrous distraction. That also didn’t work. And then finally by challenging his aspiration—by what authority did a mere human have to reach enlightenment? And that is when Siddhartha reached down to touch the earth to bear witness to his ultimate insight.

Jon Aaron is a Dharma and mindfulness teacher based in New York and Chicago. Since 2006 he has taught at the New York Insight Meditation Center, offering Dharma and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes. He regularly leads retreats around the US. He is primarily grounded in the Theravada tradition, alongside non-dual and Mahayana approaches. His teaching emphasizes integrating Dharma and mindfulness into daily life to foster clarity in addressing personal and social challenges. His teachers include Matthew Flickstein and, more recently, Kittisaro and Thanissara through their Dharmapala program. Jon also studied contemplative care at the Zen Center for Contemplative Care and completed the Integrated Study and Practice program at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. He is a certified MBSR teacher and teacher trainer and a Somatic Experience Practitioner® In response to the pandemic, he and his partner, Upayadhi, launched the Space2Meditate community, offering daily meditation since March 2020. Additionally, he co-hosts the podcast Diggin’ the Dharma with scholar Doug Smith.

Published August 12, 2023
PodcastsMindfulness Meditation

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