Mindfulness Meditation · Aspiration
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Aspiration.
Pancharaksha Mandala; Central Tibet; 18th century; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art; Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2003.50.6
This mandala depicts the deity Pancharaksha inside her celestial palace, surrounded by her entourage. Mandalas are used in advanced visualization meditation practices in the Tibetan tradition. In addition to visually building the mandala with their minds, practitioners must eventually visualize themselves as the central deity as a means of transforming themselves into an enlightened being. In this sense, a mandala like this one serves as an aspirational map toward enlightenment.
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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