Mindfulness Meditation · Awakening
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Awakening. The guided meditation begins at 14:38.
Major Events of the Buddha's Life; Northeastern India; 12th century; "Andagu" stone with pigments; 6 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 1 1/2 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.4.2
The northeastern Indian village of Bodhgaya, the place of the Buddha’s enlightenment, is an important pilgrimage site. This small portable stone relief is an example of the small souvenir sculptures dedicated to the Buddha’s life that pilgrims picked up on their visits. The image of the Buddha at the center of the stele shows him seated under a tree with his right hand touching the earth, a common visual reference to the moment of his enlightenment. This central figure and the six buddhas on the sides represent the seven weeks the Buddha spent meditating in Bodhgaya. The scenes on the stele’s periphery depict events from the Buddha’s life, culminating at the top with his achievement of nirvana at death.
Tracy Cochran has been a student and teacher of meditation and spiritual practice for decades. She is the founder of the Hudson River Sangha. In addition to offering meditation online, Tracy has taught mindfulness meditation and mindful writing at the Rubin Museum and the New York Insight Meditation Center, as well as in schools, corporations, and other venues worldwide. She is also a writer and the editorial director of Parabola, an acclaimed quarterly magazine that seeks to bring timeless spiritual wisdom to the burning questions of the day.
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