About the MeditationAbout the Meditation

This week’s meditation session is led by Jon Aaron and the theme is Beginner’s Mind.

Related ArtworkRelated Artwork

Buddha Shakyamuni; Tibet; 13th century; Gilt copper alloy with pigment; 13 1/4 × 10 3/4 × 7 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.31

Our featured artwork this week is a bronze sculpture of Buddha Shakyamuni dated to the 13th century from Tibet. Sitting with a calm face in full lotus pose, Buddha Shakyamuni calls the Earth to witness his enlightenment by touching the ground with his right hand. This gesture marks the beginning of Siddhartha’s perfected Buddha mind which fully understands wisdom and compassion. From here, the Buddha would start his most important mission: spreading what he had learned under the Bodhi tree to the rest of the world.

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 5, 2015
PodcastsMindfulness Meditation

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