Mindfulness Meditation · Care
This week’s meditation session is led by Rebecca Li and the theme is Care. The guided meditation begins at 21:44.
Avalokiteshvara; Tibet; 12th century; Copper alloy; 13 × 9 × 6 7/8 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2002.24.1
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva who personifies the compassion of all the buddhas, is the most venerated deity in Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Avalokiteshvara has undergone many transformations over the centuries, adopting new qualities and names. This great cosmic being sits in meditation, with lowered eyelids, looking inward into mind and downward to witness the lamentations of the world with spaciousness and forgiveness. The bodhisattva of compassion shows us how to model new ways of acting that enable us to skillfully help other beings. The many forms of the bodhisattva help us visualize aspects of mind, such as enlightenment, which are conveyed through extraordinary beauty.
Dr. Rebecca Li, a dharma heir in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen, is the founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community. She teaches meditation and dharma classes, gives public lectures, and leads retreats in North America and Europe. Li is the author of Allow Joy into Our Hearts: Chan Practice in Uncertain Times, and her book Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method was published by Shambhala Publications in 2023. She is a sociology professor and lives with her husband in New Jersey.
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