Mindfulness Meditation · Care
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Care. The guided meditation begins at 13:21.
Medicine Buddha Abhijnaraja; Ladakh; 14th century; Pigments on cloth; 12 1/2 × 8 7/8 × 1/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2004.11.1
This small painting most likely comes from Ladakh in the western Himalayas, where a number of monuments are decorated with similar naive paintings. This red buddha with his left hand in the gesture of giving is one of the Eight Medicine Buddhas, most likely Abhijnaraja, who occupies the northeastern direction in the mandala. Not only do the figure’s color and gesture conform to the representation of Abhijnaraja, but many of the other figures shown in this painting are associated with the northeast. The buddha is flanked by two white bodhisattvas, one holding a vase, the other a lotus. In the bottom row from left to right are the directional guardians Yaksha and Ishana, the earth goddess, and the Four Great Kings. In the top corners are Maitreya and an Indian scholar.
Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, has guided meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Her latest book is Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World. She is a weekly columnist for On Being, a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and the author of several other books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, and Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Ms. Salzberg has been a regular participant in the Rubin’s many on-stage conversations and regards the Rubin as a supplemental office.
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