Mindfulness Meditation · Change
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Change. The guided meditation begins at 12:37.
Lords of the Charnel Ground, Smashana Adipati; Tibet; 18th century; Painted terracotta; Object size: 6 1/2 x 5 1/8 x 1 1/2 inObject w/ Base/Mount #1 size: 6 5/8 x 5 1/4 x 1 1/4 in. Base/Mount #1 size: 6 3/8 x 4 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2002.36.1
Here we see two skeleton lords of the charnel ground, brother and sister, animated by ecstatic dance and laughter, their festive demeanor expressing the joy of being free from attachment. The male and female figures are interdependent here, illustrating the interplay of masculine and feminine in all beings. The male sports a garland of freshly severed heads and holds a skeleton club and a skull bowl. In contrast, the female wears a garland of dried skulls and holds a staff and a golden vase. These skeleton lords support the practice of the deity Chakrasamvara and are revered as powerful protectors.
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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