Mindfulness Meditation · Community
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Community. The guided meditation begins at 14:20.
Buddha Shakyamuni; Tsang Region, Central Tibet; 18th century; Pigment on cloth; 28 3/8 × 18 3/4 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.128
This 18th-century thangka painting depicts the Buddha giving a teaching at Vulture’s Peak. Located in northeastern India, Vulture’s Peak is an important site for many of the Buddha’s teachings. His public teachings formed the basis of his community as he traveled throughout the region. In this particular painting, the Buddha sits holding a single flower in his right hand. Most of his followers appear to be confused, but the monk Mahakashyapa smiles in response, showing his understanding of the true ineffable meaning of the Buddha’s teachings. Mahakashyapa eventually founded the lineage that became the zen tradition, which focuses on meditation rather than the study of Buddhist scripture.
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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