Mindfulness Meditation · Creative Process
This week’s meditation session is led by Ethan Nichtern and the theme is Creative Process. The guided meditation begins at 12:02.
This video show the different steps of the lost-wax process, a technique used to create many sculptures in the Rubin’s collection. During the first step of the process, the artist carves a wax model of the sculpture. Once the model is made, the artist covers the model with several layers of clay creating a mold while leaving two holes in the bottom. Once the mold is fired, the wax figurine inside melts and drains out of the holes leaving space for the molten metal to be poured. After the metal has cooled, the mold is gently broken off revealing the crude metal sculpture inside. The metal is cleaned, inlaid with semiprecious stones, and gilded. Lastly, the artist paints the eyes, which are said to transfer the power and the presence of the deity.
Ethan Nichtern founded the Interdependence Project in 2005. In the summer of 2010 he was empowered by his teacher, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, as a Shastri, a senior teacher in the Shambhala tradition, representing the New York region. Nichtern teaches meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and retreats in New York City and throughout the United States. He is the author of The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path, the novella/poetry collection Your Emoticons Won’t Save You, and One City: A Declaration of Interdependence.
Get the latest news and stories from the Rubin, plus occasional information on how to support our work.