Mindfulness Meditation · Facing Chaos
This week’s meditation session is led by Rebecca Li and the theme is Facing Chaos. The guided meditation begins at 20:03.
Vajrasattva; Nepal; 14th century; Gilt copper alloy of multiple parts with traces of pigments; 17 1/8 × 14 × 10 in.; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.10
Vajrasattva is both a highly accomplished bodhisattva and a primordial buddha who is often invoked to purify the errors made during rituals and other religious practices. His name means “vajra being,” and he is the personification of the vajra, the most important ritual implement and symbol of esoteric Buddhism. The vajra is a symbol of power and indestructibility of the enlightened mind. This sculpture depicts the deity holding a bell at his waist, and he once held a vajra in front of his chest with his right hand.
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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