Mindfulness Meditation · Facing Chaos
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Facing Chaos. The guided meditation begins at 17:12.
Wrathful Activity, Fierce Energy; 2018; Neon on black painted board; 112 5/8 × 66 15/16 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; SC2020.1.1
Buzzing with energy, Shezad Dawood’s abstracted fierce figure is a contemporary twist on depictions of Buddhist deities who help practitioners transcend obstacles. Dawood blends cultural heritage with references to popular visual culture and materials, like the neon of this sculpture, to re-examine how we tell and perceive history. The Buddhist gods seen here, known as wrathful deities, are a positive force despite their demonic appearance. The six small skulls and enveloping flames above the central figure’s elongated face represent the embodiment of wrathfulness and the power to transform ferocious activity into positive energy.
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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