Mindfulness Meditation · Focus
This week’s meditation session is led by Shanté Paradigm Smalls and the theme is Focus.
Mandala of Heruka Krishna Yamari; Tsang Province, Central Tibet; 15th century; Mineral pigments on cloth; 31 1/2 × 20 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.41
Heruka Krishna Yamari is a wrathful form of of Manjushri. Yamari can be used by practitioners as a yidam, meaning a deity that is an object of meditation. In this artwork Yamari embraces his consort, representing the union of compassion and wisdom, the two aspects of enlightenment. Mandalas and yidam practice are based on visualization, with the practitioner imagining the mandala and the deity through particular stages of their meditation. It’s a practice that requires extraordinary focus, which must be developed for several years before attempting this type of meditation.
Shanté Paradigm Smalls, PhD, is a teacher and meditation instructor in the Shambhala lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Smalls is a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and has been a member of Shambhala and the NYC Shambhala sangha since 2006. Dr. Smalls is an Assistant Professor of English at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
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