Mindfulness Meditation · Generosity
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Generosity. The guided meditation begins at 17:00.
Tall Offering Table; Tibet; 19th century; Wood, pigments; 28 1/2 × 35 1/4 × 16 1/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Sandy Song Yan; C2012.5
This ritual offering table from the Rubin Museum’s Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room contains several traditional Tibetan Buddhist motifs. Three jewels rest in the center, a symbol of the Buddha, his teachings, and the Buddhist community. Generosity is a core ritual practice in Tibetan Buddhism, with practitioners placing sensually pleasing offerings on tables like this one. Their generosity creates a karmic connection with the deities on display, meaning that any generosity shown will be returned by the gods.
Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, has guided meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Her latest book is Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World. She is a weekly columnist for On Being, a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and the author of several other books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, and Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Ms. Salzberg has been a regular participant in the Rubin’s many on-stage conversations and regards the Rubin as a supplemental office.
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