Mindfulness Meditation · Gratitude
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Gratitude.
Monsoon Ritual around the Stupa (Gumla Dharma Laksha Caitya); Nepal; 16th century; Pigments on cloth; 25 × 20 3/8 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.36
During the rainy month of Gumla in the Kathmandu Valley, devout Buddhist families gather to perform the Laksha Caitya, which means “one hundred thousand stupas.” Originally used as burial mounds for important teachers, stupas became a symbol of the Buddha’s enlightened mind in aniconic form. The creation of so many stupas serves to display devotion and gratitude for being able to have such close access to the teachings of the Buddha. Once the one hundred thousand stupas are created, a priest lays them into a riverbed to conclude the ceremony. This painting relates to this ritual by depicting dozens of small stupas in the background with a large stupa in the center. The repetitious practice of gratitude compounds itself, helping the practitioner to focus on the good in their lives.
Tracy Cochran has taught meditation and spiritual practice for many years. She is a speaker and author whose most recent book, Presence: The Art of Being At Home in Yourself, was published by Shambhala Publications in 2024. Tracy is the founder and leading teacher of the Hudson River Sangha and has taught mindfulness and mindful writing at New York Insight, the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, and many other venues. In addition to serving as the editorial director of the acclaimed spiritual quarterly Parabola, her writings have appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Psychology Today, The Best Spiritual Writing series, Parabola, and many other publications and anthologies. For more about Tracy, please visit tracycochran.org and parabola.org.
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