This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Happiness. The guided meditation begins at 15:50.

The goddess of the dawn is depicted in many different forms. Sometimes she rides a white horse through the sky, banishing the darkness and driving back the night with the orb of the sun in her outstretched right hand. Most commonly she is yellow in color, with three faces and six arms, seated on a chariot drawn by seven pigs, removing all obstacles to happiness and well-being. The metaphor for meditation and spiritual practice is light overcoming darkness. This form of the goddess, seated in a relaxed pose, is likely an attendant figure, one of two flanking a larger sculpture of Tara. The round face, jewelry, patterned etching on the garments, and the multileveled lotus base are all characteristic of Mongolian sculpture from the 17th century.