Mindfulness Meditation · Hopes and Anxieties
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Hopes and Anxieties. The guided meditation begins at 23:30.
Protector Begtse Chen; Mongolia; late 18th - early 19th century; Gilt copper alloy with pigments; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.12.3
Begtse is one of the main protector figures of the Gelukpa order of Buddhism. He is distinguished by his “coat of mail,” which is wonderfully portrayed in this sculpture as it stretches over the vast expanse of his corpulent torso. He brandishes a flaming sword in his right hand and the fresh heart of the enemy in his left hand. Though these seem to be fearsome objects, they all symbolize the defeat of ego-centered conceptions.
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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