Mindfulness Meditation · Impermanence
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Impermanence. The guided meditation begins at 14:20.
Ritual texts from the cycle of the Tibetan Book of the Dead; Tibet; 15th century; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art; C2008.15.1
This ritual text is from the Bardo Thodol, commonly known in the West as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The circles arranged vertically from top to bottom contain the letters for om, ah, and hum, meant to purify the body, speech, and mind respectively. This text was most likely was used by a master to initiate a student into meditation practices associated with the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which are intended to prepare practitioners for the intermediate stage between death and rebirth. It also serves a valuable reminder that, just like all things, our lives and sense of self are impermanent.
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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