Mindfulness Meditation · Impermanence
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Impermanence. The guided meditation begins at 15:09.
Reliquary, Stupa; Tibet; 14th century; Copper alloy; 28 × 10 1/2 × 10 3/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2003.12.2
In India, stupas were originally hemispherical mounds constructed to hold sacred remains, like those of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. This is not limited to the mortal remains of a holy person—stupas can include objects associated with that person, such as clothes, as well as sacred texts, articles of worship, and figures made of clay and the ashes of the deceased (tsatsas). While a statue or painting of a buddha represents the divine body of an enlightened being and a book symbolizes divine speech, a stupa represents the mind of supreme spiritual awakening and is thus a symbol of buddhahood.
Tracy Cochran has been a student and teacher of meditation and spiritual practice for decades. She is the founder of the Hudson River Sangha. In addition to offering meditation online, Tracy has taught mindfulness meditation and mindful writing at the Rubin Museum and the New York Insight Meditation Center, as well as in schools, corporations, and other venues worldwide. She is also a writer and the editorial director of Parabola, an acclaimed quarterly magazine that seeks to bring timeless spiritual wisdom to the burning questions of the day.
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