Mindfulness Meditation · Impermanence
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Impermanence.
Shiva Vishavarupa, Universal form with Consort; Nepal; mid-19th century; Pigments on cotton; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2003.20.2
Shiva is one of Hinduism’s major gods and the supreme god of the Shaivite sect. He takes many forms—ascetic, destroyer, conqueror of death, cosmic dancer—and this painting presents him as Vishvarupa, “universal form” or “form of the world.”
In this painting the viewer has the sense that the deity takes up all available space on the canvas, a visual metaphor for the perception that the entire world is divine. He embraces his female consort, who is in complete harmony with the mustached male god; the two appear to almost blend into each other. The couple dances atop a dais supported by lesser Hindu gods and within an aureole of fire. They are surrounded by scenes of charnel grounds and other manifestations of the great god. At the bottom center the couple is shown in sexual embrace but their colors are reversed.
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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