Mindfulness Meditation · Interdependence
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Interdependence. The guided meditation begins at 17:44.
Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Bardo; Tibet; 19th century; Ground mineral pigments on cotton; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.539
This painting portrays 113 apparitional deities arranged by categories. The innermost circle enshrines the Supreme Heruka together with the Five Transcendental Herukas, all paired with their consorts. In the Nyingma (Old) Tradition the term heruka (blood drinker) generally refers to any male meditational deity that is wrathful in appearance. A Heruka deity typically has three faces, six arms, eight legs, a consort, and sometimes a pair of wings. Some of these deities can be identified by a unique attribute, such as the horse head of Hayagriva or the kila (purba) peg of Vajrakila, but most are relatively difficult to identify.
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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