Mindfulness Meditation · Liberation Through Listening
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Liberation through Listening. The guided meditation begins at 14:20.
The Five Supreme Ones (Panchaparamesthin) India; 16th or 17th century Opaque watercolor on cloth Rubin Museum of Art C2011.21
This impressive painting is from the Jain religion, whose traditions emerged around that same time as Buddhism. Much like Buddhism, Jainism has the ultimate goal of achieving liberation, or moksha, from the cycle of death and rebirth. The center of this painting displays a Siddhachakra, or “wheel of liberated souls,” which practitioners visualize as part of their spiritual practice. The Five Supreme Ones in the center represent the five classes of venerated beings. They are the “enlightened ones,” “liberated ones,” religious leaders, teachers, and monastics. By visualizing these beings and their liberation, practitioners aim to achieve their own liberation.
Sharon Salzberg, Cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, has guided meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Her latest books are Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom and Finding Your Way: Meditations, Thoughts, and Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life. 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, Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World, 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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