Mindfulness Meditation · Life After
This week’s meditation session is led by Kimberly Brown and the theme is Life After. The guided meditation begins at 12:35.
Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Bardo; Tibet; 18th - 19th century; Pigments on cloth; Object size: 34 3/4 x 22 in. (estimated)Image size: 33 7/8 x 21 3/8 inFramed size: 44 3/4 x 31 5/8 x 2 1/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Purchased from the Collection of Navin Kumar, New York; C2005.35.3
Buddhist traditions maintain that if we are trained to recognize the true nature of our subtle consciousness at the moment of death, we could attain awakening. This image depicts the mind’s experience between death and rebirth, the bardo, as described in the text Liberation upon Hearing in the Intermediate State and imagined by an artist.
First, clear light appears as peaceful deities who encourage the mind to become aware and free. When negative karma triggers frightful visions, recognizing their nature can help avoid rebirth in the unfortunate realms, if not reach enlightenment. The painting shows all possible outcomes—the six realms of existence as gods, demigods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. The Lord of Death presides over the judgment of karma which affects the next rebirth.
Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her latest book is Happy Relationships: 25 Buddhist Practices to Transform Your Connection with Your Partner, Family, and Friends. You can learn more about Kimberly at meditationwithheart.com.
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