Mindfulness Meditation · Love
This week’s meditation session is led by Rebecca Li and the theme is Love. The guided meditation begins at 19:00.
Guhyasamaja with Consort; Tibet; 15th century; Gilt copper alloy with inlaid semiprecious stones; 11 1/8 × 9 × 6 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.23
Sitting crossed-legged holding his consort in a sexual embrace, Guhyasamaja represents the union of wisdom and compassion. While seemingly erotic, the bliss experienced through sex is meant to be a metaphor for the bliss of enlightenment and has little to do with romantic love. By achieving the state expressed in this sculpture, the practitioner achieves something much greater than mere romantic love, but rather a love for all sentient beings.
Dr. Rebecca Li, a dharma heir in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen, is the founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community. She teaches meditation and dharma classes, gives public lectures, and leads retreats in North America and Europe. Li is the author of Allow Joy into Our Hearts: Chan Practice in Uncertain Times, and her book Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method was published by Shambhala Publications in 2023. She is a sociology professor and lives with her husband in New Jersey.
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