Mindfulness Meditation · Love
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Love.
Bodhisattva Maitreya; India, Bihar or Bengal; 12th century; Gilt copper alloy with inlays of silver, copper, and glass; Rubin Museum of Art; C2005.16.6
This 12th-century sculpture of Maitreya, who sits in the pose of royal ease, is a rare and exceptional example of northeastern Indian Buddhist sculpture. A stupa appears over his right shoulder, a common feature of his iconography. Driven by his deeply rooted love and compassion for all beings, Maitreya waits in Tushita Heaven until the lessons of Buddha Shakyamuni have been forgotten so that he can come down to teach them once more. The legend of Maitreya speaks to the universal doctrines that Buddhism expounds and how they are meant for all times and all people.
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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