Mindfulness Meditation · Lovingkindness
This week’s meditation session is led by Elaine Retholtz and the theme is Loving Kindness. The guided meditation begins at 10:00.
Snake Goddess Manasa; Northeastern India; 12th century; Phyllite; 20 3/8 × 9 × 4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.36.2
The central figure on this small stone stele is Manasa, a goddess venerated in the Hindu traditions of Bengal in northeastern India. She is worshiped primarily for her ability to prevent and cure snake bites, a power reflected visually in her hood of seven snakes and the snake she holds in her left hand. She is also believed to bestow agricultural prosperity and fertility, here represented by the fruit in her right hand and the vase underneath her foot. A kneeling female worshiper and her offering are shown at the base.
In the Himalayan region, many craftsmen made objects for multiple religious traditions, and thus the appearance of Hindu and Buddhist works are often closely related. This is exhibited clearly if one compares this depiction of Manasa to depictions of the Buddhist deity Tara in such aspects as body posture, clothing, and ornamentation, as well as figural proportions.
Elaine Retholtz has been studying and practicing the Dharma since 1988. In addition to teaching dharma at New York Insight, she is a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and a certified MBSR teacher trainer. She is deeply interested in helping students integrate mindfulness into daily life. Elaine is committed to deepening her own understanding of issues of diversity and the way racial conditioning in the United States affects all of us—both as individuals and in relation to the institutions we are a part of, including New York Insight.
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