Mindfulness Meditation · Mantra
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Mantra.
Red Avalokiteshvara; Tibet or Nepal; 19th century; Pigments on cloth; 24 x 16 3/4 in. (61 x 42.5 cm); Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1996.18.2
This 19th-century painting from Tibet or Nepal depicts a red bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara standing with his right hand extended in a gift-giving gesture while holding a lotus flower that blooms above his shoulder. His mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, which is said to contain all the teachings of the Buddha, is the most written, recited, and repeated prayer in all of the Himalayas. It is often chanted several times every day and is inscribed on walls and stones along trails. It is believed that simply seeing these walls and stones, or mani, allows anyone traveling these paths to gain good merit.
Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, has guided meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Her latest book is Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World. 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, 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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