Mindfulness Meditation · Openness
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Openness. The guided meditation begins at 14:30.
Protective Astrological Chart; Tibet; late 18th or early 19th century; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Namkha Dorjee/Bodhicitta Art; C2006.71.11
This Tibetan astrological chart is an auspicious talisman and an instructional tool that is believed to bring good fortune to all those who see, display, or possess it. Such charts can often be found hanging on the walls of Tibetan houses and are commonly engraved on amulets worn or carried on one’s person.
The primary figure at the bottom center is a tortoise, a metaphor for creation. On the tortoise’s belly are concentric circles that illustrate, from the inside out, the nine magic numbers (sme ba dgu), the eight trigrams (spar kha brgyad), and the twelve animals of the zodiac, which, combined with the five elements, form the sixty-year cycle of the Tibetan calendar. Along the sides are rows of sigils, each representing a negative spirit. These symbols bind those spirits in a contract agreeing to not to harm the displayer of the image. Along the top, Indian deities, planetary deities, and important stars are shown guarding against maladies.
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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