About the MeditationAbout the Meditation

This week’s meditation session is led by Kimberly Brown and the theme is Potential.

Related ArtworkRelated Artwork

Painting of multi-armed figure standing on lotus blossom, surround by smaller figures in flowing robes.

The White Mahakala, Shadbhuja; Tibet; 18th century; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.28

In this magnificent rendering of Mahakala, the wrathful deity appears in a white form with six arms. He holds many objects related to esoteric tantric practice, including a trident staff in his upper left hand, symbolizing the wandering life of an ascetic, as well as a curved knife in his upper right hand that represents the severing of conceptual thought. In his lowest left hand, he holds a wish-fulfilling jewel. While Mahakala uses this jewel to grant his followers wishes, it also represents the wish to achieve enlightenment in order to help all beings, reminding us of the potential we all have for awakening.

Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. Her teachings provide an approachable pathway to personal and collective well-being through effective and modern techniques based on traditional practices. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her book Navigating Grief and Loss: 25 Buddhist Practices to Keep Your Heart Open to Yourself and Others was published in 2022, and an updated edition of Steady, Calm, and Brave was released in 2023. Both are published by Prometheus Books.

Published February 18, 2016
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