Mindfulness Meditation · Power
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Power. The guided meditation begins at 19:20.
The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-1682) with Previous Incarnations; Central Tibet; 18th century; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1996.29.3
This red and gold thangka portrays the Fifth Dalai Lama surrounded by his previous incarnations. The Great Fifth was the Dalai Lama who rose to power during a major crisis in Tibetan history in the late 15th and early 16th centuries when the secular rulers of Tibet fought to take back political dominance from the evermore powerful monastic orders. The central figure of the Fifth Dalai Lama is robed in skillfully and boldly drawn folds of drapery, and he is seated on a triple-cushioned throne, indicating that the painting was probably created during his lifetime (otherwise it would have been a lotus throne). The bodhisattva of compassion Avalokiteshvara sits in the center above.
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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