Mindfulness Meditation · Realization
This week’s meditation session is led by Kimberly Brown and the theme is Realization. The guided meditation begins at 13:22.
Skull cup with Base; Tibet; 18th - 20th century; Silver, turquoise, coral, brass alloy; 2 3/8 × 7 1/4 × 5 3/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2011.13.11a-b
Skull cups, or kapalas, have significant value in tantric ritual practice. They are generally made from the top of a human skull, often gathered from charnel grounds, and embellished with precious metals and stones. Skull cups are often associated with offerings made to wrathful deities. It is customary to place wine or dough cakes in skull cups as an offering. In Tibetan Buddhism, the skull represents emptiness, impermanence, and being without ego.
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.
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