Mindfulness Meditation · Ritual
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Ritual. The guided meditation begins at 19:00.
Prayer Wheel; Tibet; 19th - 20th century; Wood, metal, and pigments; 94 × 33 1/4 × 32 in. (estimate); Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Thomas Isenberg; SC2010.32a-h
This is a large-scale version of a common Buddhist ritual object, the prayer wheel. Prayer wheels—which range in size from handheld versions to ones that sit on tabletops to those so large they require multiple people to spin them—contain mantras written on paper rolled up tightly to fit inside the cylindrical case. Practitioners spin these wheels to accumulate wisdom and merit while purifying themselves of negative qualities.
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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