Mindfulness Meditation · Seeking Refuge
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Seeking Refuge. The guided meditation begins at 14:20.
Nine-deity Hevajra Mandala; Central Tibet; 16th century; Pigments on cloth; 18 1/2 × 11 1/4 × 3/4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2002.22.1
The tantric deity Hevajra stands in the middle of his mandala, a graphic representation of his palace, in union with his consort, Nairatmya. In order to use mandala visualization for meditation, a practitioner must be ritually initiated into the mandala, in effect taking refuge in the celestial abode of the deity. Once a part of the mandala, the practitioner can use it to transform themselves into an enlightened being, like Hevajra in the center. By becoming a buddha, the practitioner can then provide a refuge for other beings.
Tracy Cochran has been a student and teacher of meditation and spiritual practice for decades. She is the founder of the Hudson River Sangha. In addition to offering meditation online, Tracy has taught mindfulness meditation and mindful writing at the Rubin Museum and the New York Insight Meditation Center, as well as in schools, corporations, and other venues worldwide. She is also a writer and the editorial director of Parabola, an acclaimed quarterly magazine that seeks to bring timeless spiritual wisdom to the burning questions of the day.
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