Mindfulness Meditation · Story
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Story.
Buddha Shakyamuni; Tibet; 13th century; Gilt copper alloy with pigment; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.31
This sculpture depicts the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, whose life story is one of the foundations of Buddhism. Born a prince, Siddhartha realized that living a life of excess and sensual pleasure had given him no lasting happiness. Observing the constant grasping for objects, feelings, and relationships, he asked himself how to end this unsatisfactory nature of existence. With this question in mind, he left his father’s palace and began his spiritual quest. Over the next six years, it is said that the Buddha tried every spiritual system he could find, but none of them brought him closer to achieving his goal. Eventually, he found the answer to his question while sitting under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India. The story is told again and again in Buddhist cultures because all the essential teachings are contained within it.
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She was among the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 50 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of 14 books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Sharon’s podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed eight million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.
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