Mindfulness Meditation · Transforming Afflictive Emotions
This week’s meditation session is led by Rebecca Li and the theme is Transforming Afflictive Emotions. The guided meditation begins at 20:17.
Vajrayogini; Tibet; 18th century; Brass and gilt copper alloy; 12 3/8 × 8 3/8 × 4 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.47
Vajrayogini is omniscient buddhahood in female form. She is associated with wisdom, which is usually considered a feminine force in Buddhism. Her passionate appearance as a dakini (a dynamic “sky-goer” goddess) emphasizes her transcendence of ordinary reality, leading to liberation. She represents the intensity of yogic practice while also being serenely blissful. Vajrayogini displays emotional intensity rather than an absence of emotion. As a fully awakened being she is no longer a prisoner of emotional afflictions.
Dr. Rebecca Li, a dharma heir in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen, is the founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community. She teaches meditation and dharma classes, gives public lectures, and leads retreats in North America and Europe. Li is the author of Allow Joy into Our Hearts: Chan Practice in Uncertain Times, and her book Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method was published by Shambhala Publications in 2023. She is a sociology professor and lives with her husband in New Jersey.
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