Mindfulness Meditation · Awakening
This week’s meditation session is led by Lama Aria Drolma and the theme is Awakening. The guided meditation begins at 8:30.
Padmasambhava and scenes from his life story; Kham Province, Eastern Tibet; 18th - 19th century; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2003.49.11
This exquisite Tibetan scroll painting (thangka) depicts one of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism, Padmasambhava, who is honored for bringing Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century of the Common Era.
This painting includes one of the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava, Pema Jungne. He is associated with wisdom and mastery of the dharma and appears dressed as a monk. Padmasambhava’s eight forms represent the outer, inner, and sacred aspects of Tantric teachings.
According to the Kama tradition, Padmasambhava was born in northern India as the son of a king or minister. In the Terma tradition, he is a lotus-born emanation of the Buddha Amitabha. Padmasambhava’s name means “Lotus-Born.”
The lotus is a powerful symbol of awakening and transformation, blossoming in the most unlikely of circumstances. The flowering of the lotus calls us to awaken to our potential.
Lama Aria Drolma is an ordained Buddhist teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, who has completed over a decade of monastic study and meditation training. She is a graduate of the traditional Tibetan Buddhist retreat program spanning three years and three months, an advanced cloistered meditation training program at Palpung Thubten Choling Monastery, New York.
Lama teaches worldwide, leading retreats, workshops, and corporate meditation programs and is a popular guest speaker at universities and organizations. She emphasizes Vajrayana Buddhism and Buddhist principles, making them relevant in our everyday lives, helping us to cultivate loving kindness and compassion, and bringing about a transformation of contentment and a genuine sense of well-being.
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