· Wisdom
This week’s meditation session is led by Lama Aria Drolma, Rebecca Li, and Tracy Cochran and the theme is Wisdom. The guided meditation begins at 33:33.
Buddha Shakyamuni; Bhutan; 19th century; Silk textile appliqué with embroidery; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2006.30.1
This remarkable textile from 19th-century Bhutan depicts Buddha Shakyamuni, the historic Buddha who lived 2,500 years ago. Buddha Shakyamuni is portrayed in an ascetic manner to demonstrate how he renounced all attachment to the material world. His right hand is pointing downward, calling upon the earth as witness of his enlightenment.
The Buddha is seated in the vajra or lotus posture. He assumed this pose when he attained enlightenment in the sacred spot under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India. The Buddha’s serene presence suggests that wisdom arises from an inner state of balance. As we gaze upon him, let us open our hearts to wisdom.
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.
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.
Tracy Cochran has taught meditation and spiritual practice for many years. She is a speaker and author whose most recent book, Presence: The Art of Being At Home in Yourself, was published by Shambhala Publications in 2024. Tracy is the founder and leading teacher of the Hudson River Sangha and has taught mindfulness and mindful writing at New York Insight, the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, and many other venues. In addition to serving as the editorial director of the acclaimed spiritual quarterly Parabola, her writings have appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Psychology Today, The Best Spiritual Writing series, Parabola, and many other publications and anthologies. For more about Tracy, please visit tracycochran.org and parabola.org.
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