Mindfulness Meditation · Lovingkindness
This week’s meditation session is led by Rebecca Li and the theme is Lovingkindness. The guided meditation begins at 25:18.
Red Avalokiteshvara, also known as Bunga Dya, and Macchendranath; Nepal; Dated by inscription 1842; Pigments on cloth; 30 1/8 × 22 3/4 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.45
This painting portrays Rakta, or Red Lokeshvara, a meditation form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. An inscription in Newari, a Nepalese script, emphasizes Lokeshvara’s kindness. Rakta stands in the center of this painting surrounded by a number of Hindu gods, with his spiritual father Amitabha emanating from his crown.
In Nepal, both Buddhist and Hindu deities are vital parts of ritual life and are worshipped side by side. Several deities particularly important to local communities are celebrated by Hindus and Buddhists alike during annual festivals and in daily rituals. Red Lokeshvara is also known as the Hindu deity Macchendranath, who is appealed to in a festival preceding the monsoon rains.
Avalokiteshvara is the embodiment of lovingkindness. May we be inspired by his example to radiate compassion to ourselves and others.
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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