Mindfulness Meditation · Rebirth
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is Rebirth. The guided meditation begins at 16:11.
Wheel of Life; Tibet or Mongolia; 19th century; Pigments on cloth; Object size: 61 1/2 x 39 1/4 in. (est.)Image size: 45 1/2 x 30 5/8 in. Framed size: 73 1/8 x 46 1/8 x 2 1/2 in.; Rubin Museum of Art; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.131
The Wheel of Life explains the concept of rebirth (samsara). The Lord of Death, Yama grips a wheel driven by three animals, representing the mental poisons—attachment (rooster), anger (snake), and ignorance (pig)—at its hub.
In the next circle from the center, people move upward to higher states of consciousness and downward to afflicted states. Their actions, polluted by the poisons, propel them in a continuous cycle of rebirth in the six realms of existence, depicted in the large segments around the two inner circles. These are the realms of gods and demigods (top left), humans (top right), animals (lower left), hungry ghosts (lower right), and hells (bottom). As we behold the Wheel of Life, let’s reflect on how we can elevate our consciousness into a higher state of being.
Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, has guided meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Her latest book is Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World. She is a weekly columnist for On Being, a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and the author of several other books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, and Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Ms. Salzberg has been a regular participant in the Rubin’s many on-stage conversations and regards the Rubin as a supplemental office.
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