Mindfulness Meditation · New Beginnings
This week’s meditation session is led by Sharon Salzberg and the theme is New Beginnings. The guided meditation begins at 12:24.
Wheel of Life; Tibet; 18th century; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1997.40.10
One of the most important teaching tools in Tibetan Buddhism is the Wheel of Life, which demonstrates the cyclical nature of existence. This powerful visualization of the human condition is often featured at the gateway of temples to awaken practitioners to the impermanence of life and the constancy of change.
The Wheel of Life explains the concept of rebirth (samsara). Yama, the god of death, grips a wheel driven by three animals representing the mental poisons: attachment (rooster), anger (snake), and ignorance (pig).
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 demi-gods (top left), humans (top right), animals (lower left), hungry ghosts (lower right), and hells (bottom).
The Buddha discerned a pathway out of the cycle of samsara, which is why he appears both outside the wheel (upper right) and within it, pointing the way out by teaching the Dharma. 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 is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She was among the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 50 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of 14 books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Sharon’s podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed eight million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.
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