Mindfulness Meditation · Clarity
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Clarity. The guided meditation begins at 13:18.
Medicine Buddha Palace (Copy of first painting from the set of the Tibetan Medical Paintings from Mentsikhang Lhasa); Rebgong county, Qinghai Province, China; 2012-2013; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; SC2013.6
This scroll painting is a reproduction of the first painting in an important set of 79 medical thangkas created in Lhasa, Tibet, in the late 17th century by the regent of the Fifth Dalai Lama. These paintings illustrate a significant treatise of Tibetan medicine known as the Blue Beryl.
This painting depicts the first chapter of the Four Medical Tantras (Gyu shi), which many doctors and students of Tibetan medicine recite every morning in homage to the Medicine Buddha and his medical tradition. This visual representation of essential medicinal plants is intended to be studied by students of Tibetan medicine as a component of their training.
Tibetan medicine has a holistic approach to health and well-being. There is an emphasis placed on balancing the mind, body, and spirit to achieve clarity. This painting portrays the Medicine Buddha in his palace, which is in the form of a mandala. The mandala is surrounded by four mountains—each associated with specific medicinal plants, minerals, precious stones, and restorative springs with healing properties.
At the center of the palace, the Medicine Buddha, in the form of the teacher Rigpa Yeshe, is seen expounding the science of healing to four groups of disciples, including his student, Yilekye. Gods, bodhisattvas, and sages listen with rapt attention to the Medicine Buddha’s teachings.
The Medicine Buddha holds a bowl of ambrosia in his left hand and his right hand grasps the stem of the myrobalan plant, one of the main ingredients in Tibetan medicine. As we examine this intricately detailed painting, may we be inspired to develop a deeper sense of clarity and well-being. Watch this video to explore this exquisite thangka in greater detail.
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.
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