Photography by Timothy Schenck, courtesy of Friends of the High Line
Photography by Timothy Schenck, courtesy of Friends of the High Line
Join us from May through October 2026 for a free monthly lecture and guided meditation series, presented in partnership with the High Line. The series is in support of Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s High Line Plinth artwork, The Light That Shines Through the Universe, located on the High Line at 30th Street and 10th Avenue.
Inspired by Nguyen’s sculpture and the cultural context that influenced its creation, each program features a lecture by a scholar, artist, or cultural leader, followed by a guided meditation led by an invited practitioner. The series is hosted by Tashi Chödrön, Rubin’sHimalayan cultural programs and communities ambassador, who has led meditation programs for over 10 years and is the host of the Museum’s Mindfulness Meditation podcast. This blend of intellectual and contemplative practice invites audiences to pause, reflect, and consider the artwork’s historical and philosophical themes through both thought and experience.
Saturday, May 16, 2:00–3:00 PM
Featuring a lecture by Tashi Chödrön, Himalayan cultural programs and communities ambassador at the Rubin, this session introduces Buddhist mudras—symbolic hand gestures that communicate spiritual qualities and teachings.
The lecture will be followed by a guided meditation led by Steve Clorfeine, a meditation teacher from the Shambhala tradition with over 40 years of experience.
Saturday, June 13, 2:00–3:00 PM
Featuring a lecture by Lama Justin von Bujdoss, this session explores the role of ritual practice and meditation in transforming grief, loss, and violence into resilience and collective care. Drawing connections between Buddhist traditions and contemporary social justice work, the session considers how ceremony, blessing, meditation, and performed rituals can support processes of healing.
The lecture will be followed by a guided meditation led by Jungwon Kim, a Zen practitioner of the Plum Village Tradition and the facilitator for Love Circle, a Brooklyn-based BIPOC sangha.
Saturday, July 11, 2:00–3:00 PM
Featuring a lecture by Jin Xu, Jane and Leopold Swergold associate professor of chinese art history at Columbia University, this session situates the Bamiyan Buddha within the broader history of Buddhist transmission across East, Central, and South Asia. The session highlights how trade routes facilitated cultural encounters, religious coexistence, and the circulation of artistic forms.
The lecture will be followed by a guided meditation led by Jessica Angima, a Kenyan-American community organizer, MNDFL meditation facilitator, and dharma student of Western Insight and Theravada traditions. Jessica is the organizer of Meditation for Black Lives.
Wednesday, August 5, 12:30–1:30 PM
Featuring a lecture by Donald S. Lopez, a distinguished university professor of Buddhist and Tibetan studies at the University of Michigan, this session delves deeper into the name of the artwork The Light That Shines Through The Universe, and explores light in Buddhist thought—both literal and metaphorical.
The lecture will be followed by a guided meditation led by Jungwon Kim, a Zen practitioner of the Plum Village Tradition and the facilitator for Love Circle, a Brooklyn-based BIPOC sangha.
Saturday, October 10, 2:00–3:00 PM
To close the series, Nico Rodriguez, deputy director of Monuments Lab, considers Nguyen’s work alongside contemporary artistic approaches to memorialization. The discussion explores how artists reimagine monuments to war by transforming sites of violence into spaces for remembrance, reflection, and collective healing.
The lecture will be followed by a guided meditation led by Steve Clorfeine, a meditation teacher from the Shambhala tradition with over 40 years of experience.
Every week, the Rubin presents a Mindfulness Meditation session inspired by a different work of art from the Museum’s collection and led by a prominent meditation teacher.
Tashi Chödrön is the Himalayan programs and communities ambassador at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art.
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