About the Meditation Podcast

Meditation session led by Kimberly Brown.

The guided meditation begins at 10:57.

For centuries Himalayan practitioners have used meditation to quiet the mind, open the heart, calm the nervous system, and increase focus. Now Western scientists, business leaders, and the secular world have embraced meditation as a vital tool for brain health.

Whether you’re a beginner, a dabbler, or a skilled meditator seeking the company of others, join expert teachers in a forty-five-minute weekly program designed to fit into your lunch break. Each session will be inspired by a different work of art from the Rubin Museum’s collection and will include an opening talk, a twenty-minute meditation session, and a closing discussion.

This program is supported in part by the Hemera Foundation with thanks to our presenting partners Sharon Salzberg, the Interdependence Project, and Parabola Magazine.


Related Artwork

Green Tara; Tibet; 18th century; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art; gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.19 (HAR 672)
Green Tara; Tibet; 18th century; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Art; gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.19 (HAR 672)

Theme: Compassion

Tara is a completely enlightened buddha who has promised to appear in the future in the form of a female bodhisattva and deity for the benefit of all beings. Tara is revered in all of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Her 10-syllable mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha is memorized and recited by Tibetans from early childhood. Her primary activity is to protect from the eight and 16 fears.

It is important to realize that Tara’s protection has an inner and an outer aspect. She protects us from the paralyzing state of mind brought about by ignorance in the form of fear. She frees us so we can confront our fears rather than be ruled by them.

Tara appears golden in color and grasps blue utpala blossoms in both hands. Her right hand is extended in the mudra of supreme generosity. Her left hand is held at her heart in the mudra of blessing.

Surrounding the central Tara figure are her 21 emanations in various colors. Generally, they are white for peaceful activities, yellow for activities of increase, red for powerful activities, and blue-black for wrathful activities.


About the Speaker

Kimberly Brown

Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. Her teachings provide an approachable pathway to personal and collective well-being through effective and modern techniques based on traditional practices. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her new book, Navigating Grief and Loss: 25 Buddhist Practices to Keep Your Heart Open to Yourself and Others, was published in November 2022, and an updated edition of Steady, Calm, and Brave was released in January 2023. Both are published by Prometheus Books. You can learn more about Kimberly on her website.


Recommended for You


zoom