About the Meditation

Meditation session led by Tracy Cochran.

The guided meditation begins at 12:37.

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

Lords of the Charnel Ground, Smashana Adipati; Tibet; 18th century; painted terracotta; Rubin Museum of Art;
Lords of the Charnel Ground, Smashana Adipati; Tibet; 18th century; painted terracotta; Rubin Museum of Art;C2002.36.1 (HAR 65149)

Theme:Change

Here we see two skeleton lords of the charnel ground, brother and sister, animated by ecstatic dance and laughter, their festive demeanor expressing the joy of being free from attachment. The male and female figures are interdependent here, illustrating the interplay of masculine and feminine in all beings. The male sports a garland of freshly severed heads and holds a skeleton club and a skull bowl. In contrast, the female wears a garland of dried skulls and holds a staff and a golden vase. These skeleton lords support the practice of the deity Chakrasamvara and are revered as powerful protectors.


About the Speaker

Tracy Cochran has been a student and teacher of meditation and spiritual practice for decades. She is the founder of the Hudson River Sangha, which is now virtual and is open to all. The link for her weekly meditations can be found on her website: tracycochran.org.

In addition to the Rubin Museum of Art, Tracy Cochran has taught mindfulness meditation and mindful writing at the New York Insight Meditation Center, as well as in schools, corporations, and other venues nationally and internationally. She is also a writer and the editorial director of Parabola, an acclaimed quarterly magazine that seeks to bring timeless spiritual wisdom to the burning questions of the day. Her writings, podcasts, and other details can be found on her website and on parabola.org.


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