Family Sundays

Ages 3 and older with accompanying adults

Family Sundays are in person at the Rubin! Bring your family to the Mandala Lab on the third floor for an afternoon of creativity and self-exploration that both kids and grown-ups will enjoy.

May Family Sundays:

Shakyamuni Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) is revered as a spiritual teacher who achieved enlightenment, or great understanding, while sitting underneath a bodhi (fig) tree. To this day, Buddhists travel to the living descendant of the original bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, to meditate and find inspiration on their own paths to enlightenment. In honor of that cherished tree, we will craft our own bodhi leaves, while reflecting on our place in nature.

In celebration of the Buddha’s message of peace and compassion, join us at 1:00 PM in the theater for a mindfulness-themed Story Time with Anu Sehgal and meditation with Lama Aria Drolma. The meditation is specifically designed for an early childhood audience, and will include mindful movement with Nina Srivastava. Story Time and Meditation will be followed by a guided visit to the second floor of the Museum with Anu Sehgal, the Founder and President of The Culture Tree, to learn more about the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Choose a 1:00 PM Family Sunday ticket to reserve your spot for the Story Time and Meditation in the theater.

Ongoing, 1:00–3:00 PM, Enlightening Leaves

Anu Sehgal is the Founder of The Culture Tree, a cultural literacy and language education program. She lives in New York with her husband and her two sons. She is a marketer by profession. She holds an MBA from Yale University and has worked in the corporate sector for almost 15 years. Anu believes awareness of one’s heritage, culture, and language is key for children to become self-aware and confident individuals.

This book reading is presented in partnership with The Culture Tree. The Culture Tree provides South Asian–themed educational and cultural programs that enrich the lives of children and their families and promote a deeper connection with their roots and the world around them.

Lama Aria Drolma is an ordained Buddhist teacher and is trained in the Karma Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, with over a decade of monastic study and meditation training. She was born in India, and in her early years practiced the Hindu traditions. Later she studied under a renowned Tibetan Buddhist master and practiced Tibetan Buddhism under his guidance.

Lama Aria Drolma is a graduate of the traditional three years, three months Tibetan Buddhist Retreat, which is an advanced cloistered meditation training program, at Palpung Thubten Choling Monastery in Upstate New York. She has also studied and trained extensively in the Dharma Path Program of mindfulness and contemplation.

Lama Aria Drolma teaches worldwide leading retreats, workshops, and corporate meditation programs and is a popular guest speaker at universities and various organizations. She conveys the ancient Buddhist principles, making them relevant in our everyday life, helping us to cultivate loving kindness and compassion and to bring about a transformation of contentment and a genuine sense of well-being.

Nina Srivastava is a writer, director, and dancer. She began training at a young age in the Indian classical dance form, Bharatanatyam, which is based on spiritual ideas and stories. Nina’s award-winning works have been featured on Disney+, Hotstar, and SonyLIV. She’s directed short films, ads, and music videos and is the founder of Eastside Dance Drama, an initiative that focuses on vibrant stories that celebrate South Asian experiences. With her vast repertoire of skills and unwavering dedication to her craft, Nina continues to make a name for herself as a multi-faceted artist with a unique voice and perspective.

Mandala Lab and Family Sundays are made possible with lead support from the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Barbara Bowman, Fred Eychaner, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Rasika and Girish Reddy, Shelley and Donald Rubin, and Tiger Baron Foundation.

Major support is provided by Anonymous, Bob and Lois Baylis, Anne and Albert Chao, Con Edison, Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Anne E. Delaney, DeWitt Stern, Karen Dorsky, Noah P. Dorsky, Jack Lampl, Max Meehan, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, LLC, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Sarah and Craig Richardson, Basha Frost Rubin and Scott Grinsell, the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Linda Schejola, Eric and Alexandra Schoenberg, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Tsherin Sherpa, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and New York Life Insurance Company*, and New York Life.

Public funds are provided by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

We additionally thank the generosity of 223 sponsors and donors who contributed to our 2020 gala, Inside the Mandala: A Virtual Gala.

*“NEW YORK LIFE” and the NEW YORK LIFE Box Logo are trademarks of New York Life Insurance Company. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Photo by Filip Wolak