ABOUT THE MEDITATION
This week’s meditation session is led by Kimberly Brown, Tracy Cochran, and Lama Aria Drolma, and the theme is Transformation.
In this episode, Lama Aria Drolma’s meditation begins at 31:35, Kimberly Brown’s meditation at 52:23, and Tracy Cochran’s meditation at 1:00.
RELATED ARTWORK
The narrative of the Hindu goddess Durga overcoming the demigod Mahisha, who endangered the order of the world, is represented here at the moment of her victory. Having chopped the bull’s head off, Durga pulls the body of the demigod from the animal by the hair and stabs him before he can even draw his sword. His two companions, kneeling before her, their weapon-bearing arms dropped in defeat, have a vajra (left) and a disk (right) piercing their chests.
This outstanding sculpture perfectly combines the dynamic with the static. The goddess’s powerful stance and fan of arms are balanced by her otherwise delicate features and calm expression. Her serene expression underscores the triumph of good over evil and the transformation of chaos into order.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
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, Tracy has taught mindfulness meditation and mindful writing at the Rubin Museum of Art and the New York Insight Meditation Center, as well as in schools, corporations, and other venues worldwide. 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.
Lama Aria Drolma is an ordained Buddhist teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and has completed over a decade of monastic study and meditation training. She is a graduate of the traditional Tibetan Buddhist retreat program spanning three years and three months, an advanced cloistered meditation training program affiliated with Palpung Sherabling monasteries.
Lama Aria Drolma teaches worldwide, leading retreats, workshops, and corporate meditation programs, and is a popular guest speaker at universities and organizations. She emphasizes Vajrayana Buddhism and Buddhist principles, making them relevant in our everyday lives, helping us to cultivate loving kindness and compassion, and bringing about a transformation of contentment and a genuine sense of well-being.
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 latest 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.
This program is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg and teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, and Parabola Magazine and supported by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism.
