Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation with Gegye Yongyal Tulku Rinpoche 10/16/2025

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art presents a weekly meditation for beginners and skilled meditators alike. Each episode is inspired by a different work of art from the Museum’s collection and is led by a prominent meditation teacher.The episode begins with an opening talk followed by a 20-minute meditation. In this episode, the guided meditation begins at 11:31.Teacher: Gegye Yongyal Tulku RinpocheTheme: FluidityTara in Her Pure Realm, Khadiravana; Tibet; 19th century; pigments on cloth; silk brocade; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2002.48.1Learn more about the Rubin’s work around the world at rubinmuseum.org.

Welcome to the Mindfulness Meditation podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, a global museum dedicated to bringing greater awareness and understanding of Himalayan art to people around the world. I'm your host, Tashi Children. Every Thursday, we offer a meditation session at New York Inside Meditation Center that draws inspiration from an artwork from the Rubin's collection. and is led by a prominent meditation teacher. This podcast is a recording of our weekly in-person practice. The description of each episode includes information about the theme for that week's session and an image of the related artwork.

Our Mindfulness Meditation podcast is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg and teachers from the New York Inside Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project and Parabola magazine, and supported by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism. And now, please enjoy your practice. Good afternoon, everyone, Tashi Deleck, and welcome. Welcome to the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Arts Mindfulness Meditation Program here at this beautiful space at New York Inside Meditation Center.

And I'm Tashi Churden. I'm delighted to be a host today. I'm the Himalayan programs and communities ambassador and so thrilled to see so many familiar faces as well as new faces. The Rubin is a global museum dedicated to presenting Himalayan art and its insights and we're so glad to have all of you join us for this weekly program where we combine art and meditation. Inspired by our collection, we will first take a deep look at the work of art we have chosen today and then we will hear a brief talk from our teacher, I'm so happy to and honor to have you back. And then we will have a short sit about 15 to 20 minutes for the meditation guided by Rumpuchay. Let's take a look at today's theme and artwork.

The artwork for today's session is this beautiful Thara in her pure realm, Kadiravana. Tara is known as Dolma in Tibetan word. It's origin from Tibet dated 19th century. This is mineral pigment on cloth, and this is about 63 fourth into 37, 18th into one-eighth into one-eighth. It's a beautiful scroll painting, and traditionally it's called Thanka, in Tibetan word. So October we're exploring on the theme of fluidity. This painting of Tara in her pure realm evokes peace and serenity, and Tara is portrayed in all of her forms. there is a graceful flow from one emanation of Tara to the next,

inspiring us to strive for balance and fluidity. So Tara is completely enlightened Buddha, who is promised to appear in the form of a female bodhisattva to benefit all beings. Tara emanates in 21 different forms. And the 21 form, as you can see on a closer look here, Tara's 21 emanation are on the above this halo circle. Often, Tara's associates with certain role, and some of the most common and the popular ones are white and green Tara,

and white Tara associates with longevity, although they are all wisdom and purity and compassion. So this painting depicts the pure realm of Tara, where she is seated in her palace and surrounded by her 21 emanation arrayed around her. The praises to Tara addresses each Tara by name, emphasizing their individual qualities and requesting blessings. And so here is the central figure of the Tara.

And then below you see figures kind of looking upwards, inspiring and aspiring to be up in the realm of awakening. Practitioners would easily identify with these figures while reciting the prayers of them. Now, Kadi Rava Thara is one that reminds me during pandemic, one of the great Sakya teacher who gave Kadi Rava empowerment online because she's specifically known as a role to get rid of sicknesses, especially plakes and things like that.

And so with that, I'd like to bring on our teacher for today. Our teacher is Yonggil Tukurimbuche, his eminence, Ghege Yongil Tuku Rimbuchay is an ordained Buddhist teacher and a prominent leader in the Kajug Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He holds a master's degree in Buddhist philosophy and has completed extensive meditation training as the third-seid reincarnate Truku of Ghege Tashi-Choling Monastery in Ngari, Mount Kallash. He was enthrone as the Tulkou, which means reincarnate of the second Gegee-Geyongel-Tukurimbuchet at Gey-Tasholing Monastery. His Holiness the 17 Delva Karmapa conducted his hair-cutting and name-giving ceremony in India. Rubbache has mastered key areas of Buddhist philosophy, including Pramana Sutra, Prajna-Mitha Soutra, Madhama Soutra, and Vajrayana Tantra.

He currently serves as the president of Amala Center Nepal and the Himalayan Buddhist Australia. Since 2020, Rubu Kyi has been actively teaching Buddhist Dharma and controversial. contributing to society. He is a revered Lama in Tibet and China, focusing on the practical application of Sutrayana Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and modern Buddhist ethics. His teachings aim to cultivate loving kindness and compassion, fostering personal transformation, and bringing individual closer to their Buddha nature. Rumbhsche, thank you so much for being here and please help me in welcoming Ghegir Chonku Rumbuchay. Thank you.

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people you know I'm you know that so that so that I'm so that

that they're that we get and that d'allmacko so that you've been but I'm

that Good morning, Juson, I'm going to do Zaltu, all, Paldane Zawar, Mawarimbojee, so, and I'ma, ,

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, so, good morning, and welcome and welcome everyone. It is a great joy and honor to begin today's session by invoking the presence

the presence of the noble Tara. So, Arya Tara, she is known as, like, if we try to understand the meaning, she is a swift liberator, a female liberator who is here to help all the ancient beings in Sansara to reach enlightenment. So she is a very divine goddess, very powerful being, not only in Buddhism and in our Vajrianate tradition, but also in Hinduism and beyond. So the female, Titi Tara. So to know, like, there are two main stories that we hear about Tara. So one is like how Tara was formed. So Tara was like, there's a story like Tara was formed from the teardrops of the great Bodhisattva Avalokeshwara

when he couldn't bear the sufferings of the ancient beings in samsara. So from the teardrop, the Tara was born. So this shows that she was like born from compassion. And then another story that it was like during the time of Buddha Dhanya Drupah. So during the time of Buddha Dhaniya Duba, she was born as a princess and during that time she was a great practitioner like in the morning she used to sublicate to the Buddha and make offerings to millions and millions of sentient beings.

So and then many monks and many practitioners came up to her and told her that if you have a male body, then you will be enlightened instantly. but she refused and continued to practice and gain enlightenment in the female form. So this shows like Tara is a very, very compassionate being who is here for us to liberate all the sentient beings and through her boundless love and compassion she has vowed to stay in samsara to help us. So Tara is like a mother to all the Buddhas and all the sentient beings. So even to myself, like my guru, my root guru, his main heatham is Tara. Whenever my root guru has time, he's always supplicating to Tara and he's always chanting

the mantra of Tara. And I used to be very surprised why is like my guru always engaged in this. Whereas there are so many other deities and other powerful. goddesses. So why Tara? I asked my teacher. Then my teacher told me that during my root teacher's teacher when he was in his three years retreat, at that time he had to choose one deity. So at that time that my guru, he chose the deity Tara and then had a special connection with Tara. So it's like right now my Rinpoche, he supplicates. He has a very special statute with him and it says the statue

has spoken with Trimboche out of faith so that is why right now what I knew is like a photo a statue or any object when we put our faith into it when we put our belief and make offerings and like

try to connect with them through meditation chantings receiving empowerment transmissions then we bring that into life so similarly all this when it comes to it is not an external object who is going to help us like eradicate it's like by looking at them

we activate the inner qualities that we have we activate our inner compassion we activate our inner love so that is how the process works so without wasting much time i would like to lead today's i think meditation session so first we will prepare the body postures the seven postures so the legs in the cross if possible if you are seated then just place it normally then your shoulders evenly and your neck straight then your hands either in this position or any meditative position that you feel comfortable and your eyes like ah i feel comfortable meditating looking little bit downwards some practitioners feel more comfortable looking upwards and some like with the eyes closed so however you feel comfortable so first

when I ring the singing bell we'll settle our mind by taking wrong breaths So before we entered this session, our mind was very busy and when we tried to meditate, our mind is very restless and always moving here and there. So first we settle the mind, we're taking deep long breath, inhaling and exhaling. Feel your breath flowing naturally like the waves Thank you. Now today we are going to do the meditation of Dhakya, that means visualizing our noble Tara in front of you. So right in front of you, imagine a white lotus.

A white lotus, and on top of the lotus, there is a moon, white moon, which symbolizes wisdom and compassion. It is placed in like a moon disk. So now there's a white lotus. On top of it, there is a moon disk shaped moon. And then on top of that, there is the great noble Aureyatara. Her left leg is a little bit inside and our right leg is outside. Our right leg is slightly forward and her left leg is folded in meditation. Her right hand is extended outward in the gesture of compassion, generosity, offering.

And her left hand is in the mudra of refuge centered in the heart like this. So from her left hand she is holding a white Utpala. If you're comfortable with visualizing on white Thara, then you can visualize on white Thara. If you're comfortable in visualizing the Green Thara, then you can visualize Green Thara. Now when you meditate on this, you might be tired, your mind might be running around. Again, bring yourself into meditation and look at the noble Tara. That is our protector, our savior, our liberator.

who has been here from many many times ago until we reach enlightenment. So visualize her hands, visualize her compassionate eyes. So now as we have visualized an aria-tara right in front of you, now we will supplicate the tara from her realm and we'll visualize that a white

beam of ray from the heavens of the tara would strike the tara in front of us the tara that we are meditating visualizing So as the white ray from the heaven of Tara strikes the Tara in front of us, her body, her mind becomes inseparable from the real Tara herself. So now the Tara that we are visualizing is a real Tara.

she is a goddess divine so powerful try to feel the presence and blessings make offerings offer praises and stay in that moment Now the white tree of light as it fills the Tara's body, that white tree of light, It will strike all the sentient beings in the samsara, dispelling, diseases, illness, suffering. And imagine that ray of light reaching in all directions to all the sentient beings, the beings in the hell, the Preetas, the gods, everywhere. And it is... destroying the diseases, illnesses, suffering of everyone.

Now slowly dissolves the light, all of the light that was spread out in all of the light that was spread out in all All comes back to the Tara that we are visualizing right in front of us. And slowly that the deity, the liberator that we are in front of us, the rear of light, her of light and her she's like dissolving slowly from her head then down to the neck and even from the bottom the white lotus the moon disk reaching to the heart. Then imagine that rear of light shrinking and turning so small into emptiness now. Now there is nothingness, only awareness.

Now stay in this empty state for a few minutes, for a moment. Thank you. There is no longer you and Tara, only luminous wisdom, mind of emptiness. So after one minute, this session will be over so try to focus for this last minute. Thank you. Thank you. So similarly there are many ways of meditating and visualizing Tara. This is just one of them.

So in my journey of practicing Thara, what I found most difficult was like meditating all the 21 Tharas altogether. Whenever I was able to meditate few Tharas, suddenly half the Tharas used to be lost and I was like having some trouble. I really seek guidance from my teacher. Luckily at that time I got a very good instruction from a very like he was a teacher in a retreat center. Then he taught me like all these forms of Tara, the 21 forms of Tara. It's not like something that you have to see everything so clearly. It's like all of these are inseparable from each other. So once you see one Tara clearly, you're seeing all the 21 taras clearly.

So that is a trick. So sometimes you might also be confused that, oh, I like Avolokeshvara, or I like Jamb. I'm more into Manjusri. So these are all like Buddha's heart, sons, who is there to only activate the qualities that we already have inside us, the Buddha nature inside us. So when we try to feel like, distinguish that this is more greater, this is more less, then we might create some karma for us. instead visualize inseparable

all of these Bodhisattvas like Jambaya, Manjushri, Cherazi or Dorma then it is more easier and more fruitful. Okay, thank you. Thank you so much, Rambuchay, for that beautiful visualization teaching on Thara.

Thara, also known as Drolma in Tibetan word, the liberator, the savior, the savior, the mother of all buddhas sitting in left leg folded right leg extended and the right hand in supreme generosity so in the teaching you ask her for help and she bestows in a very swift form as rummuchy mentioned that concludes this week's practice to support to support the Rubin and this meditation series, we invite you to become a friend of the Rubin at

Ruben Museum.org slash friends. If you are looking for more inspiring content, please check out our other podcasts, Awaken, which uses art to explore the dynamic paths to enlightenment and what it means to wake up, available wherever you listen to podcasts. And to learn more about the Ruben Museum's work around the world, visit RubenMuseum.org. Thank you for listening. Have a mindful day.