Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation with Jon Aaron

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

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 10:11.Teacher: Jon AaronTheme: Fierce CompassionVajravarahi; Tibet; 19th century; embroidery on silk; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2003.13.2Learn 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 week, we offer a meditation session that draws inspiration from an artwork from the Rubin's collection and is led by a prominent meditation teacher. You can find more information about the related artwork. work in the episode description. Our mindfulness meditation podcast is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg

and teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, and supported by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism. And now, please enjoy your practice. Hello, everybody, Tashi Deleg. Welcome to the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Arts Mindfulness Meditation Program. I am Tashi Chudun, Himalayan Programs and Communities Ambassador, and I'm delighted to be a host today. 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 our 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've chosen for today. We will then hear a brief talk from our teacher, John. Aaron and then we will have a short sit 15 to 20 minutes for the meditation guided by him. Let's take a look at today's theme and artwork. The artwork for today's session is this beautiful embroidery tanker with silk of wajra Warahi, known as Durje Nanjol Ma in Tibetan. Origin Tibet dated 19th century and this is about 17.5 into 10.5 into half into half inches. A beautiful textile thanka. The theme for the month of March is fierce compassion. Vajaravahee is one of the most important female tantric deities in Tibetan Buddhism.

She is appearing here as semi-peaceful and semi-rathful form, representing the union of wisdom and compassion. This exquisite scroll from 19th century Tibet is embroidered with silk thread. It depicts Vajra Vajrahi the saw-face female deity. Vajrahi derives her name from the small sawhead atop her own. According to ancient Indic traditions, pigs are adept at uprooting things. Hence, Vajarahi is a meditational deity known as Yidam in Tibetan word who assists practitioners with uprooting ego. Vajara'i is usually portrayed as red in color.

the color of this silk thread may have faded over time. In her right hand, she grasped a knife for severing mental afflicted emotions. In her left hand, she holds a skull cup close to her heart. The relatively small scale of this sacred work of art indicate that it was intended for personal development use. The relatively small scale of the sacred work of art indicates that it was intended for personal devotional use. Vajara'i is typically depicted dancing atop a corpse.

This represents her defeat of the ego. She is surrounded by the flames of pristine awareness. As we gaze upon her, may we gain greater clarity regarding how we can rise above the trappings of our own ego. Now let's bring on our teacher for today. Our teacher is John Aaron. John Aaron is a teacher of Dharma and Mindfulness in Chicago, New York and online. He has been a teacher at New York Insight since 2006.

And for the last 18 months, since moving to Chicago, he is an advisor with a spiritual life office at the University of Chicago and has started an Insight Sanga in the High Park neighborhood of Chicago. He's a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher and teacher trainer and a founding member of the Global Mindfulness Collaborative. With his partner Upayadi, he's the co-guiding teacher of the online community, space to meditate, which will be entering its seventh year in March. Along with the scholar Doug Smith, he is co-host of the podcast Digging the Dharma, currently in its fifth season. John, thank you so much for being here. So, greetings friends, it's nice to be with you.

Yeah, the theme is fierce compassion and the Bodhisattva is Vajrvahari. One of her hands is often holding the skull of a pig. And that pig is referring to delusion. One of the three poisons along with greed and hatred. The pig is delusion. And there are many Bodhisattvas, of course, that have sore. or some, she has a knife. I think her name actually refers to a sow knife, I believe.

So is sow being the pig? But there are many bodhisattvas who have knives cutting through delusion. And that is such an important aspect of meditation practice, an important aspect of Dharma, is that we eventually start to see when we fall into delusion and how do we cut through that. that. And it's certainly useful, at least in my experience, to have in my mind to the image of somebody with a knife over, you know, in back of me, ready to cut through that delusion.

There's another image which actually is often used when it comes to mindfulness and the quality of concentration, which is that of a man walking. through a crowded town square with a bowl of oil on his head. And behind him is a guy with a sword. And if he veers off or drops any oil, his head gets chopped off. It's kind of funny, but it's also a little violent. But it just reminds you to wake up and in those moments to really attend to what is happening in your own experience. And so, of course, often what happens,

happens in meditation is that we get caught up in delusion all the time. You know, often our mind goes off into fantasy. That's a form of delusion. Our mind goes off into future planning, which, as much as we might need to plan, it's also a form of delusion because what's only true is what's here right now. And the notion of that sword in back of me, ready to chop my head off, head off the moment my mind wavers is one that obviously wakes me up. And I think it's also important to use, so what do we use instead of a sword in a sense? I mean, the image is fine and it's great,

but that image also may get lost in our practice. So the obvious thing to use to wake us up is the breath. And, you know, if we use the breath, the in-breath in particular, to wake us up, to remind us to be fully present with what's here now, and we can use the out-breath to sort of let go of delusion, to let go of all this stuff that we don't need now, you know, that can be a really beautiful way to maintain, A, concentration, and be maintained mindfulness, and actually experience those moments of waking up to what's actually here just now. So fierce compassion, you know, so we're talking about compassion as well, right? So fierce compassion when it comes to my own practice is that reminder, you know, to not be

soft, to really, yes, whatever is arising I'm holding with compassion, you know, with care, with curiosity. But when the mind wavers, that's when fear. fierce compassion may be needed, get back, come back now. Now, even that, though, even that coming back now is not forceful, right? It's just, yes, come back now. And when we're also working with fierce compassion, say, to a friend or a student, and any of you out there who may be teachers, whether it's teaching meditation or teaching

first grade or 12th grade, it doesn't really matter. You know, how often have you actually practice fierce compassion? That is, being forceful but with love. And I think that's the definition to me of fierce compassion would be forceful, strong, powerful, yet imbued with kindness and love. So I'm being fiercely compassion with fiercely compassionate with this other being because I know that they have what it takes to move forward in a positive way. And it's just a reminder of that.

And so whether it's with ourselves or with another, this quality of fierce compassion is really important and one to recollect. And if it helps you to bring that image in mind of whoever standing behind you with a sword or, you know, Bashovahari holding the head of the pig, Great. You know, that's really what those images are so helpful for is to recollect those images during our practice. So why don't we move forward and actually go into a meditation practice? And I invite you to settle into a posture, which is upright and alert, finding a firm back and a soft front, aware of any tension you may be holding unnecessarily in the face or on.

the eyes or in the jaw, shoulders, softening the belly, and either allowing the eyes to gently close or just having a soft gaze, not on the screen, but on whatever may be in front of you besides the screen, and bringing an intention for these next 20 minutes or so to really attend to what's here now with this attitude of compassion and at times fierce compassion. So whatever is arising moment to moment, holding it with care, with curiosity, with compassion. And particularly when we notice the mind falling into its habitual patterns, planning and worrying or just spacing out and fantasizing, when we're, we're just spacing out and fantasizing, And when we become aware of that, that's a moment to recall that sword and come right back.

Each in-breath, a reminder to wake up, each out-breath and opportunity to let go of what isn't needed just now. It might be helpful to consider pure as compassion as being an energized compassion. Compassion that's always awake and watching for you. for those moments when we veer off and find ourselves in some form of delusion. That delusion may arise in the form of the common hindrances of sleepiness or swaff and torpor and the agitated mind which is bouncing all over the place, being drawn away by sense desires, or aversion toward something that may be arising, and of course doubt, which is

like that inner critic, which we all have, which is often a good opportunity to practice fierce compassion with that inner critic attitude of doubt, turning toward it, saying, yes, and not now. Thank you very much. With each in breath waking up to what's here just now, life unfolding moment to moment, not turning away, being fully present. But this is breath with this body, sensations coming and going, sounds arising and fading away, coming and going, various states of mind arising and fading away. And of course, often when the mind wanders off, we get stuck in some place of resistance. We can sometimes just in noticing that, of course, coming back to what's here just now,

But other times that may require a more forceful and energized compassion that says, yeah, you've wandered off and now it's time to come back now. And of course, if it's helpful, recollecting an image of some wrathful yet compassionate being behind us with a sword, always keeping us from delusion, waking us out of delusion to see the truth of this moment, waking up to the wisdom that nothing is fixed and everything is always changing. This body I call me, everything around me, everything is always changing, receiving that change with a compassion and a curiosity. waking up to each moment, trusting this compassionate heart to be able to hold each moment,

trusting the compassionate heart to be fierce when it needs to be. And as we take this compassionate heart and this potential we all have to be fiercely compassionate when needed, as we take that into the world, we take our practice into the world, We share the merit that we gain from our practice for the well-being of all without exception, as we begin to see through our own delusions, recognizing the impact that has on those around us. And those around them, imagine this compassion radiating out in all directions, without limits, the opening to the possibility that all beings may be free from suffering

and the causes of suffering, free from fear and the causes of fear. Let all beings be free and that all beings find peace. Thank you for your practice. And thank you so much for that, John. And thank you all for listening. That concludes this week's practice. If you enjoyed this podcast or are a weekly listener, we invite you to support this series by donating and becoming a friend of the Rubin

at Rubin Museum.org slash friends. The Rubin is a nonprofit that relies on the generous support of donors like you to create meaningful experiences with Himalayan art around the world. If you are looking for more inspiring content, check out our other podcast, Awaken, which uses art to explore the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to wake up, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to learn more about the Rubin Museum, work around the world, sign up for our newsletter at Rubin Museum.org slash newsletter. Thank you for listening. Have a mindful day.