Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation with Kate Johnson 08/09/2021

Episode Date: August 9, 2021

Theme: Offering Artwork: A parcel-gilt silver ritual ewer; Tibet or Mongolia; 19th century; Parcel-gilt silver; Rubin Museum of Art; C2011.11; [http://therubin.org/32f] ; Teacher: Kate Johnson The Rubin Museum presents a weekly online meditation session led by a prominent meditation teacher from the New York area, with each session focusing on a specific work of art. This podcast is a recording of the live online session and includes an opening talk and 20-minute sitting session. The guided meditation begins at 11:40. This meditation is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg, teachers from the NY Insight Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, and Parabola Magazine. To attend a Mindfulness Meditation online session in the future or learn more, please visit our website at RubinMuseum.org/meditation. If you would like to support the Rubin Museum and this meditation series, we invite you to become a member and always attend for free. Have a mindful day!

Welcome to the Mindfulness Meditation Podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Art. We are a museum in Chelsea, New York City, that connects visitors to the art and ideas of the Himalayas and serves as a space for reflection and personal transformation. I'm your host, Dawn Eshelman. host, Dawn Eshelman. Every Monday, we present a meditation session inspired by a different artwork from the Rubin Museum's collection and led by a prominent meditation teacher from the New York area. This podcast is a recording of our weekly practice, currently held virtually. In the description for each episode, you will find information about the theme for that week's session, including an image of the related artwork. Our Mindfulness Meditation Podcast is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg and teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, and Parabola Magazine.

And now, please enjoy your practice. Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome. Welcome to Mindfulness Meditation Online with the Rubin Museum of Art. My name is Dawn Eshelman. Great to be here with you on this Monday afternoon. And for those of you who are new to the Rubin, we are a museum of Himalayan art and ideas in New York City. And we're so glad to have you all join us for our weekly program. This is where we combine art from our collection and meditation online.

I'm so happy to say, to share, that today we have Kate Johnson back with us as our teacher for today. And I will introduce Kate to you in just a moment, but I wanted to just say how happy we are to have her back. I would love to also just say that the museum is open and our staff is on the ground and taking beautiful care of the folks who come in. We are really proud of the exhibition Awaken, a Tibetan Buddhist journey towards enlightenment, which explore the steps in the journey of self knowledge to transformation from chaos to awakening and everything in between. So we've

really been taking inspiration from that exhibition for what we've been talking about here in this program. And we pick a theme every month to explore and then select some objects from the exhibition or from our collection to explore together as kind of a framework for going into a meditation together. Also, we just last week dropped our final episode for our second podcast, which is called Awaken. And this really takes inspiration from our exhibition about the Tibetan Buddhist journey towards awakening. That last episode features the fabulous younger Minjer Rinpoche, who is just really beautiful and incredible on the episode. So all 10 episodes are out now. You can listen to all of them if you want to binge or just savor

them, of course. I hope you will enjoy them. So let's take a look at the art that we are talking about today. So this beautiful object here is really a ritual object. And the reason that we are bringing this to you today is because this month we're talking about this idea of offering. And offerings in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition have a very specific meaning, of course. They're used in ritual by a practitioner to provide many types of offerings. This is, of course, a vessel that contains water. And we saw recently an offering bowl that the water can be poured into. Today we're looking at this ewer itself.

And this is a ewer that is used to pour liquid during daily offerings, also during initiation ceremonies and other rituals. It could have been part of a monastic setting or a lay household shrine. That's a great example of this very exquisite silver work here, metal work with traditional Tibetan symbols. And symbolism, of course, plays a very important part in Buddhist ritual objects and offerings and remind the practitioner of very key teachings. And here, the central kind of decorative motif here in the very center on the belly of the vessel is a dragon surrounded by Buddhism's

eight auspicious symbols. But I also just wanted to point out that the spout emerges from the mouth of a water monster, right? Right here. And then also up here, you see one as well, the handle. And of course, the etchings are depicting here some lotuses. And you also see that kind of lotus base at the very bottom that we often see when we're looking at a sculpture. Often a figure is seated on a lotus throne or has a lotus base. And of course, the symbolism here is this idea of escaping from the suffering of the world just as the lotus rises up from the mud right at the bottom of a pond and the ewer has become associated in China with the Bodhisattva of compassion, Guanyin, and it symbolizes

purity and healing. I am delighted to bring on our teacher for today. Kate Johnson works at the intersections of spiritual practice, social action, and creativity. She's been a practicing Buddhist and Buddhist meditation in the Western Insider Theravada tradition since her early 20s and is empowered to teach through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She holds a BFA in dance from the Alvin Ailey School at Fordham University and an MA in performance studies from NYU. And she's a core faculty member of MIT's Presencing Institute. She just is about to put out a brand new book called Radical Friendship, Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World. It comes out August 24th.

You can pre-order it now. And you can find out all about it by going to katejohnson.com. Kate, welcome. It's so great to have you. Hi, Dawn. Welcome, everybody. Thanks for taking some time in the middle of your Monday, wherever you are, to join us. some time in the middle of your Monday, wherever you are to join us. And I'm excited to be talking about both this beautiful ritual object and also this phenomenon, this activity of offering, which is what we'll focus on in our meditation today. I think of offering as an activity of giving something over to a power greater than ourselves. Sometimes this is giving over to the natural world.

People sometimes bring offerings of flowers or other offerings to rivers, to oceans. So it can be something like water. It could be offering to a deity. Don mentioned that the Ewer is associated in China with the deity Kuan Yin, who's the Bodhisattva of compassion. Some of you may be familiar with her. Another name she's known by as she who listens at ease to the sounds of the world. she's known by as she who listens at ease to the sounds of the world. And sometimes you can see other images of her with her sitting on a rock and with her arm out and her knee, her arm resting on her knee. And there's a ear that is listening.

And it's a way of describing this limitless capacity to be with the reality of our own and others experience and also the readiness to deeply listen before responding. And the interesting thing about when we offer to, you know, we're not going to do this specifically in this meditation, but just thought that I would note that when we are in the practice of offering, making offerings to a deity, deities like Kuan Yin or other deities, they actually, it's said that they, of course, love receiving beautiful objects from us, jewels, flowers, delicious foods. But that they also love it when they, they also love it when we offer them our suffering, that they actually want to take away the things that are weighing us down.

And so there's, you know, when offering in this kind of practice, there's no shame in offering also something that's been bothering us or something that has been feeling weighty or not ours to carry and asking, whether it's the ocean or the sky or the mountain or someone like Kuan Yin to help us hold it. That's like, that's their dream. That's what they're there for. So in the meditation practice today, I would like to play a little bit with the figure of Kuan Yin and engaging that energy of deep listening and wise response. And also the quality of water that would be filled with this ritual yuor, the water that we would be offering were we were taking part in a ritual with this object and this is also a traditional buddhist practice the the practice of meditating on and sitting with qualities of various elements usually it's a earth element air element fire element

water element sometimes the element of space as well So today we'll be focusing on water and endeavoring to embody the qualities of water as we are with our present moment experience, as it's unfolding in a moment to moment way. And of course, water is amazing because it is adaptable. It is flexible. It's able to change states. It's the only element that can change states from a solid to a liquid to a gas. And so it has this ability to be flexible and to flow and to adapt to whatever container it's in. Water has this capacity not to hold on to things. And so there's a lot we can learn actually from water. So we'll work with that also in our practice today. So my hope is that this practice will be accessible to you no matter what your normal practice is, or if this is one of the first times you're doing a mindfulness practice, welcome. Please feel free to take my instructions

and try them on, or also adapt it to what feels right for you. And just remembering at its heart that mindfulness is the experience of attending to what's arising in the present moment and with a quality of love. And that when we do that, we start to synchronize our mind and our heart and our body. And And it's a natural human capacity. So don't worry about doing it wrong. You can't do this wrong. Let's just say that. So if you're willing, please go ahead and move yourself into a meditation seat that works for you.

I said seat, but it could also be lying down. So we want the body to be comfortable and to embody a shape that for us is both alert and relaxed. So whether you're sitting or standing or lying down, see if you can first check in with the quality of alertness in the body, feel what in the body feels like it's upward moving, expanded, has energy and attention in it. I'm sitting right now, so I'm noticing the length of my spine and the sense of openness in my chest and I'm reaching up at the top of my head. And then also notice what parts of the body feel like they're embodying relaxation, softening, resting. I think it's possible to do both of these at the same time, alert and relaxed. And then before we do any big technique or anything, just take a moment to check in with yourself.

How am I in this moment? How is the body doing right now? And take a moment to listen to the body. Never really receive anything that it's telling us in terms of sensation. And with our attention, sending the message to the body that, oh, I care about you. I care about this body. And then doing the same thing with the mind, checking in, how's the mind right now? What kind of contents are present in the message, I care about this mind.

And dropping the awareness into the space of the heart, the seat of our emotion, what we care about, what we love, sometimes where we are tender. And as you shine your awareness on the heart, checking in with it, how are you, heart, today? Listening with the awareness. Demonstrating care. And taking the attitude that this practice can offer the world, having cultivated some stillness in this way. So that just as in a ritual, we're entering into the meditation with some intentionality. I'll give you some time to practice quietly in a few minutes, but for now, just starting

to reflect on the qualities of water by bringing to mind the elements of water that are around you now. So if you can use your imagination to sense into the water that is flowing through the pipes in whatever building you happen to be in if you're inside. And the different reservoirs of water, water pitchers, jugs, glasses, spray bottles, toilet basins. And then expanding your awareness to start to include the bodies of water that may be close by. Streams, creeks. Rivers, ocean, lakes, ponds, puddles. Bring your awareness to the water vapor that's even in the air that we breathe.

And sensing into the qualities of that water, some of it rushing and powerful, some of it still and smooth. With a mind resting water element, water element, water element as it exists inside the body. Sensing into the streams and the rivers and the tributaries of our own circulatory system. Even though we're sitting or laying or standing still, so much fluid and movement happening of that fluid inside the body,

the heart pumping, the lymphatic system, flowing, adapting, shifting, some rushing powerfully, some still and calm. And start to allow your awareness of the water element outside the body and the water element inside the body to mingle. I'm really tapping into the felt sense that this is the same element, water element. And allow yourself to really soak in those qualities of water and to embody them so the body starts to feel fluid and flexible to whatever degree that's possible. to whatever degree that's possible.

The mind also starts to have a quality of fluidity and flexibility and flow. And we'll take this quality into relationship with an anchor of your choice. Some people like to use the breath. Others prefer to use sound. And see if you can find one anchor in your present moment experience, a sensory anchor that you can allow the mind to rest in. And notice that your experience of this anchor includes a coming and going of sensation or vibration. So as we attend to the anchor today, I'll ask you to attend to it in and out of breath. or the flowing, shifting sensations of pressure and temperature and pulsing in the hands,

or the flow of sound and silence, Thank you. Letting your awareness rest. Thank you. And allowing the mind to flow with the changing nature of your experience. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And if ever you notice the mind feel stuck or caught, whatever the mind's clinging to, just imagine sending it on down the river. Letting it flow out in the river, your experience. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And as we start to move towards the end of our practice, just take a moment to reflect on if there's something in your heart, in your experience that you would like to offer. Perhaps an expression of your love, your gratitude, good fortune, or it could be an offering of something that feels too heavy to carry now, or a big question that you don't know the answer to. Or it could be an offering of something that feels too heavy to carry now. Or a big question that you don't know the answer to. Imagine having this offering in your hands and then see if there is some kind of power that comes to mind that might be capable of holding this or want to receive it. It could be the earth.

It could be the ocean. It could be a deity like Kuan Yin. It could be the power of awareness or love in all human hearts. If it's possible to imagine, see if you can imagine yourself delivering that offering, And imagine yourself delivering that offering, extending whatever's in your hands towards this power or this being, seeing them receive it, notice how it feels to have offered. Just resting for a moment in that space.

Taking a few deeper breaths to start to transition the body, bring fresh energy in and letting go of anything that is still tense or unmuted. And in the moment, I'll ring the bell to close the practice. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you. Thank you so much kate thank you that concludes this week's practice if you'd like to support the ruben and this meditation series we invite you to become a member if you're looking for more inspiring content please check out our new podcast, Awaken, hosted by Laurie Anderson. The 10-part series features personal stories that explore the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to wake up. Now available wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you for listening and thank you for practicing with us.