Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation with Kimberly Brown 10/02/2025

Episode Date: October 10, 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 08:30.Teacher: Kimberly Brown Theme: FluidityMachik Labdron (1055-1153); Western Tibet or Western Himalayas; ca. 16th century; bronze with silver  inlay; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2013.12.3a-bLearn 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. Hello, everybody. Good afternoon and Tashi Delake. Welcome to the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Arts Mindfulness Meditation Program

at New York Inside Meditation Center. I'm Tashi Churdan, 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 have chosen for today, and then we will hear a brief talk from our teacher Kimberly Brown,

and then we will have a short sit, 15 to 20 minutes for the meditation guided by her. Let's take a look at today's theme and artwork. The artwork for today's session is Machik Labdrun, origin from Western Tibet or Western Himalayas. This is dated 16th century, and the medium is bronze with silver inlay and metal. The size is about 10, 1 8th into 538th into 358 inches. and this is a beautiful sculpture. Machik Lubdren, 1055 to 1153, the great mother,

Lamb of Lobs, referring to her connection to the Prajana Paramitha, perfection of wisdom, and her legacy as a transformative spiritual mother and teacher. Machik was 11th century female master who founded the Chut, severance, or cutting through practice,

a form of Tibetan Buddhist meditation, visualization focused on cutting through attachment to the ego and material possessions by symbolically offering the body to beings and demons. She is typically white in color, but in this beautiful sculpture, she is standing in a dancing movement on a lotus pedestal with the right hand holding a double-sided drum, Damaru, and the left a bell turned with the opening having upward have profoundly influenced all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. She is one of the most prominent female masters and lineage holders in Tibetan Buddhism.

Her main teacher, a famed Indian master, Patamba Sange, schooled her in a practice known as Chut. It is said that Patamba Sanjay came to Tibet specifically looking for Machik, proclaiming the vast benefit she would offer beings. Now let's bring on our teacher for today. Our teacher is Kimberly Brown. 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. She studies in both the Tibetan and inside schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her latest book is Happy Relationships, 25 Buddhist Practices to transform your connection with your partner, family, and friends.

You can learn more about Kimberly on her website, Meditationwithheart.com. Kim, thank you so much for being here. Our theme this month is fluidity. And in Buddhism, we talk about fluidity in terms like equanimity, openness, balance. You know, it's a sense of knowing what we can control and what we can't and letting ourselves meet the unfolding of life without, you know, fighting against what's happening and without wishing and dreaming that it were different. And our obstacle to fluidity and perhaps its opposite is control.

This is our, wow, it's very widespread delusion that most of us have as modern people. That it's up to us what's going to happen, that we can make it happen, that things are in our control that actually aren't and when we're not fluid we're really suffering what's happening is we're very attached to certain outcomes things that we want things that we hope for things that we don't want and when we get outcomes that are not what expected or didn't happen the way we think they should. And often what happens is anger,

frustration, or depression can arise. And it's because of this kind of suffering that Buddhists are always saying, let go. We're training to be fluid, to be resilient, to be open. because we can see that our struggles and clinging and wishes, they really cause a lot of pain for us. And they make it very hard for us to act skillfully. So it's okay to do your best, to bring about a positive outcome or make your plans, right? Study hard for a test, vote.

but being fluid means allowing the outcome whatever it might be even if it doesn't go your way knowing that it's not all up to you if you can stay open receptive balanced not clinging to anything desperately then you can accept disappointment. You can reorient yourself. You can open to different possibilities. And staying fluid means you can let go and begin again. Now, you can often tell when you're not being fluid because you'll feel a contraction, a tightness.

both in your mind and your body it's like a sense of no a rejection looking for blame feeling shame you get stuck you'll get stuck in what you think or want

to be happening so today's practice you know we'll do some some body mindfulness you know that will help you notice when you're tight, when you're clothes, when you're contracting, when you're not fluid. And breathe into that, let go of it, make us more receptive to reality. And we'll also do a little loving kindness meditation to support us, to soften

to the poignant reality of life, loss, change, surprises. so you can you know find a posture that is conducive to being both alert and relaxed and that posture could be sitting right here in your seat it could be lying down on the floor on a couch it could be doing walking meditation just one foot in front of the next you can also stand and go ahead and put a hand and put a hand on your heart and a hand on your belly and just begin to feel your body notice your breath experience your own loving presence. Just remember your body's always breathing for you.

You don't have to do anything. You don't have to earn it or deserve it. Just receive your breaths with your hand on your heart, your hand on your belly. And let's notice, if we can, some places that maybe are resistant, contracting, tight. See if we can bring some ease to the body and the mind too. And bringing your attention to your head. your forehead cheeks jaw

breathing into any tightness you don't have to make it go away just becoming aware of it gently gently your forehead your cheeks your jaw, the back of your neck, the sides of your neck, your neck, your throat, breathing into your shoulders, the left shoulder, the right shoulder,

your clavicle and the front of your chest. Scanning your arms, breathing into your arms all the way to your fingertips. You can notice any coolness or ease or tightness, allowing, breathing. breathing fully into your belly, see if your belly can expand as you breathe and fully exhaling. And you might notice, you might sense in your chest, in your back, in your heart, some tension stress that's okay

bringing your gentle wisdom and kindness here taking another breath fully and exhaling noticing your seat you might have tightness in your seat and the back of your thighs and very big muscles there again just

breathing in to your thighs breathing out to your thighs and breathing into your thighs and breathing into your knees and your lower legs and your feet. And you may notice your toes are tight. If you like, you can wiggle them a little. Again, you're not getting rid of anything. You're just paying attention. Letting yourself be fluid, be open, receptive. Take a moment to do this scan quickly yourself from your head to your toes and you can stop to breathe into any non-fluid places, any closed-up spaces. Thank you. Thank you. Bringing your hand to your heart.

if you've moved it. And if you'd like, you can put your other hand on top of it. So both of your hands are on your chest. This is your heart mind, chita. The source of your beautiful nature. And I'd like you from here to connect with someone you care about who might be struggling. who might be very rigid right now, very closed.

You could imagine they're right here beside you. You could just get in touch with their presence. And I'd like you to give them this wisdom silently. May you let go of expectations. May you be at peace with them. the unfolding of life. May you let go of expectations. May you be at peace with the unfolding of life.

May you let go of expectations. May you be at peace with the changes and the unfolding of life. And just continuing here, just for a minute or so, giving this gift, repeating these phrases silently. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. May you let go of expectations. You be at peace with the unfolding of life. You can keep your connection with this person that you care about. Keeping your hands on your heart as you connect with you, with your beautiful presence. You can imagine that you're looking in the mirror. You could imagine yourself in a moment. of struggle. Maybe imagine your child's self.

And saying to you, may I let go of expectations. May I be at peace with the unfolding of life. May I let go of expectations? May I be at peace with the unfolding of life? May I let go of expectations? May I be at peace with the unfolding of life. And just taking a minute or two to recite these phrases to yourself, offering them to yourself as a gift of wisdom from your deepest nature. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Me, I'm sorry. let go of expectations. May I be at peace with the unfolding of life? And keeping this connection with your beautiful heart, with that person who's struggling and bring in everyone, starting with your closest people and animals, your friends and family and colleagues and pets. May you we let go of expectations. May we be at peace with the unfolding of life. Bringing in some people you really don't like. People that are harmful or have hurt you.

May we let go of expectations. May we be at peace. with the unfolding of life. Consider so many strangers. You walk by them every day or drive next to them every day. Bring them into people from countries you're never going to visit.

May we let go of expectations. May we be at peace with the unfolding of life. May all beings everywhere. Sabae sata. May all beings let go of expectations. May all beings be at peace with the unfolding of life. May we all be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. you can let go of these phrases feel your feet noticing noticing your breathing experience light entering your eyelids

noticing your seat and thinking yourself for your efforts here today. Whenever you're ready, you can open your eyes and stretch and move as you conclude this practice. Thank you. Thank you so much for that, Kim. That's all the time we have for today. Thank you for joining us in our new home

for the Mindfulness Meditation Program at New York Insight Meditation Center where hearts and minds awaken. Thank you. That concludes this week's practice. 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 podcast, 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 Ruben Museum.org. Thank you for listening. Have a mindful day.