Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation with Reverend Doyeon Park 05/08/2025

Episode Date: May 16, 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 10:43.Teacher: Reverend Doyeon Park Theme: CompassionBodhisattva Avalokiteshvara; Nepal; 13th-14th century; gilt copper alloy with semiprecious stone inlay; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.8Learn 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 Churden. Every Thursday, we offer a meditation session at New York Insight 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 Insight 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 Delek.

Welcome, welcome to the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Arts Mindfulness Meditation Program here at New York Insight Meditation Center. I'm Tashi Chodron, Himalayan Programs and Communities Ambassador, and I'm delighted to be your host today. So Rubin is a global hub and a museum that is dedicated to sharing Himalayan art and its insights. And we're so glad to have all of you join us

in person and online. Yes, we have started the hybrid online as well. So 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 our teacher has chosen for today. And then we will have a short set about 15 to 20 minutes for the meditation guided by our teacher has chosen for today. And then we will have a short set, about 15 to 20 minutes for the meditation

guided by our teacher, Reverend De Yun Park. So happy to have you, finally. So let's take a look at today's theme and artwork. This month, some of you may know or remember that we are exploring on the theme of compassion, considering so much, you know, uncertainty and chaos going on in the world, all the more reason for us to practice compassion as much as we can. And the art connection for today's session, which is handpicked by our teacher amongst a list of art that we sent,

is this beautiful sculpture of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, known as Lokeshvara Padma Pani in Sanskrit, that means lotus holder. And in Tibetan, he's known as Chrig-Zig, the Lord of All Seeing, or sometimes referred to as the All Seeing Buddha. And this is dated 13th to 14th century, gilded copper alloy with semi-precious stone inlay. And this is about 16 and a half into 6 and a half into 2, 7, 8 inches. So it's a one of a kind, beautiful sculpture. The connection to the theme for the month of compassion, Avalokiteshvara demonstrates infinite mercy

and loving kindness to all sentient beings. And as we behold Avalokiteshvara, let us reflect on how we can more fully express compassion to others and ourself, especially where there is war and suffering going on. And when we talk about giving rise to compassion, it is nothing we need to find from outside. Teaching says that it is within each of us.

The seed of compassion is within us. We just have to give rise to that compassion. Now, Avalokiteshvara is the Bodhisattva of boundless compassion who has vowed to remain in the cycle of rebirth throughout time to work for all sentient beings' benefit. In the Tibetan culture, we believe that His Holiness Dalai Lama is the emanation of Avalokiteshvara. How you can identify Bodhisattva when you look at a sculpture or a painting is the iconography of Bodhisattva is you find necklaces, armlets, anklets, crown, you know, bejeweled. Avalokiteshvara also appears in many forms with two arms, also in four arms and thousand arms with eleven headed, peaceful and wrathful. They all symbolize different meanings, what I understand, and this particular Avalokiteshvara in the simplest form,

extending his right hand in the gesture of supreme generosity. As you can see the fingers are pointing towards the earth and holding the stalk of a lotus flower is sprouting on the left shoulder. This sculpture is remarkable for its fluid simplicity of form and graceful proportions. So let's bring on a teacher for today. Our teacher is Reverend Doyoon Park.

Reverend Doyoon is a gumunim, a title in the One Buddhist tradition. That means one who devotes oneself to teaching the Dharma. Since 2008, she has served as a minister at the Manhattan One Buddhist Temple and as the one Buddhist representative to the United Nations. In addition, she serves as the Buddhist Spiritual Life Advisor at both Columbia University and New York University, the President of the Buddhist Council of New York, and co-chair of the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations. Inspired by the Buddhist path of inner

freedom and happiness, Reverend Doyoon began her monastic training in 1990s. She earned her BA from the Department of Hwan Buddhism at Hwangwang University in Iksan, South Korea, and completed her master's in Juan Buddhist Studies at the Juan Institute of Graduate Studies in Glenside, Pennsylvania, USA. She received full ordination in mid-2000. Reverend Doin, thank you so much for coming here, and please help me in welcoming everyone to the room. 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. Avalokitesvara here. So when Tashi sent me this artworks

and then kind of asked me to pick one, and I was looking all different kind of arts, and the moment I just saw the name Avalokitesvara, it's like, this is it. So I guess for me, as you all heard from Tashi, Avalokitesvara, in Korean we say G-eum or Chinese or Japanese with Kwan-in something like that and then it literally means one who hears the cries of the world. And I remember in my training years my teacher often say you know meditation practice meditation is

more like a Buddha's mind you are cultivating the Buddha's mind. And compassion will be the, you know, you're practicing Buddha's actions. So I remember always my teacher emphasized that, you know, you need to cultivate this, you know, meditation and compassion in your actions. And then, well, actually this artwork was actually somewhat new to me to see this.

Oh, because when I think of the Avalokitesvara, we call the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. And often in Chinese or maybe from, because I'm from Korea, Korean culture, we see this Avalokitesvara in a, some very peaceful, beautiful female form with many arms and many eyes that symbolize the ability to see and respond to the suffering of others. So having all the arms and different eyes and always hearing the cries of all sentient beings out there. So whenever this Avalokiteshvara hears the cries, then out there, it's not ignoring it, but just go out to respond with the skillful means and compassion out there. So I guess it is our very clear understanding that in a Buddhist practice we do all the practice to cultivate,

again through meditation practice we cultivate very still calm, serene mind and where we can find the compassionate actions from that stage of the stillness. And actually this, I just brought this lotus flower. We recently had our Buddha's birthday celebration. In Korean culture, we celebrate Buddha's birth with lotus flower. And this is paper that I made, handmade, at my temple. And this lotus flower, as many of you know,

it's a reminder for us to see, just like lotus coming out of the muddy water, we are living in this samsara. Basically, we're going through all the sufferings and all the pains and stress in our day-to-day life. And yet, through our spiritual cultivation, we can have the flower with the beauty. And then that really represents, I guess, the compassion here. With the symbol of lotus flower, we can really take this moment to cultivate our inner compassion, our inner Avalokitesvara.

I'm so glad that Tashi mentioned that, yes, when we think about Avalokitesvara, you can think of all these statues or the images out there. But it really is coming back to our inner heart, because we do have this heart to hear and to care, to love all other people out there, including ourselves. So I guess today maybe we can do a little bit of practice together as well.

So I will do short kind of guided meditation. You can find some comfortable sitting. Allow your spine to gently lengthen, shoulders soft. You may roll back your shoulders. Shoulders soft. You may roll back your shoulders. Your hands resting where they feel at ease. Gently you can close your eyes or open them halfway with your gaze resting on the floor. Take a deep breath in and a long, slow breath out. Let the breath bring you moments simply to arrive.

Breathing in, I know I'm breathing in, breathing out. I know I'm breathing out. Now bring your awareness to the center of your chest, allow this space to soften. Imagine that with every inhale, you are offering compassion. You might now bring to mind the image or feeling of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. And this is not just a figure from a painting or a statue, but a reflection of your own deep potential to listen, to care, and to respond. Perhaps you imagine a serene face with a gentle gaze or many arms, each offering a different healing, shelter, nourishment, courage. Or maybe you sense a quiet presence within you. Calm, open, and steady. And this is the compassion that listens not only to others but also to your own hearts. And let this presence be a reminder. You too can be a refuge.

You too can meet suffering with care, both within and around you. If you like, you can silently repeat a phrase to anchor your awareness. May I listen with a compassionate heart. May I meet this vessel of understanding. flow through me. And for the next few minutes, remember with your inhalation you listen with exhalation you offer compassion... As you breathe, let these words ripple through the body, softening the shoulders, relaxing the jaw, and widening the heart. Now, if it feels right, let this compassion extend beyond yourself to someone you care about, to someone you find challenging, and even those who are celebrating. With each breath, you can recite inwardly, In worldly, may you be well, May you be safe. May you be free from suffering. Let's rest here for a few more moments. Not needing to fix anything, just listening. Open your brain and the breath is steady......... As we near the end of our meditation, return to the feeling of the body.

Noticing the breath. The sounds around you. And when you feel ready, you can gently open your eyes. You may join your palms together and then bow. Bow inwardly to yourself for your presence, for your practice, and for your heart. The The The The The The The The The The

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The The The The The The The The The The The The Thank you so much, Sri Arundhaya, for the wonderful session.

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 rubinmuseum.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.

Season 4, hosted by Isabella Rossellini, delves into the Buddhist concept of attachment and explores how the practice of letting go can transform our experience of the world, available wherever you listen to podcasts. And to learn more about the Rubin Museum's work around the world, available wherever you listen to podcasts. And to learn more about the Rubin Museum's work around the world, visit rubinmuseum.org. Thank you for listening. Have a mindful day.