The Rubin is transforming. Read important updates from our Executive Director.
close-button

Theme: Perspectives

About the Meditation

Meditation session led by Sharon Salzberg.

The guided meditation begins at 19:05.

For centuries Himalayan practitioners have used meditation to quiet the mind, open the heart, calm the nervous system, and increase focus. Now Western scientists, business leaders, and the secular world have embraced meditation as a vital tool for brain health.

Whether you’re a beginner, a dabbler, or a skilled meditator seeking the company of others, join expert teachers in a forty-five-minute weekly program designed to fit into your lunch break. Each session will be inspired by a different work of art from the Rubin Museum’s collection and will include an opening talk, a twenty-minute meditation session, and a closing discussion.

This program is supported with thanks to our presenting partners Sharon Salzberg, the Interdependence Project and Parabola Magazine.

New York Insight Meditation Center

Related Artwork

Drum (Nga); Tibet; Mid - 19th century;Wood, pigments, leather, metal; Rubin Museum of Art, Gift of Robert and Lois Bayils; SC2019.3.1a-b
Drum (Nga); Tibet; Mid – 19th century;Wood, pigments, leather, metal; Rubin Museum of Art, Gift of Robert and Lois Bayils; SC2019.3.1a-b

The sound produced by this large, double-headed frame drum varies according to the type of ritual. It can be peaceful or wrathful depending on the character of the deity invoked. A musician holds the long handle in their left hand and strikes the middle of the drum with a curved stick using their right hand. The instrument is used frequently in rituals for wrathful deities, religious dances, and processions. The drum takes on metaphorical meaning within Buddhism, in which sharing the Buddha’s teachings is called “sounding the drum of the dharma.” This type of drum is often associated with the sound of rolling thunder, alluded to by the clouds and dragons painted on its frame.

About the Speaker

Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, has guided meditation retreats worldwide since 1974.

Her latest book is Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World. Sharon is also the author of several publications including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, and Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection. While running her own podcast The Metta Hour and interviewing 100+ influential voices in meditation and mindfulness movements, Sharon has regularly contributed to many onstage conversations at the Rubin.

zoom