Rubin Museum Launches Online Meditation Sessions with Sharon Salzberg

The Rubin Museum of Art in New York has launched a series of ten-minute meditation videos on its social media channels, released from Thursday to Monday—the days the museum would normally be open. Each video begins with a close look at a work from the collection, such as a sculpture of Siddhartha or a Tibetan medical painting, followed by a guided meditation led by Sharon Salzberg, a renowned meditation teacher and author. In one video, she introduces Tara, a disciple of Buddha who chose to remain on earth to help others achieve mental freedom. The initiative aims to maintain connection with audiences interested in Eastern art and philosophy during the museum's closure. The article also traces the history of Zen Buddhism in America, noting its introduction at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago by Zen master Shaku Soen, and its later spread through Beat Generation writers like Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Jack Kerouac. Zen practice saw peak popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, though many Americans continue to practice Buddhism today.