It’s time to get your meditation on. The Ackland Art Museum will be celebrating Bodhi Day on Friday in connection with its new “Religion and Ritual” exhibit, and Lori Burgwyn Hernandez of Franklin Street Yoga will be leading an introductory meditation class. Staff writer Krupa Kaneria spoke with Hernandez about her involvement in meditation, the connection between meditation and art and the importance of this practice.
DTH: How did you get involved with meditation?
LH: I found meditating helped deal with the daily uncertainty of my health issues. So, it was kind of this feeling of how to put ease back into your day when things are out of your control, which is a lot of our life anyways. There are so many things in our lives that we do not have control over, but we do have control over our attitude, and meditation can certainly help you with that.
DTH: What is your connection to the Ackland ArtWalk?
LH: Mary Melone [the director of external affairs at the Ackland] takes classes at our studio, and we crossed paths at Fall Fest where Ackland had a table. I started talking to her about studios in New York City that had been having meditation classes at art museums, and I asked her if she would be interested in something like that. So, the idea started last fall and fell into place over the last couple of weeks.
DTH: What is Bodhi Day and how does it relate to the new Ackland exhibit?
LH: The new exhibit is Asian oriented, and Bodhi Day is the day that the Buddha was sitting under the Bodhi tree and basically achieved Nirvana, also known as enlightenment. He had been traveling with these other aesthetics that were trying to transcend their lives and free themselves of suffering, and he had basically almost starved himself to death. He was eating one mustard seed a day. So, he finally decided to sit up and meditate to try and figure out the answer. What he came up with were the Four Noble Truths and that suffering is optional. Basically, we get in our own way – we cause our own suffering.
DTH: What is the role of meditation in Bodhi Day?
LH: The Buddha was sitting and meditating, and that is how he achieved enlightenment. When you look at how to celebrate Bodhi Day, it is to go to some place where you can meditate. It’s an opportunity to take a step back, disconnect, and take some time to be with yourself.