High Line Plinth: Lectures & Meditations – The Nature of Light

High Line Art is dedicated to expanding the role of contemporary art in public spaces. We commission and produce world-class art projects on and around the High Line, sparking the dialogue that is an essential element of city life.

High Line Art

A series informed by themes central to Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s Plinth commission: The Light That Shines Through the Universe.

On the High Line at the Spur at 30th Street and 10th Avenue

As part of the public programming for Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s High Line Plinth commission, The Light That Shines Through the Universe, the High Line presents a monthly lecture and guided meditation series at the Spur. Presented in partnership with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, the series invites visitors to engage more deeply with themes central to Nguyen’s work. Each session features a lecture by a scholar, artist, or cultural leader, followed by a guided meditation led by an invited practitioner. The series is hosted by Tashi Chödrön, Himalayan Programs and Communities Ambassador at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, who, in her two decades with the Rubin, has led meditation programs for over ten years and is the current host of the Rubin’s Mindfulness Meditation podcast. Through this combination of intellectual and contemplative practice, the series invites audiences to pause, reflect, and consider the artwork’s historical and philosophical themes through both thought and experience.The Nature of Light — Wednesday, August 5, 2026 (Rain date: Thursday, August 6, 2026)Featuring a lecture by Donald S. Lopez, distinguished university professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan. This session delves deeper into the name of the artwork The Light That Shines Through The Universe, and explores light in Buddhist thought—both literal and metaphorical.The lecture will be followed by a guided meditation by Jungwon Kim, a Zen practitioner of the Plum Village Tradition and the facilitator for Love Circle, a Brooklyn-based BIPOC sangha.Bio:Donald Lopez is Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan. A prolific scholar of Buddhism, he has authored, translated, or edited numerous influential works spanning Indian Buddhist philosophy, the European encounter with Buddhism, and Buddhism and Science. His books include the award-winning Prisoners of Shangri-La (1998), The Story of Buddhism (2001), Buddhist Scriptures (2004) and The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (with Robert Buswell, 2014). His Buddhism: A Journey Through History (2025) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction. His most recent book is The Buddha: Biography of a Myth.Jungwon Kim is a Zen practitioner of the Plum Village Tradition. She is also the facilitator for Love Circle, a Brooklyn-based BIPOC sangha.Photo Consent:By attending this event, you agree that photos and/or video footage of you may be taken, and you grant your permission to Friends of the High Line and its agents/licensees to use such photos/footage for promotional and other purposes.Accessibility:We encourage all persons with disabilities to attend. To request additional information regarding accessibility or accommodations at a program, please contact programs@thehighline.org. Program venues are accessible via wheelchair, and ASL interpretation can be arranged two weeks in advance. If you require registration information for this event in Spanish or Simplified Chinese, contact us at programs@thehighline.org.Data Privacy:By signing up for this event, you agree that Friends of the High Line may use your information in accordance with the terms of our <a href="https://www.thehighline.org/privacy-policy/" title="https://www.thehighline.org/privacy-policy/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Privacy Policy</a>.Lead support for High Line Art comes from Amanda and Don Mullen. Major support is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston and Charina Endowment Fund. Major support of High Line Art's digital infrastructure is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies.Major support for the High Line Plinth is provided by members of the High Line Plinth Committee, contemporary art leaders who are committed to realizing major commissions and engaging in the public success of the Plinth: Shelley Fox Aarons and Philip E. Aarons, Amy and David Abrams, Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros, Sarah Arison, Elizabeth K. Belfer, Fairfax Dorn, Kerianne Flynn, Ingrid Cincala Gilbert, Hermine Riegerl Heller, Janine and J. Tomilson Hill, The Holly Peterson Foundation, Annie Hubbard, Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins, Randi Levine, Jennifer Levitt, W. Scott McCormack and Noah Jay, Amanda and Don Mullen, Douglas Oliver and Sherry Brous, Mario Palumbo and Stefan Gargiulo, Susan and Stephen Scherr, Dani R’bibo, Eric Schwartz and Debra Fram, Susan and David Viniar, Olivia Walton, and Vivian and James Zelter.Program support for High Line Art is provided by Sarah Arison, Suzanne Deal Booth, Charlotte Ford, Molly Gochman, and Joyce F. Menschel. Additional support is provided by Agnes Gund and Shane Akeroyd.Program funding for the Plinth Lectures and Meditations series is provided by the Scintilla Foundation.High Line Art is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, under the leadership of Speaker Julie Menin.

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High Line Plinth: Lectures & Meditations – The Nature of Light

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High Line Plinth: Lectures & Meditations – The Nature of Light

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