2008.04.06 07:00 - Stopping

bench in front of the tea room, looking at the Japanese style bridge
that Dakini had built over the pond. After a while, Types started by,
a wanderer whom I had met a few times before in this area. Soon after
that, Sky and Caledonia dropped by as well. It was fun to sit there
on stone benches, with a fox (Sky), a tiny bear (Types, after some
shape shifting demos for Sky), and a lady (Caledonia).

Pema Pera: you have many shapes, types!
Types Sideways: yes
Types Sideways: but they are not me or mine
Pema Pera: yes, shapes we can have
Pema Pera: but not what we are
Types Sideways: in RL as well
Pema Pera: but it’s nice to play with shapes
Pema Pera: I liked the green appearance you had the other day
Pema Pera: yes, in RL too
Types Sideways: is sky in the water?
Pema Pera: Sky is trying to maneuver I think
Pema Pera: Sky just came to SL a few days ago
Types Sideways: ah
Pema Pera: hi Sky
Sky Szimmer: hi there.
Sky Szimmer: that was fun to fly around.
Pema Pera: yes, isn’t it!
Pema Pera: are you enjoing the swim?
Sky Szimmer: oh yes, just unexpectedly
Pema Pera: there are many ways to move around yourself and also many ways to use your camera
Pema Pera: as Storm mentioned the other day that you were here
Pema Pera: Types, can you show Sky a few more of your forms?
Pema Pera: Types can shape shift very well
Types Sideways: slow rezzing today
Pema Pera: there yo go, nice!!
Types Sideways: this is the real me
Sky Szimmer: oh, you are pretty cute
Types Sideways: ty
Types Sideways: I started as a fox as well
Sky Szimmer: it is a standard feature in sl

After changing into several forms, Types presented himself as a
beautifully colored bird, at which point Caledonia joined us.

Pema Pera: wonderful!!
Pema Pera: so colorful
Types Sideways: yes
Pema Pera: Hi cal!
Caledonia Heron: Hello :) Good Morning Everyone
Pema Pera: meet Types, shape shifting into many colorful animals!
Pema Pera: and Sky, just born in SL a few days ago
Caledonia Heron: very nice
Types Sideways: a few days can be eons in here
Caledonia Heron: wow, welcome :)
Pema Pera: shall we sit down outside here?
Types Sideways: oops
Pema Pera: sorry that my bench doesn’t accomodate your shape!
Caledonia Heron: lol - it’s a tough world for a tiny :)
Pema Pera: but standing on it works
Types Sideways: I would use my own chair
Pema Pera: did you bring one ;>)
Types Sideways: yes
Pema Pera: please do use your own chair!
Pema Pera: ah, perfect
Types Sideways: ty

At this point Types, now as a tiny bear, made himself comfortable on
what looked like a movie director’s seat. We continued our
conversation and hit upon the notion of stopping.

Caledonia Heron: it’s interesting how our word choices represent us and those of similar background or discipline more naturally share and understand sometimes
Pema Pera: yes, and the fun thing is to try to move across and beyond those boundaries!
Pema Pera: takes time though and patience
Types Sideways: what is meatspace?
Caledonia Heron: real life :)
Caledonia Heron: where the meat is
Pema Pera: ;>)
Pema Pera: real in some sense
Pema Pera: unreal in another
Types Sideways: you mean the elements?
Pema Pera: which elements?
Types Sideways: the meat we seem to be
Pema Pera: well, yes, in some sense
Caledonia Heron: maybe that’s how disagreements escalate, through impatience with working through shared and unshared vocabulary
Pema Pera: it takes a long time to hear others who come from a different angle
Types Sideways: earth, water, air, and heat
Types Sideways: the elements of meat
Caledonia Heron: and metal types
Types Sideways: to me thats part of earth
Caledonia Heron: yes, especially if you have a vested interest in your “position”
Pema Pera: yes, those elements are important in trying to figure out what is going on here
Pema Pera: one way to try to see what is happening
Types Sideways: yes
Pema Pera: and very interesting for sure
Pema Pera: but what I am trying to do is to jump beyond that
Pema Pera: at least as a starting point
Types Sideways: of course
Pema Pera: and then to come back to everything including elements
Pema Pera: tricky move
Pema Pera: don’t know whether it will work
Pema Pera: but worth trying
Types Sideways: just don’t move
Types Sideways: no problem
Pema Pera: don’t move is the key
Pema Pera: we are almost reaching
Pema Pera: for things, for understanding
Pema Pera: if we don’t move we’re there already
Types Sideways: seeking
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: but that is so hard at first, not to move
Pema Pera: to just stop
Types Sideways: going away
Types Sideways: sounds like chan budhism
Types Sideways: buddhism
Pema Pera: yes, chan is one way this has been historical expressed
Pema Pera: Tibetan dzogchen is another
Caledonia Heron: that brings to mind that I often don’t really get what I’m doing here and don’t think I doing it particularly well but I like it and I feel more calm :)
Pema Pera: advaita vedanta too
Pema Pera: (^_^)
Types Sideways: nondual
Pema Pera: yes
Types Sideways: we are kindred sprits
Pema Pera: yes, I can see that
Caledonia Heron: ok, now I have a bunch of stuff to look up :)
Pema Pera: ;>)
Pema Pera: not to worry!
Pema Pera: better to talk about it and share
Pema Pera: start with sharing
Pema Pera: the rest is footnotes, only
Pema Pera: the reason the books are so complex
Pema Pera: is that one book has to address ten thousand people
Pema Pera: who are all different
Types Sideways: words don’t touch it
Pema Pera: when we talk in person we can be so much more simple and short and direct
Pema Pera: given the shared context
Caledonia Heron: it seems the books could provide some context or cues but in the end you just have to get it
Pema Pera: yes, indeed
Pema Pera: so if you have any question or idea or suggestion, Cal, please fire away!!
Types Sideways: one zen patriarch was illiterate
Types Sideways: never read
Pema Pera: yes, isn’t that nice!!
Pema Pera: shows words are not necessary
Caledonia Heron: that seems appropriate
Pema Pera: he was one of the greatest
Pema Pera: but if you really see, you can also use words
Pema Pera: either way
Pema Pera: if I have to summarize my path in words, I could say
Pema Pera: the goal is the path
Pema Pera: or : start with the result/goal
Pema Pera: the point is to celebrate what already IS, not to grab/reach it
Types Sideways: yes
Types Sideways: looking is always away and in the wrong direction
Pema Pera: yes, looking is different from seeing, seeing what is.
Pema Pera: how did you find that, Types, through books, through meeting peope, through practice?
Types Sideways: unecesary blood sweat and tears
Types Sideways: until stopping happened
Pema Pera: nice summary of life!!!
Types Sideways: rumi helped
Types Sideways: he called it the self preserving imagination
Types Sideways: when it stops the real work begins

At this point I crashed, and while SL was starting up again, I found
my favorite Rumi poem, which I then shared with the others:

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

After rezzing, I again greated my companions.

Types Sideways: oops
Caledonia Heron: wb :)
Pema Pera: sorry, crash . . . .
Caledonia Heron: I am but a young grasshopper Types :)
Types Sideways: from a temple?
Types Sideways: shaolin?
Caledonia Heron: no, no temple…I fear I am misleading you perhaps with my words and attempt at humour….I am just a girl learning my way
Pema Pera: quite a girl, quite a way ;>)
Types Sideways: :)
Types Sideways: I see
Caledonia Heron: :)
Pema Pera: sorry I dropped out in the middle of the Rumi conversation
Types Sideways: yes
Pema Pera: May I quote my favorite Rumi poem?
Caledonia Heron: certainly
Types Sideways: please
Pema Pera: see whether that works in this box . . .
Pema Pera: The Guest House This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice. meet them at the door laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whatever comes. because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
Pema Pera: oops
Pema Pera: no line breaks . . . .
Pema Pera: sorry
Types Sideways: nice
Caledonia Heron: lovely
Caledonia Heron: a gentle instruction for that “ground of being” notion :)
Pema Pera: yes, you cannot find the ground of being when you look for it, but when you treat your emotions that way, you may find to your surprise your ground of being right here already
Caledonia Heron: yes, the unseen internal engine
Pema Pera: yes
Types Sideways: rain doesn’t notice rain or not notice rain, it realizes rain
Pema Pera: whenever regret or shame or sadness comes, meet them at the door laughing
Pema Pera: yes, Types, so simple isn’t it!
Types Sideways: simple
Types Sideways: yes
Pema Pera: but the one caveat with words is that when we repeat the words without seeing it doesn’t work
Caledonia Heron: at a bad time someone once told me that I would have to find a place for myself that was calm while the storm and badness was swirling around me and to see it and say yes, ok and be at the calmness
Pema Pera: yes, not trying to escape any feeling but going straight into it
Pema Pera: accepting and seeing
Pema Pera: that is the engine that Types mentioned
Pema Pera: runs on all fuel
Pema Pera: like a steam engine
Pema Pera: just throw all that you have in the fire
Caledonia Heron: yes, another said, sit with it like a brick in your lap, it is not you just something that is to be noticed and that’s it
Types Sideways: and no one does it
Types Sideways: grace happens
Pema Pera: yes, stop
Pema Pera: and when you stop, grace happens, true!
Pema Pera: everybody is running after happiness, but happiness is running at the tail end of the parade . .
Types Sideways: well Im wandering on now
Types Sideways: enjoy the day
Caledonia Heron: yes:) I think my breakfast guests are here
Pema Pera: thanks for stopping by, Types, I apreciate it!
Types Sideways: bye
Caledonia Heron: bye
Pema Pera: thanks, Cal!
Caledonia Heron: :)
Pema Pera: for stopping by!
Pema Pera: As always a pleasure.