Just when I was in the process of logging in, a few minutes before the hour, SL kicked me out, and the following message appeared on the screen:
STATUS ALERT:
April 25, 2008, 12:57 pm. We are experiencing asset server problems.
We have closed off logins to Second Life while we deal with the problem.
Please see the blog at http://blog.secondlife.com for more information
I went to the web site, and found the following message:
Second Life Offline
The Second Life login is currently restricted to Lindens only.
We expect to return service to all residents shortly.
For about half an hour I kept trying regularly, but got the same message, so I gave up. I had an appointment to show SL to someone whom I had met in RL, and who was interested in our PaB project. We met in a coffeeshop, and I used my laptop computer to run two SL logins simultaneously, one for my avatar, and one for hers, called genesis.
Soon after I had logged in both, a message popped up notifying that Dakini had gotten online as well, so I sent her an IM.
IM: Pema Pera: Hi Dakini!
IM: Dakini Rhode: Hey!
IM: Pema Pera: Do you have a minute?
IM: Dakini Rhode: sure do!
IM: Pema Pera: I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine who just got into SL
IM: Pema Pera: We are in the tea house
A few seconds later:
IM: Dakini Rhode: i don’t see you in the teahouse
IM: Dakini Rhode: i think we’re inhabiting parallel universes
IM: Dakini Rhode: which cushion are you on, so i don’t sit on you
I had walked outside to say hi to a passer-by and I wasn’t quick enough to get back in before Dakini had arrived.
Pema Pera: Here I am, sorry!
Dakini Rhode: hello!
genesis Zhangsun: Hi Dakini! I heard and read a lot about you
Dakini Rhode: is this a meeting of the club?
Pema Pera: no
Dakini Rhode: hi genesis! wow
Pema Pera: just a quick orientation
Pema Pera: My friend genesis I met recently in RL
genesis Zhangsun: and Pema told me about PaB
Pema Pera: and she immediately liked it
genesis Zhangsun: I got an account half a year ago
Dakini Rhode: very nice to meet you, genesis
Pema Pera: and just
genesis Zhangsun: in case
Pema Pera: you think
genesis Zhangsun: I am Pema’s alt
Pema Pera: that is not
genesis Zhangsun: true
Dakini Rhode: sure
Pema Pera: haha
genesis Zhangsun: haha
Dakini Rhode: haha
By now Dakini must have become puzzled as to what was going on, clear as it was that there was only one typist involved.
Pema Pera: Well, what happens is this:
Pema Pera: I am showing on my computer how to use SL
Pema Pera: so I am running two processes
Pema Pera: one for her and one for me
Dakini Rhode: i see
Pema Pera: I just rescued her from the help island
Pema Pera: she had indeed been reading our blogs
Pema Pera: and was happy to join
Pema Pera: and then remembered she had once gotten an account
Pema Pera: but never realy used it
genesis Zhangsun: Thank you, Pema. Yes, that’s what happened
Dakini Rhode: for some reason i’m seriously lagging, so please excuse the delays
Pema Pera: some day soon, genesis, you will be talking by yourself ;>)
genesis Zhangsun: I really look forward to this
Dakini Rhode: did you know each other previously?
genesis Zhangsun: No, Dakini, we met a few weeks ago
Pema Pera: in a coffeeshop; I was in-world
genesis Zhangsun: Pema showed SL
genesis Zhangsun: and I got curious
Dakini Rhode: very glad you jumped in!
Pema Pera: so . . . here we all are
Dakini Rhode: I’m so glad to find you here now
Pema Pera: When I tped her over from help island and saw that you had just logged in, I thought it would be nice to introduce her to the person she had been readng about ;>)
Dakini Rhode: :-) our old friend lag is with us
Pema Pera: it’s pretty terrible today
Pema Pera: My afternoon session got cancelled
Pema Pera: SL went down completely at 12:57 for half an hour
Pema Pera: And I don’t want to keep you here longer
Pema Pera: just wanted to say hi
Pema Pera: and introduce you to genesis
Dakini Rhode: hey ya can’t kick me out of my own teahouse!
genesis Zhangsun: haha
Dakini asked genesis what had pulled her to get her in-world.
Dakini Rhode: genesis, what piqued your interest in SL, other than our very convincing Pema?
genesis Zhangsun: I read about SL in a book
Dakini Rhode: which book?
genesis Zhangsun: oh no aaah lemma think
Dakini Rhode: was it a murder?
Pema Pera: genesis was surprised that I faithfully wrote down every word she spoke haha
genesis Zhangsun: I can describe what it was about
Dakini Rhode: someone wrote a murder mystery where the clues were in SL
genesis Zhangsun: a thriller
genesis Zhangsun: based on the middle east crisis
genesis Zhangsun: the crisis was resolved through SL
Dakini Rhode: ooh that could really happen
Dakini Rhode: was the St. Nicholas Avatarian Church in the book?
genesis Zhangsun: no, I don’t think so
Dakini Rhode: ah, different book - or, i got the name wrong :-P
genesis Zhangsun: there was a university in SL
genesis Zhangsun: where it got resolved
genesis Zhangsun: perhaps Princeton?
genesis Zhangsun: Something like a simulation that they had for students, something in politics . . . .
genesis Zhangsun: that was in October
genesis Zhangsun: but then I never really used my account
genesis Zhangsun: after creating it
Dakini Rhode: I met a man here once, in this teahouse - well, his av looked like an asian escort but he said he was a man
Dakini Rhode: “researching his book”
Dakini Rhode: he was writing a murder mystery
Dakini then took the occasion to draw me out further.
Dakini Rhode: I’ve missed the PaB meetings lately
Dakini Rhode: But Pema, your blog helps me feel in touch
Pema Pera: I’m glad to hear that!
Pema Pera: do you find the time to read it all?
Dakini Rhode: I’ve become curious about something
Pema Pera: yes?
Dakini Rhode: Pema, are you doing the PaB ?
Pema Pera: right now?
Dakini Rhode: Do you carry your notebook?
Pema Pera: always
Pema Pera: i mean
Pema Pera: laptop
Pema Pera: is that what you mean?
Pema Pera: ah, me myself the 9-sec thing?
Dakini Rhode: will you share some of your discoveries?
Dakini Rhode: yes
Pema Pera: ah!
Pema Pera: oh sure
Pema Pera: I’d be happy to
Dakini Rhode: I notice lots of voices in the blog
Pema Pera: didn’t want to do that right away
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: since that might set a tone
Pema Pera: for others to copy
Pema Pera: and better to let everyone find their own voice first
Dakini Rhode: interesting, and yet, do you think it might encourage others to be open if you share your own stuff somewhat?
Pema Pera: oh sure
Pema Pera: I’m happy to do it now
Pema Pera: whenever it feels right
Pema Pera: thank you for the encouragement!
Dakini Rhode: we’ll see if anyone else asks
Dakini Rhode: What about YOU, Pema?
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: and no, I don’t have to wait till people ask, I can just talk about it
I made a mental note to say more about my own practice, at a next occasion. Since I had read in Dakini’s blog that she had had some eye problems the last few days, I asked about those.
Pema Pera: And btw, how is your bit of jelly doing, in your eye?
Dakini Rhode: it’s not so annoying as at first
Pema Pera: sounds pretty awful
Dakini Rhode: i guess it’s pretty ordinary
Pema Pera: makes it hard to be in-world, I guess
Dakini Rhode: lots of people have floaters in their eyes apparently, but not all notice when they form
Dakini Rhode: it’s fine here, the hardest is reading a book
Dakini Rhode: the white background
Dakini Rhode: but really not such a big deal now
Pema Pera: glad to hear that!
Dakini had noticed that I had switched to a light blond hair color today.
Dakini Rhode: You have the California look now!
Pema Pera: hahaha
Pema Pera: sundrechned hair right
Dakini Rhode: yes! surfer boy
Pema Pera: well, I probably should get up and out and about
Pema Pera: and get some real sun.
Pema Pera: Thaks for coming over, dakini!
Dakini Rhode: before you go…
genesis Zhangsun: yes, thank you Dakini, nice to meet you here!
Pema Pera: yes?
Dakini Rhode: same here genesis
Dakini Rhode: well i noticed you sneaked away again without revealing anything about your PaB practice
Pema Pera: right now?
Dakini Rhode: just wanted to let you know i noticed :-)
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: oh
Dakini Rhode: not a problem Pema
Earlier I hadn’t gotten the hint that Dakini wanted me to talk about my own practice right then and there. I was certainly happy to do so. I wondered whether to give some examples of what I had written down recently, but I thought it might be better to give the general background feeling and atmospherer instead. After all, just a few words written down here and there may have meaning for me, but not for others unless I give them the whole phenomenological context, which often it quite comples, no matter how short the words.
Pema Pera: in very short terms
Pema Pera: Being for me is my greatest friend
Pema Pera: always around
Pema Pera: and what makes me feel sure that I have no needs
Pema Pera: and need not make any plans
Pema Pera: no need to try to even understand what is going on
Pema Pera: I can just let Being express itself through me
Pema Pera: that’s the short version
Pema Pera: The longer version can take any which form
Pema Pera: a leaf in the wind
Pema Pera: a smile on a face
Dakini Rhode: do you see Being as something other than you?
Pema Pera: no
Pema Pera: not other than me
Pema Pera: also not the same
Pema Pera: not the same as the “me” that I normally think I am I mean
Dakini Rhode: Not the same as Pema or Piet
Pema Pera: Being is beyond all dualities
Pema Pera: indeed, correct
Pema Pera: not easy not hard
Pema Pera: not same not different
Pema Pera: not here not elsewhere
Pema Pera: not now not at other times
Pema Pera: but so very concrete
Pema Pera: that in comparison everything else is illusory
Pema Pera: like a movie
Pema Pera: fascinating
Pema Pera: but you know it’s not real
Pema Pera: and therefore you can totally totally enjoy it
Pema Pera: every bit of it
Pema Pera: I see you doing that effectively when you talk with those who come to your zen sitting
Dakini Rhode: thank you
Pema Pera: how would you describe how yo do that?
Dakini Rhode: it’s pretty natural
Pema Pera: exactly!
Pema Pera: where does it come from
Dakini Rhode: i don’t think about it
Pema Pera: exactly!
Dakini Rhode: i think about what the other person is saying
Dakini Rhode: and try to see if i can contribute something helpful
Dakini Rhode: or something silly, whatever
Dakini Rhode: sometimes Dakini gets in the way
Pema Pera: exactly!
Pema Pera: yes, Pema too ;>)
Dakini Rhode: like the other night with - an avatar who had a problem
Dakini Rhode: Dakini wanted to fix the problem
Dakini Rhode: I saw that
Dakini Rhode: I let the others take over
Pema Pera: yup — exactly; I remember times when that happened for Pema, and sometimes I mentioned that in my blog, like when I was too quick speaking my own ideas while Sky was searching for words . . . .
Dakini Rhode: yes I understand
Dakini Rhode: The ego wants to fix things
Pema Pera: Pema should be a musical instrument, not a CD player
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: should not copy earlier ideas
Dakini Rhode: it’s a well intentioned impulse, but sometimes not skilful
Pema Pera: ideas should be like birds
Pema Pera: getting up and fly away
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: yup
Dakini Rhode: mine get up and fly away LOTS these days
Pema Pera: ahaha
We began to say goodbye.
Dakini Rhode: um, why did I walk into this room?
genesis Zhangsun: to say hi
Dakini Rhode: good to have people to remind me :-)
Pema Pera: haha
genesis Zhangsun: You know, Dakini
genesis Zhangsun: I did not realize I would get into my first PaB session right here and now!
genesis Zhangsun: Thank you!!
Dakini Rhode: fersure, genesis
Pema Pera: yeah, Gen, that’s how things go here
Pema Pera: One moment silly
Pema Pera: the next dead serious
Dakini Rhode: we’ve fallen into being and we can’t get up
genesis Zhangsun: yes, I begin to get a sense . . . and at the same time, I feel I knew it all along . . . .
Dakini Rhode: That’s the way it is!
Pema Pera: Well, I’m afraid I have to go, my astro work is tugging at my sleeve . . . .
genesis Zhangsun: Nice to meet you Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: i’m so glad I ran into you, Pema
Pema Pera: aw shucks . . . .
Dakini Rhode: and genesis on the same computer!
Dakini Rhode: Bye to both!
Pema Pera: Ah!
Pema Pera: I only saw the first line at first ;>)
Pema Pera: haha
genesis Zhangsun: haha
Pema Pera: bye Dakini!
genesis Zhangsun: Namaste!
Dakini Rhode: gassho!
genesis Zhangsun: That is what you say here, right?
Dakini Rhode: yes! Namaste!
genesis Zhangsun: I’d read that many times in the blog
Dakini Rhode: we have an animation which goes with it
genesis Zhangsun: really?
Dakini Rhode: i shall demonstrate the Namaste animation
genesis Zhangsun: please do
Dakini Rhode: Namaste
genesis Zhangsun: how can I learn to do that?
Dakini Rhode: I have a slightly different one i can give you
genesis Zhangsun: oh, that is so kind of you!
Dakini offered the gesture to genesis, and genesis activated it in her inventory. We then all got up. At that moment genesis, who had been sitting next to the tray with tea cups, climbed up the tray by mistake. While it was Pema’s typist making the mistake on Pema’s computer, he happily and mischievously blamed it on poor genesis, letting her say:
genesis Zhangsun: sorry about that!
genesis Zhangsun: I still have to larn to move around here in SL . . .
Dakini Rhode: haha so do i
genesis Zhangsun: let me take a deep breath
genesis Zhangsun: and try
genesis Zhangsun: do I say “namaste”
genesis Zhangsun: with a “/”?
Dakini Rhode: yes!
Dakini Rhode: /namaste
Dakini Rhode: oops no!
genesis Zhangsun: namaste
Dakini Rhode: oh lol that worked!
Dakini Rhode: i deactivated mine to give to you haha
genesis Zhangsun: haha
genesis Zhangsun: try again
I was not prepared for Dakini going suddenly in Chocolate Disco mode . . .
Dakini Rhode: チョコレイト・ディスコ ♪
Dakini Rhode: Chokoreito Disco ‚ ♪
genesis Zhangsun: namaste
Dakini Rhode: oops wrong one
But I quickly found it in my inventory, and shared in the dance, after which Dakini started another round.
Pema Pera: チョコレイト・ディスコ ♪
Dakini Rhode: チョコレイト・ディスコ ♪
Dakini Rhode: Chokoreito Disco ‚ ♪
Dakini Rhode: isn’t this goofy?
Meanwhile she had given the dance to genesis, who activated it as well. It went even better with her than with us, since she had chosen the Harajuku default avatar.
genesis Zhangsun: チョコレイト・ディスコ ♪
Dakini Rhode: haha you go, girl!
genesis Zhangsun: After all I am harajuku girl
genesis Zhangsun: you see?
Dakini Rhode: haha
genesis Zhangsun: fits me
Dakini Rhode: yes!
Dakini Rhode: well at least Pema let you have a little fun before he shut you down
genesis Zhangsun: oh, I don’t let myself shut down so easily!
Pema Pera: now we have shown all the family secrets . . .
Dakini Rhode: haha must be hard to follow the blog without em
Dakini Rhode: I need to let Pema go to the Astro world
Pema Pera: yes, I have to go
Pema Pera: sad to say
Dakini Rhode: til we meet again
genesis Zhangsun: bye Dakini
Pema Pera: thanks, Dakini, what fun!
Dakini Rhode: bye
genesis Zhangsun: thank you Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: bye genesis!
genesis Zhangsun: namaste
Dakini Rhode: Namaste
Pema Pera: see you soon, and good luck with the eye!
Dakini Rhode: bfn
Pema Pera: c u
