Sky Szimmer was the guardian for this meeting and the comments are Pema Pera's.
Sky was the guardian/greeter/facilitator for the afternoon session, while I was asleep in Japan. For a while she was in the tea house all by herself. She then noticed Isen walking around nearby, went out and chatted for a while with him. She sent me the following log.
Sky Szimmer: hi there
Isen Enzo: Hello Sky.
Sky Szimmer: have we met before?
Isen Enzo: I don’t think so…
Isen Enzo: but my avs memory is not so good…
Sky Szimmer: oh! I am here for the PaB
Isen Enzo: aha
Isen Enzo: at what time?
Isen Enzo: I wonder?
Sky Szimmer: it is at 1:00 a.m., p.m., 7:00 a.m. and p.m.
Sky Szimmer: have you been to one of the sessions?
Isen Enzo: Dropped in on one briefly…
Sky Szimmer: what did you think?
Isen Enzo: can’t remember..
Isen Enzo: Have you attended before?
Sky Szimmer: i am learning to be comfortable in my SL form
Isen Enzo: aha
Sky Szimmer: yes. I go quite regularly
Isen Enzo: not your regular form…
Sky Szimmer: it is a nice forum to meet others with similar interest
Isen Enzo: yes.
Sky Szimmer: this is my usual form in SL
Isen Enzo: ah
Sky Szimmer: i haven’t learned to change it
Isen Enzo: My av is very near my RL form…
Isen Enzo: but I do not wear a practice robe all the time in RL…
Sky Szimmer: It seems that many people are
Sky Szimmer: are you a monk in RL?
Isen Enzo: only part of the time..
Sky Szimmer: why are you attracted to SL
Sky Szimmer: if you don’t mind my asking
Isen Enzo: Well kinda…
Isen Enzo: took lay ordination…
Isen Enzo: in December…
Isen Enzo: same vows as monk..
Sky Szimmer: oh?
Isen Enzo: and priest…
Sky Szimmer: How has it been?
Isen Enzo: but I live in the secular world..
Isen Enzo: have a business, home, wife…
Isen Enzo: not a full-time monastic..
Sky Szimmer: has it changed for you since you became a monk?
Isen Enzo: kind of an “out-patient”…
I smiled reading this part. You just can’t help liking Isen.
Sky Szimmer: ah
Isen Enzo: are you a Buddhist, Sky?
Isen Enzo: I’m Soto Zen…
Sky Szimmer: yes
Isen Enzo: What sort?
Sky Szimmer: i am a generalist
Isen Enzo: aha
Sky Szimmer: i follow what ever makes sense
Isen Enzo: yup
Isen Enzo: Have a sangha?
Sky Szimmer: my main concern is integration
Sky Szimmer: with my life
Sky Szimmer: sangha is here, for now
If nothing else, hearing such a statement is enough for me to justify all the effort that we have made, collectively, to let our activities bloom here in Rieul.
Isen Enzo: yes.
Sky Szimmer: i imagine being a monk in SL helps with RL
Isen Enzo: there is daily zazen behind me at 6:00 pm SL time..
Sky Szimmer: it would seem to reinforce the image
Sky Szimmer: ah.
Sky Szimmer: i am currently tied up with a 2 year old
Sky Szimmer: no time for normal practice
Sky Szimmer: do you come to zazen regularly here?
Isen Enzo: yes, I come daily…
Isen Enzo: av meditation is a little goofy…
Sky Szimmer: and you just sit here
Isen Enzo: but I come to show solidarity…
Sky Szimmer: with your SL form and do you meditate in RL
Sky Szimmer: at the same time
Isen Enzo: and people learn basics of meditation..
Sky Szimmer: Oh. that is a great idea
Isen Enzo: no- I pass out notecards with contemporary readings…
Isen Enzo: on various short themes…
Isen Enzo: not all Zen,
Isen Enzo: but all Buddhist..
Isen Enzo: no reading plan…
Isen Enzo: I’m not a teacher..
Sky Szimmer: when do you pass these out?
Isen Enzo: at the start of each session…
Isen Enzo: people read them during the av zazen..
Isen Enzo: unlike real zazen..
Ah, that was new for me; I had not realized that the intention was to read those instead of actuality sitting zazen in RL while sitting in SL. I had thought they were meant for later reading. Perhaps it depends on the individual, but just sitting there twenty minutes without reading or doing other things I found very appealing in itself.
Sky Szimmer: Oh. I have to come to get one : )
Isen Enzo: sure..
Isen Enzo gave you 5-2-08 What Practice is Not.
Sky Szimmer: thank you.
Isen Enzo: Here’s a sample…
Isen Enzo: yes.
Isen Enzo: sure
Isen Enzo: nothing long, no sutra stuff…
Isen Enzo: mostly recent…
Isen Enzo: often from Shambhala Sun, Tricycle, ect..
Isen Enzo: just stuff I read that seems interesting…
Isen Enzo: I’ve been typing up these readings for about four years…
Sky Szimmer: that’s great. I find all such info useful.
Isen Enzo: I pass them out weekly at our little sitting group…
Isen Enzo: as we have no teacher..
Isen Enzo: in our remote village..
Sky Szimmer: in RL or SL?
Isen Enzo: In RL..
Isen Enzo: I function as a kind of “lay leader” at weekly zazen..
Isen Enzo: ding the bell…
Isen Enzo: clonk the wooden drum..
Isen Enzo: set up the zendo..
Isen Enzo: brb
Isen Enzo: excuse
Sky Szimmer: That’s great!
Sky Szimmer: I am sorry but I have to run.
Sky Szimmer: It has been nice meeting you.
Sky Szimmer: hi Storm!
Storm Nordwind: Hi Sky
Sky Szimmer: It is nice to see you!
Storm Nordwind: And you. Sorry couldn’t make it earlier
Storm Nordwind: Did you have many attendees?
Sky Szimmer: Nope. But I had a nice chat with Isen here
Storm Nordwind: Chats with Isen are ALWAYS good! :)
Sky Szimmer: yes indeed! But unfortunately I have to run! See you both again, hopefully.
Storm Nordwind: OK
Storm Nordwind: Bye for now
This comment was from Dakini // 2008, May 8, Thursday at 3:48 am:
Oh, NOW I understand why Isen keeps dinging me while I???m sitting zazen :-P
But seriously, I know SOME folks out there are doing RL sitting practice along with their avs, and it warms my heart that Isen is there to pass out notecards and demonstrate his commitment to the others??? process.
And the response:
playasbeing // 2008, May 8, Thursday at 3:37 pm
Yes, Dakini and Isen, what I appreciate tremendously is the openness of the zen group, inviting everyone, letting everyone participate in their own way, giving them all their own space, yet giving everybody a joint space in which to be together and interact. No reason to have rules of what to do: to read, or to reflect, or to meditate, or to engage in whatever combination. Everyone can experiment for themselves to see what works best when and how. For me, this combination of freedom and inclusiveness, that I tasted already at my first visit to the zen group two months ago, has been a clear inspiration in finding a style for the Play as Being gatherings. Thank you both!