That night, just before 1 am SLT, I was riding the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. I had tried to get an earlier train, but alas, My train would arrive in Kyoto at 1:10 am SLT, ten minutes too late for the start of the session. Fortunately, I was able to get internet connection from the train, using my cell phone based wireless system, just before 1 am. Sometimes the bullet train moves too fast for the cell switching to keep up, it seems, but somehow this time it worked.
IM: Pema Pera: Hi Trevor!
IM: Trevor Berensohn: Hi Pema how r u?
IM: Pema Pera: Greetings from the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto
IM: Pema Pera: I will arrive in Kyoto at 1:10 am
IM: Pema Pera: if you could be in the tea house (only if it is convenient) from 1:00 to 1:10 am that would be great!
IM: Trevor Berensohn: Haha you’re really goin places
IM: Pema Pera: My connection is likely to be interrupted by a tunnel :-)
IM: Trevor Berensohn: Oh that would be fine
IM: Pema Pera: I’ll be in the tea house at 1:10
IM: Pema Pera: great!
IM: Pema Pera: wanna come over now?
IM: Trevor Berensohn: I’ll head over now
So did I, and we met at the tea house.
Pema Pera: Hi Trevor!
Pema Pera: How are you?
Trevor Berensohn: Hi there =)
Pema Pera: In five minutes I’ll go through two tunnels
Pema Pera: before arriving in Kyoto
Trevor Berensohn: Ah you’ll be on & off then
Pema Pera: and I’ll likely drop my internet connection then
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: but at ten past the hour I should be able to log back in again
Pema Pera: from the station’s platform :-)
Pema Pera: so if you can hold the fort here, that would be great
Trevor Berensohn: Hey how do I become a member around here?
Pema Pera: a member in what way?
Trevor Berensohn: Dakini said something about becoming a member of this little commune
Pema Pera: ah, what we have is a system of guardians
Pema Pera: as we call them
Pema Pera: who are on stand by to replace me or others scheduled to lead a session here
Pema Pera: greeters or facilitators you could say
Trevor Berensohn: Hmmm I’m a little too peaceful to be a guardian l greeter, I can do =)
Pema Pera: So you will be a guardian for the next five minutes
Pema Pera: while I am tunneling
Pema Pera: great!
Pema Pera: Okay, I’ll log off now
Pema Pera: brb!
Trevor Berensohn: ok see u soon
I was just in time for the first tunnel. Five minutes later the train had come to a halt, I got out, and quickly got in-world again.
Trevor Berensohn: Welcome back!
Pema Pera: Hi there!
Pema Pera: Did you have a quiet time here?
Trevor Berensohn: So the train has arrived?
Trevor Berensohn: Yes I had a great conversation with myself =)
Pema Pera: yes, I’m on the platform now in Kyoto station
Pema Pera: hehe
Pema Pera: what did you tell yourself?
Trevor Berensohn: To stay awake just a little bit longer
Trevor Berensohn: lol
Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: what time zone are you in?
Trevor Berensohn: Central- US
Pema Pera: so it
Pema Pera: is 3 am?
Trevor Berensohn: so it’s 3am here
Trevor Berensohn: mmhmm
Pema Pera: well, yes, time to go to sleep!
Pema Pera: Sorry to keep you up, but thanks for staying here!
Trevor Berensohn: haha and past time indeed
Pema Pera: btw
Trevor Berensohn: Ah it’s no problem
It seemed like a perfect occasion to ask Trevor to join us.
Pema Pera: if you are interested in becoming a guardian
Pema Pera: we can do that
Trevor Berensohn: yes I’d like to help if I can
Pema Pera: thank you! Greatly appreciated
Pema Pera: There are three aspects to it
Pema Pera: And all three are voluntairy
Trevor Berensohn: that’s good
Pema Pera: The first one is that you will occasionally get emails from an email group, in which everybody is being polled to see who has time to stand in for someone
Pema Pera: So when you get such an email, and if it is convenient, you can respond and take over a particular session
Trevor Berensohn: Can do that
Pema Pera: The second thing is that every Sunday morning at 8:00 SLT, 10 am for you, we have a meeting with all the guardians for half an hour
Pema Pera: no obligation to come, but might be fun
Trevor Berensohn: I’ll put it in my scheduler
Pema Pera: Then the third thing, also voluntairy, is that if you like to take a weekly slot, one of the 4×7=28 sessions per week,
Pema Pera: you can then be the guardian for that slot
Pema Pera: once a week.
Pema Pera: It means that either you go there yourself, or if you don’t have time, you find someone else to go.
Pema Pera: In practice, often others will be there too, like me often and various frequent visitors
Pema Pera: The main point is, however, that if somehow no one else comes, there is at least someone here.
Pema Pera: So if new people hear about PaB, and come here at one of the four advertised times,
Pema Pera: at least there will be one person here.
Pema Pera: It would be very discouraging and lonely to come to an empty tea house . . . .
Trevor Berensohn: Ah yes
Trevor kindly agreed to take a slot.
Trevor Berensohn: Actually there is a lull in my business in the afternoons
Pema Pera: Would you be interested to take such a slot? It would only be for half an hour: from the hour to 30 minutes past
Trevor Berensohn: so if you need anyone during any of the 1PM timeslots, I can do that
Pema Pera: great!
Pema Pera: Let me see, oh, at the moment all those slots are taken, but
Pema Pera: either I can ask one of the seven to shift to another time, which would be fine, or you could take, say a 7 am (for you 9 am) slot
Pema Pera: but I guess you prefer 1 pm (your 3 pm) right?
Pema Pera: over 7 am or 7 pm?
Pema Pera: your 9 am or 9 pm?
Trevor Berensohn: Yes many times I have to work through the morning shift so the evening would be better.
Pema Pera: fine!
Pema Pera: I’ll send an email to the group right away, and ask them to see who would like to switch
Pema Pera: Thanks again, and I guess I should let you go to sleep now!
Trevor Berensohn: Oh good I really get a lot out of this and hope to pass that on to others
Pema Pera: wonderful! I’m glad to hear that.
Trevor Berensohn: Good I’ll see you soon Pema
Pema Pera: I’ve been doing this several times a day now, for two months, and at some point I’ll have to slow down and let my normal life catch up . . . .
Pema Pera: . . . so I’m delighted and grateful for all the help I am getting now from you and many others!
Trevor Berensohn: Haha that’s like my Tibetan studies
Pema Pera: Good night, Trev!
Pema Pera: how so?
Trevor Berensohn: Well I’ve committed to studying and meditating quite a bit to complete these Tibetan Buddhist courses
Trevor Berensohn: It has basically taken over most of my leisure time
Trevor Berensohn: But it’s so life-changing; definitely worth it =)
Pema Pera: ah, yes, I know how that feels — I have been engaged in quite a number of different practices
Pema Pera: and currently PaB is my full-time practice :-)
Pema Pera: okay, nite Trev!
Trevor Berensohn: And I have so much more to offer others around me as well
I used my zazen gassho gesture to bow to Trevor.
Pema Pera: I’ll be going too
Pema Pera: yes, thank you!
Trevor Berensohn: good let me know what time you need me & I’ll be there
Trevor Berensohn: Nite Pema
Pema Pera: will do!
Trevor Berensohn bows to Pema
Pema Pera: be well!
