That morning, Rowan was already seated in the tea house when I arrived. I sat down, and started talking
Pema Pera: Hi Rowan!
Pema Pera: How are you?
It quickly became clear that something was wrong with her connection, and after a couple minutes, her avatar disappeared. A couple minutes more, and she was back.
Rowan Masala: good morning, Pema
Pema Pera: hi Rowan!
Pema Pera: welcome back!
Pema Pera: I saw you here five minutes ago
Pema Pera: but I guess you crashed?
Rowan Masala: yes–I crashed
Rowan Masala: yes
Pema Pera: part of life here :)
Pema Pera: How are you?
Rowan Masala: part of life anywhere
Rowan Masala: I’m ok. Intriguing day
Pema Pera: :-)
Rowan Masala: how are you?
Pema Pera: oh, fine, delighted that so many people find this Play as Being useful
Pema Pera: and especially delighted to see the great variety in approaches
Pema Pera: the while idea is to make it as general as possible
Rowan Masala: you’re very dedicated–it’s admirable
Pema Pera: it’s my practice . . ..
Pema Pera: my way of saying thank you to the Universe for being here
Pema Pera: in this form in this realm for now
Rowan Masala smiles
Pema Pera: won’t last long
Pema Pera: :-)
Pema Pera: another few decades perhaps
Pema Pera: very short
Rowan Masala nods
I asked Rowan about this difficult notion of Being that we are trying to deal with here.
Pema Pera: What does “Being” suggest to you in “Play as Being”, if I may ask?
Rowan Masala: Right now, as I’m just beginning to think about it
Rowan Masala: it strikes me as a kind of harmony
Rowan Masala: a calm
Rowan Masala: a willingness to let the world move you in the direction that’s best
Pema Pera: that’s a great angle to explore!
Rowan Masala: It makes me think of a week I was at the beach last summer
Rowan Masala: for a good bit of each day, I lay at the edge of the water
Rowan Masala: and let the waves just move my body
Pema Pera: sounds heavenly!
Rowan Masala: I became part of it all, instead of struggling stay in the same place, or move with force to another
Pema Pera: Hi Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: Namaste
Rowan Masala: Hi Dakini
Rowan Masala: Canimal?
Pema Pera: ?
Dakini had come in, sat down, and I was left totally puzzled by Rowan’s greeting. I did notice, however, the identical clothes that both were wearing, apart from a different shade of color, and after a while I connected the dots.
Dakini Rhode: you got it
Pema Pera: I didn’t :)
Dakini Rhode: you must be a shopper!
Pema Pera: !
Rowan Masala: lol
Dakini Rhode: haha we’re twins!
Dakini Rhode: i love your taste, Rowan!
Pema Pera trying not to notice similarities in dress and avoiding mentioning anything about it at all cost
Rowan Masala: sorry–a total fashion faux pas, but I couldn’t resist
Dakini Rhode: oh i like it - twins!
Dakini Rhode: we need to turn the world’s values upside down
Rowan Masala: agreed!
Pema Pera: great idea!
Pema Pera: Hi Doug!
Dakini Rhode: hi doug!
Rowan Masala: Hi Doug
doug Sosa: hi, had to reload a new version..
Dakini Rhode: oh no, really?
Dakini Rhode: i’m so resistant to the upgrades…
Dakini Rhode: each one is harder on my old computer
Pema Pera: np, we all come and go here!
doug Sosa: are we using voice?
Pema Pera: no
doug Sosa: good. i feel a freedom when i don’t need to worry about sounds i am making.
I summarized for Dakini and Doug what had happened just before.
Pema Pera: Rowan and I were talking about “Being” for a while, before you both came in.
Dakini Rhode: please continue
Pema Pera: And Rowan talked about not-doing with examples
doug Sosa: we were still becoming, now we are being.
Pema Pera: It is hard to talk about Being, with a capital B, which is a shorthand for totally beyond (like in the heart sutra)
Dakini Rhode: Beyond, yet not beyond
Pema Pera: and for me one of the most essential aspects is the notion that there are no problems
Pema Pera: yes indeed, everything is beyond
Dakini Rhode: ah yes
Pema Pera: so what is here too
Pema Pera: can’t avoid it
Pema Pera: can’t escape
Pema Pera: since there is no escaper
Dakini Rhode: what is here is included in what is beyond
Pema Pera: etc
Pema Pera: but that is hard at first to get into, to know what all that might mean
Pema Pera: sounds silly at first or a type of rethoric
I meant to say: everything has already been beyond (what we normally consider them to be) and as such are not beyond (since there is nothing they could possibly be beyond of). Hard to express those subtleties quickly in one-liners.
Rowan Masala: we had a professional development day at work today
Pema Pera: yes, Rowan?
Rowan Masala: and we did enneagrams
Pema Pera: interesting!
Rowan Masala: and it struck me that my type is particularly at odds with the notion of Being
Dakini Rhode: how did you come out?
doug Sosa: what if the difference betweeen doing and not doing is over-rated?
Dakini Rhode: how can a type be at odds with Being?
Rowan Masala: because one of the defining characteristics of my type, is that I see what is missing
Dakini Rhode: um, ok, meet an “idealist”
Rowan Masala smiles
Dakini Rhode: :-)
Rowan Masala: a Myers-Briggs NF?
Dakini Rhode: moi?
Rowan Masala: oui
Dakini Rhode: infp
stevenaia Michinaga: hello
Rowan Masala: me too!
Pema Pera: hi Steve!
doug Sosa: hi.
Dakini Rhode: howdy!
Rowan Masala: matching dresses AND M-B types
Rowan Masala: how funny
Dakini Rhode: very funny
stevenaia Michinaga: morning Pema, hi Dakini, hello sweet Rowan
After Steve stood patiently in a corner for and while, rezzing, and the conversation continued, he made his first attempt at sitting down, only to realize the seat was already occupied.
Rowan Masala: Pema, Doug and Steven, have you ever done enneagrams?
Pema Pera: I’m a little familiar with it, never went deeply into it.
Pema Pera: interesting, though
Rowan Masala nods
stevenaia Michinaga: no
stevenaia Michinaga: seems I still have some rezzing to do
Rowan Masala: you can sit on my shoulder if you like, Steve
stevenaia Michinaga: ..smile
Rowan Masala: I’m softer than Doug, I think
doug Sosa: yes. i come out such a mixed type, or “balanced”. But it is too non-historical for me. But a good place to begin in getting a group to see that peole really are different.
stevenaia Michinaga: I didn;t see Doug… so sorry
Pema Pera: that happens — I didn’t see you the other day, Steve!
Pema Pera: even after ten minutes . . . .
Pema Pera: gone gone . . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: anyone else here I should be concerned about sitting on?
Dakini Rhode: i see you, steve
Pema Pera: there are four of us
Dakini Rhode: haha sit at will
Pema Pera: so if you see four, you’re safe!
Pema Pera: there you go!
doug Sosa: no sorry necessary. I am finding that me willingness to just enter in in RL is increasing because that’s the way you gotta be in SL.
Rowan Masala: and you might want to watch out for the fire, too
Dakini Rhode: the back seats are available
Dakini Rhode: interesting the crossover
Dakini Rhode: of behavior learned in SL
Steve had by now found his place, and I took the opportunity to follow up on a lost strand from a previous session, http://playasbeing.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/next-for-next-time/
Pema Pera: Steve, I want to apologize for not getting back to your “next” the other day, when you brought that up, about 24 hours ago or so — hard to track time here
Pema Pera: Do you remember what you said
Pema Pera: about the “next”?
Pema Pera: it got lost in the conversation then
stevenaia Michinaga: that’s fine, it was more a thought I had about fate, the future and what one does with it
Pema Pera: [2008/06/04 19:21] stevenaia Michinaga: one of the things I was interested in exporing is the concept of how we preceive “what’s next” [2008/06/04 19:22] stevenaia Michinaga: not what’s next in patticular but how we belive the next step is put beofre us [2008/06/04 19:23] stevenaia Michinaga: some people seem more structured, other perfer a fate driven next
Rowan Masala: how does the notion of time work with the idea of Being? is there a “next” at all?
Pema Pera: ultimately not . . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: there is always a next
stevenaia Michinaga: no?
stevenaia Michinaga: next is what is brought to you
Pema Pera: but we rarely talk in ultimate terms
Pema Pera: conventionally yes, of course
Dakini Rhode: in relative reality…
Dakini Rhode: we perceive past, present and future
Rowan Masala nods
Pema Pera: in conventional terms, there is no role or room for Being
Dakini Rhode: I feel poised on the cusp of “next”
Pema Pera: When talking about Being, there is no us or time or next
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, next it me is the dessert of being
Pema Pera: yet conventional reality is one way that Being shows itself
doug Sosa: really? I think past and future are really weaker than present, and we can let present expand..
stevenaia Michinaga: being present is what get you to next
Dakini Rhode: steve, are you speaking of being open and curious?
By now so many interesting ideas had been brought up that it was once more a real challenge to know where to follow up.
Pema Pera: one problem is that we all use the same words in slightly different ways . . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: it;s not a matter of strenght or weakness of those meoment
Pema Pera: well, Dakini, that is part of it, perhaps a side effect
stevenaia Michinaga: I am speaking of choices
doug Sosa: i must excuse self (who?) and go to dinner.
doug Sosa: so adieu…..
Pema Pera: enjoy your dinner, Doug!
stevenaia Michinaga: enjoy, your next :)
Rowan Masala: happy dining, Doug
Pema Pera: Steve, wanna join us around the fire?
Rowan Masala pats the cushion next to her
Rowan Masala: wow–you really ARE a yogi, aren’t you, Stevie?
Pema Pera: hahaha
stevenaia Michinaga: love this oh so soft pillow
Dakini Rhode: very flexible
Rowan Masala: yeah–you really just melt into it
stevenaia Michinaga: I’ve seen it happnes to others
After Doug had left, and so opened up a place right next to the fire, Steve stood up but instead of taking Doug’s seat, he took Rowan’s suggestion seriously and instead took the tinies cushion right next to Rowan, with the effect that his avatar got folded up quite a bit.
Pema Pera: The most difficult thing to convey in these conversations is the difference between seeing and thinking . . . .
Pema Pera: between having an intuition, then experiencing, and reflecting and thinking about it of course, and then gradually seeing more and more
Pema Pera: so many layers and levels
Pema Pera: and here we each speak a few sentences
Pema Pera: and hope we come across
Pema Pera: and I do think our intentions come across
Pema Pera: our feelings of friendship and encouragement
Dakini Rhode: i suspect the process is the same for all of us
Pema Pera: yes, and the challenge is how to communicate about some of the details
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, it does take a while for clearity sometimes
Pema Pera: oh, yes, years :-)
Pema Pera: Stim and I have been talking for more than a decade, and each time we get a little closer to communicating about Being
Pema Pera: :>)
Pema Pera: I’m wondering whether we could take some of the 7×4=28 sessions each week, and dedicate those to a topic
Pema Pera: or perhaps a format
Pema Pera: like one-on-one discussion for half an hour first
Pema Pera: followed by group’s discussion
Pema Pera: what do you think?
Pema Pera: we could have two guardians volunteering to have a half-hour dialogue for a given slot
stevenaia Michinaga: it may be what it takes
Rowan Masala: I know I’ve only been to a few meetings, but I’ve never heard anyone actually talk about their meditation
Pema Pera: oh we’ve had many of such talks, Rowan
Pema Pera: but often only for a few minutes
Rowan Masala nods
Pema Pera: and then the conversation meanders :)
We continued talking about the group’s processes.
Pema Pera: have you had a chance to look at the blog, Rowan?
Rowan Masala: some of it
Dakini Rhode: the group is diverse, people drop in
Dakini Rhode: not all practicing…
Rowan Masala nods
Dakini Rhode: i think we do pretty well considering
Pema Pera: I wish I had the time to organize the blog better, to give more summaries and pointers — there are many gems in there, but buried a bit . . . .
Rowan Masala: oh, I didn’t mean to be critical… I was just thinking it might be nice to have a session on the practice sometime
Dakini Rhode: the times when you have one-on-one chats seem much more focused…
Dakini Rhode: but is not always practical or possible
Pema Pera: yes, Dakini, and no, Rowan, you didn’t sound critical :)
Pema Pera: at all
stevenaia Michinaga: or when the entire group is in sync… sometimes it happens
Dakini Rhode: I envy Maxine her time slot…
Pema Pera: yes, Steve, indeed!
Dakini Rhode: yes, it does, Steve
Pema Pera: it’s wonderful when that happens
Pema Pera: and it’s likely to happen more
Pema Pera: the more we get to know each other
Pema Pera: and Being :)
Pema Pera: Oh yes, Dakini, I’m stunned, frankly, by how well it is going — far far better than any of the many other approaches I’ve tried in the last half century :)
Pema Pera: that was in response to a bit earlier sentence :)
Pema Pera: lag here . . ..
Dakini Rhode: the “new” ones joining are not necessarily “new” to experience…
Dakini Rhode: or awareness
Dakini Rhode: laggy
Dakini Rhode: packets
Pema Pera: that’s why it works so well, so much input of life experience here!
Once again, the PaB bell gave a resounding gooonnngggg, the third one after the start of this session.
Pema Pera: Love this bell that Moon and Fael put here
Pema Pera: Steve, this “next”, did we address it this time?
Pema Pera: I had a sence you put your finger on an important point
Pema Pera: that we think we can choose
Pema Pera: but often don’t?
stevenaia Michinaga: not sure it needs addressing, I was looking to how people think about it
Pema Pera: it is nice to watch our way of falling into the next moment
Pema Pera: often just bleeding on, as Stim would say, heedlessly so
stevenaia Michinaga: next can be an hill issue or a go with the flow issue
stevenaia Michinaga: thought of that nature
Pema Pera: do you feel you can steer to one or the other, sometimes?
stevenaia Michinaga: like I said fate serves up “what;s next” presents you with choices, I enjoy the menu of what’s before me
Pema Pera: and when sometimes it feels like flow and sometimes hill, is that a matter of choice, or does it just happen?
stevenaia Michinaga: many I know swim against the current of fate and life .. I usually take the downstream path
Pema Pera: that’s how we started this evening, with Rowan describing what I called not-doing. You used different words, Rowan, do you remember?
Pema Pera: wb, Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: :-)
Rowan Masala: hmm–I don’t remember exactly what I said
Dakini Rhode: 9 second
Rowan Masala: but yes–same concept
Pema Pera: np!
Pema Pera: haha
Dakini had briefly disappeared, but it didn’t take long for her to recover from her crash.
Dakini Rhode: i feel i don’t do much of anything… unless i’m inspired
Dakini Rhode: otherwise, life is like a struggle
stevenaia Michinaga: does being inspire what;s next or something else
Dakini Rhode: i can’t actually answer that
stevenaia Michinaga: jsut thinking, not sure there is an answer
Dakini Rhode: ultimately, Being is all there is
Dakini Rhode: logically, doing and not-doing are not different
Dakini Rhode: but then, what i said before makes no sense
Dakini Rhode: so hmmm better not say anything
Pema Pera: different sense in different context
Pema Pera: we can appreciate each context
Dakini Rhode: yes relative and ultimate
Pema Pera: the opposite of a great truth is a great truth too — but in a different context
Dakini Rhode: :-)
Rowan Masala smiles
Pema Pera: but that doesn’t mean it’s all a wash — there really is a need for precision
Pema Pera: after we’ve come on the same page
Pema Pera: but my page is almost full here :) time to go to lunch
Dakini Rhode: you just had breakfast!
Pema Pera: great seeing you here again!
Dakini Rhode: lol
stevenaia Michinaga: you go to the same place every day, Pema?
Pema Pera: yes, Dakini, you keep noticing!
Pema Pera: my time schedules fluctuating
Dakini Rhode: i notice you and ryusho have a night during my long day…
Since Dakini had noticed the other day, too, that my breakfast and lunch seem to be rather close sometimes, I dediced to be more specific.
Pema Pera: for full disclosure: I had a banana one and a half hour ago, and now I’m going to a real lunch!
Pema Pera: so banana was breakfast I guess
Pema Pera: for the monkey mind as moon would say
Dakini Rhode: and awaken talking about “last night” which was today
Pema Pera: haha yes
Pema Pera: confusing
Dakini Rhode: funny
Pema Pera: in English it is hard to say “12 hours”
Pema Pera: “half a day” is not exactly that
Pema Pera: how do you say that?
Pema Pera: in Dutch we have two words for “day”
Dakini Rhode: what is the meaning of “half a day”
Pema Pera: one for day as opposed to night, one for the 24-hour day
Dakini Rhode: my night is quite short
Dakini Rhode: enjoy lunch…
Pema Pera: anyway, good night y’all!
Pema Pera: thanks!
Rowan Masala: have a good day, Pema
stevenaia Michinaga: good to see you pema
Dakini Rhode: i really should go too - need sleep
stevenaia Michinaga: night Dakini
Leaving several `day’ strands unfinished, we nonetheless each went our own merry way.
