That evening, when I walked into the tea house, there were already four visitors sitting inside. However, even after a while, I couldn’t really see them well, since everything took even longer to rez than had now unfortunately become the norm. I could only see from the name tags who were there: Doug, Rajah, Divine, and Erix.
Pema Pera: Hi there, grey beings with round grey cushions on your laps :-) . . . . sloooowly rezzzzzzing . . . . .
doug Sosa: this grey period is rather shocking. amazing how we see these.
Pema Pera: it didn’t use to be like this, a few months ago — I wondered what happened
Pema Pera: Hi everybody, I’m beginning to see color, finally!
Pema Pera: Hi Divine!
Divine Magic: hello
Pema Pera: Hi Erix
doug Sosa: process of getting fully in seems slower. Looks like software enhancements are more new features than speed.
Erix Ireland: Hello
Pema Pera: Hi Doug and Rajah!
doug Sosa: hello!
Pema Pera: yes, doug, that may be the problem, who knows, or something in general about the infrastructure of SL.
doug Sosa: in SL there is the unknown they, so diembodied it is not quite even a “them”. But there is a presence of the larger owner.
Dakini walked in.
Pema Pera: Divine and Erix, have you been here before?
Divine Magic: no
Pema Pera: Hi Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: HI :-)
Pema Pera: Divine and Erix, we get together here four times a day, believe it of not :)
Pema Pera: 1 am 7 am 1 pm 7 pm
Divine Magic: nice
Pema Pera: http://playasbeing.wordpress.com/ has the information
Pema Pera: we mostly chat
Pema Pera: fun informal group
Pema Pera: but what ties us together
Pema Pera: is a type of micro-meditation
Pema Pera: for a full 9 seconds at a time
Pema Pera: and then four times an hour
Pema Pera: may sound crazy
Pema Pera: but actually a lot of people seem to enjoy it :)
Divine Magic: it’s very peaceful here
Pema Pera: Dakini built this tea house
Pema Pera: and part of the surroundings
Divine Magic: it’s very beautiful Dakini
Pema Pera: she has a daily zazen group at 6 pm SL time
Divine Magic: do you sell this?
Dakini Rhode: ty Divine
doug Sosa: we are very grateful.
Dakini Rhode: I’m flattered.. but no, i don’ t sell it
Divine Magic: smiles
Erix Ireland: too bad
The talk went to the tea pot, hanging over the fire.
Dakini Rhode: still fiddling with it….
Dakini Rhode: ty :-)
Divine Magic: it looks good to me…
doug Sosa: I would love it if the tea pot could slow down, change direction…
Dakini Rhode: or stop?
Pema Pera: I guess that should not be too hard, to change the script?
Dakini Rhode: poor thing must get dizzy
Dakini Rhode: i did not make that teapot, cannot change the script
Divine Magic: I actually like it.
Pema Pera: changing directions would be nicer than stopping altogether
Dakini Rhode: its’ no mod
Pema Pera: impossible to change the script, Dakini?
Pema Pera: Ah, pity
Pema Pera: the movement is certainly nice
Dakini Rhode: same with the talking tea, Pema
doug Sosa: Interesting to look at our lives as “scripts” that can be changed.
Dakini Rhode: i am unable to change that
doug Sosa: “scripts”
Pema Pera: fine, Dakini :-)
Pema Pera: yes, we are “mod” fortunately, Doug :)
doug Sosa: more than we know.
Rowan stopped by as well.
Pema Pera: Divine and Erix, what have you been exploring so far, in SL?
Divine Magic: here, some gardens
Dakini Rhode: hi Rowan !
Divine Magic: other things
Pema Pera: Hi Rowan!
Rowan Masala: Hi Dakini :)
Rowan Masala: Hello, all
Erix Ireland: hello
Pema Pera: Have you seen our forest, Divine? With water falls, etc., in Magoja, North of here
Divine Magic: no I haven’t
Pema Pera: we are creating a large forest, over parts of more than a dozen sims
Divine Magic: nice
Pema Pera: with space for little retreat huts for participants in this group
Pema Pera: our core activitiy is these 9-second explorations of reality, but in addition we are also doing — not only talking and seeing :-)
doug Sosa: love it. can we see it sometime soon?
Divine Magic: do you have a landmark for this forest?
Pema Pera: we can walk over in 15 minutes
Pema Pera: we have a guaranteed time here from the hour till half an hour past
Pema Pera: after that we can go where we want :)
doug Sosa: wonderful. so many nine seconds in the meanwhile.
Dakini Rhode: in this time, we talk about being / Being but often get off topic…
We talked briefly about being.
Divine Magic tilts her head
Divine Magic: why do you talk about it
Divine Magic: why not just BE
Dakini Rhode: :-)
Pema Pera: if you can do that, Great :)
Pema Pera: then no need to talk
Pema Pera: but I, for one, can use a little help from my friends . . . .
doug Sosa: what is the difference between be when a sleep and when awake?
Divine Magic: yes, we all need help sometimes..
Divine Magic: there is no difference
Divine Magic: you are always just being
Pema Pera: Being doesn’t change
Pema Pera: is beyond opposites
Pema Pera: beyond duality
doug Sosa: oh, that “be”!
Pema Pera: Divine asked about “just BE” :)
Pema Pera: after Dakini brought up Being
Pema Pera: as in Play as Being
Pema Pera: Hi Sky, good seeing you again!
Dakini Rhode: hi Sky!
Sky Szimmer: hi all
Sky stopped by, and so we were with the eight of us, just fitting into the small room.
Pema Pera: Divine, what is your interest in “Being” if I may ask?
Divine Magic: I just am.
Divine Magic: I suppose another way to put it
Divine Magic: is that I am comfortable inside my own skin.
Divine Magic: I enjoy peace, and just BEing
Divine Magic: to put it that way
Pema Pera: wonderful!
Divine Magic: smiles
Pema Pera: Does anyone like to say something about their explorations — or thoughts, ideas, suggestions?
Rowan Masala: questions?
Pema Pera: sure
Rowan Masala: how do you think Being relates to motivation
Pema Pera: motivation is essential, in some way or another, for any exploration
Pema Pera: also for looking into Being — a word we use here to point to the most radical way of seeing what is
doug Sosa: today was a very scrambled day. one phone line went out, battery died in home wireless phone, some surprizing letters, some I expected that did not come. after my 9 sec experiments in recent days, i wonder how today with its scatter was different?
Pema Pera: though ultimately also motivation can be dropped
Pema Pera: one way to stte the 9-sec practice is to “stop” every 15 minutes and “drop” everything for 9 seconds or so
Pema Pera: Well, Doug, how different was it?
Dakini Rhode: those things like batteries and phone lines, are physical attributes of life… how was your mind during all this?
doug Sosa: That is the surprise. not that different. very busy, or not so busy, at the be level quite similar.
doug Sosa: Some days are like checkers, some days like chess, some days like go. But the mind begins to see the all in each.
Pema Pera: yes, continuity is key — that’s what I like about the many supershort explorations — keeping us engaged
I did not want to dominate the conversation, so after another pause I remarked about the quietness of our group.
Pema Pera: you’re all so quiet tonite :-)
Dakini Rhode: ergh, tired
Dakini Rhode: also have been a bit sick and i notice that a little illness motivates me to “be” even more…
doug Sosa: “continuity?”
Pema Pera: yes, continuity through frequency ; not just once a day meditating/praying/investigation, but carrying it throughout the day, every 15 minutes — that kind of continuity
Dakini Rhode: or even every breath continuity….
Pema Pera: yes, the whole 15 minutes, ideally, every minute!
Pema Pera: but you have to start somewhere :)
doug Sosa: ah, yes. Tired also is so interesting, like a kind of sleep in itself, when we are not fully active, repair must be going on.
Dakini Rhode: tired, a little sick, and underneath it all being is the same
Dakini Rhode: tired and sick are just like the frosting on the cake
Erix Ireland: mmm…frosting
Dakini Rhode: or so it seems
doug Sosa: like the best part?
Pema Pera: yes, the one taste . . . . :)
Pema Pera: Shall we walk to the forest? The half hour is up! That will wake us all up :-)
doug Sosa: yes!
Dakini Rhode: um maybe not the best part but just sort of sitting on the surface there
Steve walked in, and I saw that the core time of our session, the first half hour had passed, so we were free to move. I don’t want to abandon the tea house before that time, in case others would be coming to look for us.
Pema Pera: hi Steve!
doug Sosa: ah he frosting that hides the cake.
Pema Pera: We’re about to go for a trip
Pema Pera: to the forest
stevenaia Michinaga: hello
Pema Pera: not everybody has seen it yet
stevenaia Michinaga: ok
Dakini Rhode: hmm maybe i need another analogy doug
Pema Pera: Wanna join us to visit the forest?
stevenaia Michinaga: which way to the forest?
Dakini Rhode: do we want to follow Pema?
stevenaia Michinaga: says Dorthy
Pema Pera: this way
Pema Pera: no yellow brick road yet though . . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: in time
Pema Pera: are we catching everyone so far?
stevenaia Michinaga: a different kind of forest?
We paused halfway to let everybody catch up.
Pema Pera: Hi Rowan!
Rowan Masala: hi :)
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Rowan
stevenaia Michinaga: …smiles
Rowan Masala: forgive my mental absence–IM storm
Pema Pera: np :)
doug Sosa: the forest?
stevenaia Michinaga: <— easilly pleased
Rowan Masala smiles
Pema Pera: haha, Steve!
Rowan Masala: the happiest way to live, I think, Steve
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, lions and tigers
stevenaia Michinaga: and bears oh my
Rowan Masala ponders the Wizard roles for each of the four of them
Rowan Masala: lets go of the assumption that she’s Dorothy just because she’s female
stevenaia Michinaga: don;t worry doorthy, the cowardly lion is here for you
Rowan Masala: reow
Pema Pera: hehe
stevenaia Michinaga: so where is this forest?
stevenaia Michinaga: or did you jsut bring us to the temple to convert us?
Pema Pera: okay, let’s go
Rowan Masala: Pema, while we walk, will you tell us about your scarab?
Pema Pera: but you’ve seen it Steve
Pema Pera: many times, no?
stevenaia Michinaga: no
Pema Pera: You’ve seen this, Doug?
doug Sosa: not yet. next?
Pema Pera: well, time to see it Steve!
Pema Pera: here it is!
stevenaia Michinaga: what you said implys memory
Pema Pera: the core of our large forest
Pema Pera: haha
In the mean time we had walked through the Hall of Appearance, and into Magoja.
stevenaia Michinaga: oh this is not a forest
stevenaia Michinaga: it;s a water feature
Pema Pera: it’s the beginning
Pema Pera: the forest will grow around it
Rowan Masala: I got lost in lag. DId I miss the info about your shirt, Pema?
stevenaia Michinaga: so we sit and wait for 20 years… I like that
Pema Pera: a bit faster in SL
Pema Pera: no speical meaning on my shirt
Pema Pera: mostly means I’m too busy to go shopping
stevenaia Michinaga: well a year in SL is much faster
Rowan Masala smiles
Pema Pera: and change into new T shirts :)
Pema Pera: Rowan, have you seen our pub?
Rowan Masala: pub as in publication?
Pema Pera: as in beer :)
Rowan Masala: or pub as in happy beverages
stevenaia Michinaga: look rowan, yur pose balls are here
Rowan Masala: oh, no!
Rowan Masala: I haven’t
Pema Pera: you don’t have to be shy, Rowan :-)
Rowan Masala: shy?
Pema Pera: Steve is obviously inviting you :)
Rowan Masala: ah, I didn’t realize there were poseballs here
stevenaia Michinaga: ,,,smile
It was time for me to go, but first I quickly walked to the pub, to show it to Doug, who hadn’t seen it yet.
Pema Pera: well, I should go back to RL soon(ish)
Pema Pera: the pub is just around the corner
Pema Pera: together with quite a few quite big trees
stevenaia Michinaga: finallt a place in SL w/o music, jsut the crickets
Pema Pera: to the west of here
Rowan Masala: be well, Pema
You shout: be well, Steve and Rowan!
doug Sosa: dinner is on, gotta go!
Pema Pera: another place, another mood!
Pema Pera: see you Doug!
Pema Pera: thanks for stopping by
