That night was my first watch in the new pavilion. I arrived at 1 am SLT, and for about ten minutes, all was quiet. Then Caspian walked by.
Pema Pera: Hi Caspian
Pema Pera: How are you?
Caspian Inglewood: I am good pema, how are you?
Pema Pera: This is our new meeting place, have you been here before?
Caspian Inglewood: a few times
Caspian Inglewood: I come in the early morning, while nobody is here
Caspian Inglewood: do you own this place?
Pema Pera: our group owns this particular place
Caspian Inglewood: I practice Zen
Pema Pera: and the zen place just to the North is owned by another group
Caspian Inglewood: I would be interested in becoming a member
Pema Pera: For the Zen group, you should contact Dakini Rhode
Pema Pera: if you send her an IM she will make you a member of her group
Caspian Inglewood: how do I do that?
Caspian Inglewood: I mean for this group
Pema Pera: how to send an IM?
Caspian Inglewood: no I got that
Caspian Inglewood: is that for this group?
Caspian Inglewood: or the other you mentioned?
Pema Pera: no, this group is called Play as Being
Pema Pera: http://playasbeing.wordpress.com/ is the web site
Pema Pera: we get together here four times a day
Caspian Inglewood: do I join there?
Pema Pera: at 1 am 7 am 1 pm 7 pm
Pema Pera: no need to join
Caspian Inglewood: or just show up
Pema Pera: you can just come at any of these times
Caspian Inglewood: gotcha
Pema Pera: yes
We talked about various approaches.
Caspian Inglewood: so, i take it you are Buddhist?
Pema Pera: not exactly, no
Pema Pera: I am certainly interested in Buddhism
Pema Pera: but also in Hinduism
Pema Pera: or Taoism
Caspian Inglewood: I see
Pema Pera: or Sufism
Pema Pera: or Christianity for that matter
Pema Pera: as long as the emphasis is on direct experience
Pema Pera: and not on dogma
Caspian Inglewood: from the looks of your name, you must be interested in Tibetan traditions
Pema Pera: haha, yes
Pema Pera: that too
Pema Pera: I learned a lot from Tibetans
Caspian Inglewood: I always find that Tibetan Buddhism
Caspian Inglewood: with the exception of Dzogchen
Caspian Inglewood: is a bit on the “dogma” side of things
Pema Pera: perhaps you have hung out with the wrong people / books :-)
Caspian Inglewood: well, have you ever been to E-Sangha?
Pema Pera: in every culture there are more dogmatic and more experiential individuals
Caspian Inglewood: lol…they don’t have good representatives there
Pema Pera: no, what is E-Sangha?
Caspian Inglewood: true
Caspian Inglewood: E-Sangha isa an online forum for Buddhists
Caspian Inglewood: very big
Caspian Inglewood: if you search it on google, it is hosted by lioncity
Caspian Inglewood: my name is mind_meal there
Pema Pera: I may not have time for more forums . . . .
Caspian Inglewood: right
Caspian mentioned a Korean Zen master.
Caspian Inglewood: have you heard of Zen master Seung Sahn?
Pema Pera: what I like about SL is that it has the immersion part that online forums miss
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: never met, but interesting books
Caspian Inglewood: that is true
Caspian Inglewood: yes, his books are very good
Caspian Inglewood: the compass of zen changed my life
Pema Pera: great!
Caspian Inglewood: yes it is
Caspian Inglewood: I can’t stand that Eckhart tolle character, though
Caspian Inglewood: but Oprah likes him…lol
Pema Pera: btw, do you mind if I put part of this conversation on our ongoing blog, on http://playasbeing.wordpress.com/ — just want to make sure I’m not invading privacy if I do
Caspian Inglewood: sure
Pema Pera: I’ve never met Tolle — thanks! — but saw his first book
Pema Pera: his experience seems quite genuine
Caspian Inglewood: I’ve never met the guy either
Caspian Inglewood: but the moment he started yapping on about his “enlightenment” in the power of now
Caspian Inglewood: I put the book down
Caspian Inglewood: but, if he helps some people, great
Pema Pera: “enlightenment” is one of the most misunderstood notions these days . . . .
Caspian Inglewood: it always has been
Hotaru had come to the old tea house, and fortunately IMed me to find out what was going on. I gave her a tp and she appeared in our midst.
IM: Hotaru Myoo: hey…where are you guys meeting?
Pema Pera: Hi Hotaru!
Pema Pera: you were at the old place?
Caspian Inglewood: welcome hotaru
Pema Pera: We’ve put up signs and teleport stations . . . .
Hotaru Myoo: hiya
Pema Pera: . . . but perhaps not clearly enough?
Hotaru Myoo: yea…old school…out of it..:)
Caspian Inglewood: anyone smoke?
Caspian lit a cigaret and started puffing away.
Pema Pera: Have you seen this place before?
Hotaru Myoo: yes…
Hotaru Myoo: once or twice
Hotaru Myoo: never met here tho
Pema Pera: This is the second time :)
Hotaru Myoo: enough to have flewn through the roof…
Pema Pera: we moved half a day ago
Hotaru Myoo: flown?
Pema Pera: Caspian, we used to meet in another place nearby
Hotaru Myoo: ah
Caspian Inglewood: I see
Caspian Inglewood: this to me seems to be the point of SL
Hotaru Myoo: this is nice and large Pema
Caspian Inglewood: not “struggling for free lindens”
Hotaru Myoo: :))
Caspian Inglewood: incidentally
Pema Pera: no, you don’t get lindens here ;)
Caspian Inglewood: I thought gambling was illegal in SL
Caspian Inglewood: but everywhere you go
Pema Pera: yes, Hotaru, the other place was getting too small
Caspian Inglewood: there are “slot” machines
Pema Pera: you are on the guardian email group yes, Hotaru?
Pema Pera: We had quite a bit of discussion about the move, the last couple days
Caspian Inglewood: puts his Obama shirt on
Caspian asked about our meetings.
Caspian Inglewood: so do many come for your gatherings?
Pema Pera: it depends
Hotaru Myoo: yes…
Pema Pera: this time fewer
Pema Pera: most Americans sleep
Hotaru Myoo: but I haven’t had a chance to hook in..
Pema Pera: other times 6 or 8 or 10 or so
Caspian Inglewood: oh, so this is a gathering time
Pema Pera: yes, it is
Caspian Inglewood: I wondered why i was being talked to…
Caspian Inglewood: lol
Hotaru Myoo: seems to be a nice time actually
Pema Pera: I am known to talk to strangers at other times too :-)
Caspian Inglewood: well, it seems to me that is one of a few options here in SL
Hotaru Myoo: haha…
Caspian Inglewood: I don’t know anyone in the “real world” that comes here
Caspian Inglewood: or, if i do, we don’t talk about it
Pema Pera: ?
Hotaru Myoo: it is a great place tohook up with rl friends
Pema Pera: definitely
Caspian Inglewood: right, i’d imagine it is
Hotaru Myoo: keep conversations alive
Caspian Inglewood: only go straight
Caspian Inglewood: only don’t know
Caspian Inglewood: only help all beings
Caspian Inglewood: that is our job
Caspian Inglewood: I want a Seung Sahn skin
Hotaru Myoo: what is that Cas?
Caspian Inglewood: well, i want my avatar to look like Seung Sahn
Caspian Inglewood: lol
Caspian Inglewood: and dress like him
Caspian Inglewood: then i could come to places like this to teach
Hotaru Myoo: ah
Caspian Inglewood: lmao
Until then Hotaru had been floating above her cushion, with one leg
bent down to the ground. Probably Avatar Override. As soon as she
noticed it she sat down on the cushion itself.
Pema Pera: You look very agile, Hotaru, like a Heron standing on one leg, Heron Hotaru!
Hotaru Myoo: uh oh
Pema Pera: down to Earth now :)
Hotaru Myoo: it is the early morning rising
Pema Pera: not in Korea :)
Hotaru Myoo: hehe
Caspian Inglewood: are you in Korea?
Hotaru Myoo: yup
Pema Pera: I’m in Japan
Caspian Inglewood: right on
Pema Pera: that’s why we come here at this time
Caspian Inglewood: over on this cushion
Pema Pera: it’s 5:30 pm
Caspian Inglewood: I’m in Ohio
Caspian Inglewood: its 4:30 am here
Caspian Inglewood: do they have toilets here?
Pema Pera: Not that I know of
Caspian Inglewood: because my avatar has a pooping script
Caspian Inglewood: that strikes every few hours
Hotaru Myoo: haha
Caspian Inglewood: :)
Hotaru Myoo: I don’t know what to say to that Cas…
Caspian Inglewood: I don’t either
Hotaru Myoo: might want to reconsider…
Caspian Inglewood: no big deal
Hotaru Myoo: one of the beauties of sl..
Caspian Inglewood: really
Caspian Inglewood: I find this rather dull most of the time
Caspian Inglewood: not sure why i log in for 3 hours a day
Hotaru Myoo: well…there are many opportunities in sl…
Pema Pera: Well, I have to go now, RL calling. We generally stay here for half an hour, and then it’s up to anyone to stay longer if they like.
Caspian Inglewood: bye pema
Hotaru Myoo: to explore…
Hotaru Myoo: bye Pema
Caspian Inglewood: nice meeting you
Pema Pera: Bye Hotaru, bye Caspian
Hotaru Myoo: enjoy dinner!
Pema Pera: good meeting you, take care!
Caspian Inglewood: yes, but exploration has its limits
Caspian Inglewood: oooooooooo
Caspian Inglewood: dinner
