Sylectra was the guardian that evening. The comments for the chat log are hers, as are the photographs.
Syl had taken the 7 p.m. time slot as Guardian but was having trouble teleporting in for about 10 minutes. Finally, Pia came to the rescue with a teleport.
Sylectra Darwin: thank you Pia!
Sylectra Darwin: I appreciate the help
Terri Holrych: :)
Pia Iger: np
Pia Iger: Terri,
Sylectra Darwin: Hello Steven!
Terri Holrych: hi
Pia Iger: are you joining us for meeting?
Terri Holrych: yea
Sylectra Darwin: Yes, I am the guardian tonight
Terri Holrych: wassup
stevenaia Michinaga shouts: hi Sylectra
Sylectra Darwin: Hi Steven!
Sylectra Darwin: Pia was able to pull me here.
Sylectra Darwin: Whew!
Sylectra wore hair with green tips and Steven found it amusing. Terri had bright pink hair. Steven decided to follow suit with green hair and then blond.
stevenaia Michinaga: you ahve green tips tonight?
Sylectra Darwin: Yes, I thought that would be fun.
Sylectra Darwin: Hello Prosper!
Sylectra Darwin: Hello Terri
Terri Holrych: hiii prosper
Terri Holrych: hi Syl
Sylectra Darwin: Love the hair Terri!
Terri Holrych: ty
Terri Holrych: :)
Prosper Telling: Hi
Terri Holrych: :)
Prosper Telling: ooo… nice hair
Terri Holrych: thanks
Terri Holrych: i like pink
Sylectra Darwin: It’s very cute.
Terri Holrych: :)
Sylectra Darwin: I like to think that pink is the color of compassion.
Terri Holrych: really?
Sylectra Darwin: Yes, at least in my own mind
Sylectra Darwin: Steven has pretty hair too!
Sylectra Darwin: hehe
Terri Holrych: loves it
stevenaia Michinaga: there, my my hair matches…. not sure what
Terri Holrych: i like it
Sylectra Darwin: Prosper, have you been to a Play as Being meeting before?
Sylectra Darwin: Terri, I know you have because I saw you a couple days ago.
Terri Holrych: i come a lot
Terri Holrych: just not every day
Sylectra Darwin: oh good!
Terri Holrych: i usually only come in the evening
Sylectra Darwin: Me too.
Prosper disappeared while typing.
Sylectra Darwin: Oh dear, we lost Prosper mid-sentence.
Sylectra Darwin: The system has been very unstable today.
Pia Iger: Yes.
Pia Iger: He has been here twice.
Terri Holrych: yes i guess they are preparing to go offline for upgrades tomorrow
stevenaia Michinaga: what;s happening tomarrow?
stevenaia Michinaga: I guess I don;t read the blog
Terri Holrych: its on the login and the SL blog
Terri Holrych: they are going to some stuff for an hour tomorrow 8 am
Terri Holrych: 7-8 i think
Sylectra Darwin: To improve the Second Life experience, we’ll be upgrading database hardware this coming Wednesday, 2 July. The upgrade is scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m. Pacific, and to take a maximum of an hour. During that time, logins, new account registration, and the land store will be unavailable; however, residents who are in world will not be asked to log out.
Terri Holrych: take it offline to logins for an hour
Sylectra Darwin: Kicking everyone out, now that sounds serious.
Sylectra Darwin: Oh - those already in can stay in
stevenaia Michinaga: even SL needs a rest now and then
Sylectra Darwin: Just not buy any new hair during that time! hehe
Terri Holrych: yea
Terri Holrych: lol
Prosper popped back in, only with a female gender temporarily.
Sylectra Darwin: wb, Prosper
Prosper Telling: I was riding the short bus there for a moment
Terri Holrych: loll
Sylectra Darwin: LOL
Sylectra Darwin: we would like you just as well ruthed.
Sylectra Darwin: So does anyone want to talk about their day today?
Prosper Telling: Had a friend call today, hadn’t heard from in months… still drowning in his own anger. Makes me feel like one of the lucky ones.
Sylectra Darwin: smile
Prosper Telling: But I was glad he was still hanging in if not doing better.
Terri Holrych: why is he angry
Prosper Telling: Wife left him, his job history sucks, petty criminal activity has left him with legal hassles… ever seen someone wh just seemed to be trained in a certain way?
Terri Holrych: everyone
Prosper Telling: He reminds me of someone using his foot for target practice and still doesn’y know hy his foot is hurting
Sylectra Darwin: poor guy
Terri Holrych: :(
Pia Iger: I am wondering how he can feel better??
Terri Holrych: hopefully better situations will come his way
Prosper Telling: I do too…
Terri Holrych: then he will be a little calmer
Pia Iger: Terri, I hope he can change himself before change of situation.
Terri Holrych: well sometimes if u are starving to death its hard to have a positive outlook
Terri Holrych: and he sounds pretty bad
Sylectra Darwin: hehe, true
Prosper Telling: true that!
Terri Holrych: :)
Prosper Telling: Fresh starts, they seem to be where ever or when ever you put aside the gunk in your noggin and just do it…. To easy to cling our old way of seeing and doing, even when it causes us nothing but grief.
Sylectra Darwin: So true
Terri Holrych: yea
Sylectra Darwin: I find it hard to keep opening my heart to others.
Terri Holrych: me too
Terri Holrych: but i cant stop myself either
Sylectra Darwin: smiles
Prosper Telling: Open Heart, thank you. There is a phrase in Buddhist sutras “Heart of Emptiness”
Terri Holrych: which sutra
Prosper Telling: Great Compassion Dharani Sutra
Terri Holrych: oh
Terri Holrych: :)
Terri Holrych: whats it say
Terri Holrych: what is a heart of emptiness
Prosper Telling: It is the heart that doesn’t discriminate but approaches all beings with unconditinal compassion
Terri Holrych: oh
Terri Holrych: ty
Sylectra Darwin: I’ve never heard that before.
Terri Holrych: i wonder what thats like
Terri Holrych: i have heard it’
Prosper Telling: The Great Compassion Dharani is prominent in many of the Mahayana schools across the board
Sylectra Darwin: I would think that you have to get good at clearing your fear and expectations out of the way to empty your heart so that you can feel compassion toward all others.
Terri Holrych: thats hard
Prosper Telling: Oh yeah.
Prosper Telling: Very Zen that way but I think the empty heart is also the Buddha Heart. In a sense we already have it.
Sylectra Darwin: smiles
Terri Holrych: :)
Pia Iger: on Sunday morning session
Sylectra Darwin: in a sense, you just have to clear the other stuff out of the way and then you realize you’ve been there all along.
Pia Iger: I mentioned that one day I ran away from a drunk/drug addict
Pia Iger: as to run away from a contagious discease.
Terri Holrych: i have a friend who is obsessed with her ex bf and talks about him all the time and then i tried to be compassionate and listen, but then it just got old after 2 months
Terri Holrych: i would run away too
Terri Holrych: drugs scare me
Prosper Telling: I think I would run away from the ex boyfriend situation like a contagious disease :-)
Pia Iger: then someone here mention the heart sutra.
Pia Iger: Prosper, good point!!
Pia Iger: Ppl instead hold on to the disease, won’t let past go
Terri Holrych: you mean like, who has the disease?
Terri Holrych: or who is running from the disease
Sylectra Darwin: Letting go can be so freeing, but our minds don’t want to do it.
Terri Holrych: or is the disease not being patient with the situation?
stevenaia Michinaga: like anything, you do it enough it gets easier… including letting go
Pia Iger: I admire Steve
Pia Iger: He can do this more easily
stevenaia Michinaga: …blushes
Sylectra Darwin: We’re talking about the process of letting go and how it might relate to disease.
Terri Holrych: or dis-ease
Terri Holrych: ?
Prosper Telling: Letting go is simple but not easy, kinda like recovery in that respect
Sylectra Darwin: Welcome, Magdalena
Magdalena Colclough: Hi
Magdalena Colclough: I don’t mean to interrupt
Prosper Telling: Hi
Terri Holrych: hi magdalena
Sylectra Darwin: Not at all - will you join us?
Pia Iger: welcome, Mag
Magdalena Colclough: what is this?
Sylectra Darwin: This is a Play as Being meeting
Sylectra Darwin: We talk about cultivating a mindset that helps us feel more calm
Sylectra Darwin: …among other things
Magdalena Colclough: ok
Sylectra Darwin: You’re welcome to join us
Magdalena Colclough: thank you
Sylectra Darwin: Pia, would you mind talking about the 9-second moment or would you like me to?
Pia Iger: You can do it.
Sylectra Darwin: OK, I haven’t been here that many times so please jump in if I get this wrong! :)
Magdalena Colclough: oh, wait
Magdalena Colclough: are you doing this for me?
Magdalena Colclough: please don’t
Magdalena Colclough: I’ll just listen
Sylectra Darwin: It only takes a second. I don’t mind.
Magdalena Colclough: thanks
Prosper Telling: (And Mag, refreshers are good for all us. Don’t feel singled out or like you’re interupting.)
Sylectra Darwin: It’s the process of taking 9 seconds every 15 minutes or so to clear your thoughts and relax, and then you pay attention to what comes up afterwards.
Sylectra Darwin: Some like to keep a journal.
Sylectra Darwin: How often you do it is not so important
Sylectra Darwin: You get benefits from it whenever you can fit it in.
Sylectra Darwin: It’s like a micro-meditation.
Magdalena Colclough: how do you clear your thoughts?
Sylectra Darwin: I like to focus on my breathing.
Sylectra Darwin: There are many ways and they are all good.
Pia Iger: many Zennies and buddhists came here too.
Pia Iger: they would mention some practice they do
Magdalena Colclough: so what kinds of things happen for you guys after your 9 seconds
Pia Iger: Mag, http://playasbeing.wordpress.com/hints-for-playing-as-being/ has the basic info of our meetings.
Sylectra Darwin: I sometimes just feel irritated at the glaring office lights and my stuffed up sinuses, LOL
Magdalena Colclough: LOL
Sylectra Darwin: But once I opened my eyes and everything around me was bright and lovely and the air smelled clean
Prosper Telling: for myself nothing special happens but I am aware of the ordinairy, at least a little bit more, and that is extraordinairy in itself.
Magdalena Colclough: k
Pia Iger: Mag, maybe just give it a try for a few hours, see what happen to you.
Magdalena Colclough: k
Prosper Telling: IMHO we’re not meant to have autopilot on all the time.
Terri Holrych: i tried it today
Pia Iger: and?
Terri Holrych: but its hard for me to stop what i am doing so often
Terri Holrych: lol
Sylectra Darwin: lo;
Pia Iger: just do as much as you can
Terri Holrych: i was like wanting to finish what i was doing before
Terri Holrych: yea
Pia Iger: The method is not rigid. As Prosper said,
Magdalena Colclough: ok
Pia Iger: just to turn off our autopilot occasionally
Magdalena Colclough: well, thanks
Magdalena Colclough: I’ll try it and come back
Terri Holrych: ok
Pia Iger: You can come any time, We are here 4 times a day. Mag
Pia Iger: 1am, 7am, 1pm, 7 pm, Slt
Pia Iger: we share here how we feel from the practice
Sylectra Darwin: wouldn’t it be cute if we did a little video tutorial of an avatar doing the 9-second moment?
Prosper Telling: Great idea.
Pia Iger: 9 sec video?
stevenaia Michinaga: rather short view of open emptyness
Sylectra Darwin: haha
Terri Holrych: lol
Sylectra Darwin: that wuold be the essence
Sylectra Darwin: love it
Terri Holrych: :)
Sylectra Darwin: I’ve been studying video capture because it applies to my work goals as an online editor
Terri Holrych: i couldnt get the avi’s to play in WMP
Sylectra Darwin: Torley Linden has some great 2-minute videos on how to do basic things in SL
Pia Iger: thanks, Syl, you have been such a help to our group
Terri Holrych: torley is cute
Sylectra Darwin: smiles
Sylectra Darwin: I think he is cute too
Terri Holrych: :)
Sylectra Darwin: Taught me how to do snapshots in world.
Sylectra Darwin: I would have been lost without him.
Terri Holrych: oh
Terri Holrych: i take lots
Sylectra Darwin: Cool! Isn’t it fun?
Terri Holrych: what do u use to play the avi’s
Sylectra Darwin: To play the movie files?
Terri Holrych: yea
Terri Holrych: i tried to import mine into movie maker
Sylectra Darwin: I just view them embedded in the Web pages - probably flash or Quicktime
Terri Holrych: and it didnt work
Terri Holrych: o
Terri Holrych: i mean from SL on your hard disk
Terri Holrych: maybe i dont have the right codec
Sylectra Darwin: I downloaded Jing
Terri Holrych: jing
Terri Holrych: ?
Sylectra Darwin: It’s a free video capture software - sorry but I don’t know much about it because I haven’t played with it yet.
Terri Holrych: oh i see it
Terri Holrych: :)
Pia Iger: i feel we were interrupted from the stories of those unfortunate friends.
Terri Holrych: ?
Sylectra Darwin: Please continue, Pia. Sorry.
Terri Holrych: sorry
Pia Iger: still thinking how they approach ” let it go”?
Pia Iger: while they seems not able to do right now.
Sylectra Darwin: good question.
stevenaia Michinaga: what i leaned from here si ask what you are holding on to?
Pia Iger: (np, Terri, Syl, just want to wrap up the topic)
stevenaia Michinaga: or what i usually ask is .. is it worh holding on to, you tend to keep the good stuff close
Prosper Telling: Do you ever feel like your speaking a differnt language or maybe thinking in a wholy different way. Not sure but sometimes it’s like the words just doesn’t connect in the same way
Pia Iger: you mean when you talk to the friend, Prosper?
Prosper Telling: Yes… sorry. (It tied in there somewhere, honest.)
Prosper Telling: :-)
Pia Iger: in one way, they can not ’see’ as you and Steve,
Pia Iger: they just see that they are in sad situation
Terri Holrych: yea its too hard they only see the pain
Prosper Telling: What’s the saying, nothing wrong you that changing everything won’t fix!
Terri Holrych: they want to get out of the pain and they might think that by letting go they are letting th e pain win
Sylectra Darwin: haha
Terri Holrych: i dunno how to explain
Terri Holrych: sorry
Prosper Telling: (pardon my typos)
Terri Holrych: but like say you wanted something really badly, but everyone told you that they would keep u from getting it, thenit would be like giving in to the loss to let go i guess
Terri Holrych: i dunno
Terri Holrych: hard to explain
Prosper Telling: i think so
Prosper Telling: thank y’all for a great chat.
Terri Holrych: thank u too
Terri Holrych: i have to go
stevenaia Michinaga: nice meeting you Prosper
Sylectra Darwin: Letting ago is for me about embracing the feelings that are causing the pain, understanding that the signal what I care about and then choosing to release them.
Terri Holrych: nice seeing you all
Sylectra Darwin: Good night, Prosper
Prosper Telling: Good night
Pia Iger: bye, Propser
Sylectra Darwin: Night, Terri.
Terri Holrych: nite
Pia Iger: bye, Terri
Pia Iger: I like what Syl said.
Pia Iger: not just blindly drop
Pia Iger: we do it with discernment
stevenaia Michinaga: thank you Pia for your kinds words as well
Sylectra Darwin: ty, well it’s just how I have to work it out because I get frustrated at the thought that I could just switch off the feelings.
Pia Iger: exactly, that can lead to depression,
Pia Iger: or hidden anger
Sylectra Darwin: Pia, a while ago you complimented Steven on his method. What method would that be?
Just after most people left, Pema Pera arrived.
stevenaia Michinaga: hi pema
Sylectra Darwin: Pema, hello
Pema Pera: Hi there!
Pia Iger: Steve seems to be able to drop or let go easily
stevenaia Michinaga: your timing is off…smile
Pema Pera: Thanks, Syl, for taking over!
Sylectra Darwin: Sure, I hope I did okay
Pema Pera: Hi Pia and Steve!
stevenaia Michinaga: It;s more a path of least resistance
Pia Iger: Hi, Pema,
Pema Pera: I’ll read all about it - and I’m sure you did :-)
Pia Iger: Syl did a very good job today
Sylectra Darwin: ty ty!
Pia Iger: and Steve is always inspiring to me
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, although there was a momentary software interlude
stevenaia Michinaga: …smiles
Sylectra Darwin: hehe, and Pia got us back on track
Pema Pera: as always!
Sylectra Darwin: That was Monkey Mind.
Pia Iger: as he said, he had less resistance to letting go.
stevenaia Michinaga: thank you Pia
stevenaia Michinaga: like when you sigh
stevenaia Michinaga: a moment of letting go
Sylectra Darwin: I like that image.
stevenaia Michinaga: at the end of a sigh, eveything can be different
Sylectra Darwin: It associates the breath with the process which is a wonderful analogy.
Pia Iger: Is a sigh about 9 sec?
stevenaia Michinaga: or at the end of it
Sylectra Darwin: We can make it last about that time, I would guess.
Sylectra Darwin: A breath can easily last that long
Sylectra Darwin: What’s that called? Ujaii breathing?
Sylectra Darwin: The process of working with breath during yoga…
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, I used that analogy once here, it become the moment I backed of my document, that was my moment of pause… of being
stevenaia Michinaga: could have lasted 9 sec
Sylectra Darwin: I think I had a 9 second moment after each of the 4 meetings I had today.
Sylectra Darwin: hehe
stevenaia Michinaga: yoga is new to me, but I get those same moments then too
stevenaia Michinaga: well a year and a half new
Sylectra Darwin: That’s a pretty good amount of time to be practicing, Steven
Pia Iger: that is why he is yogi.
Pema Pera: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: not a yogi, jsut parcticing yoga
Pia Iger: :)
Sylectra Darwin: That’s what that means! I am a yogini.
stevenaia Michinaga: figures even my group is misspelled
Sylectra Darwin: No, it’s perfect, Steven
Pia Iger: Yogi is good to me:)
Sylectra Darwin: men are yogis and women are yoginis, my teacher said.
Pia Iger: Oh.
stevenaia Michinaga: do you do yoga Pia?
Pia Iger: tried, did not like it.
Sylectra Darwin: it’s not for everybody
Sylectra Darwin: : )
Sylectra Darwin: some find it dull.
Pia Iger: very repetitive.
Sylectra Darwin: yes, it sure can be, LOL!
Sylectra Darwin: It’s certainly not air hockey in terms of excitement.
Pia Iger: but I alwasy like the end part, lying down, do nothing.
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, that;s the part where my my minds sighs
Sylectra Darwin: I like that part too.
Sylectra Darwin: If the teacher is really good, he or she stays out of your process during that time and just does enough to get you started.
Pia Iger: to Sigh, is an new idea I learnt tonight.
Sylectra Darwin: Maybe that should be the name of the blog
stevenaia Michinaga: mines says… let go of everything
Pia Iger: Not my level yet, Steve
stevenaia Michinaga: don;t underestimate yourself
stevenaia Michinaga: it;s actually not as remarkable as it appears
stevenaia Michinaga: like trying to teeach me to hold on and not let go.. you do that without an effort…smile
Sylectra Darwin: Body relaxation techniques and breath work are wonderful ways to help the mind understand what it must do.
stevenaia Michinaga: jsut an example,
stevenaia Michinaga: excuse me if it;s a bad one
Pia Iger: not at all.
stevenaia Michinaga: but remember, I;m as neurotic as the next guy here
stevenaia Michinaga: ooops, next person… didn;t mean to single pema out
Pema Pera: hahaha
Pia Iger: I had good night. Time to go.
Pema Pera: very quiet now and relaxed, in the bullet train . . .
Pema Pera: from Tokyo to Kyoto
Pia Iger: You are connected on the train?
stevenaia Michinaga: thanks Pia
Pema Pera: yup
Pema Pera: as long as it lasts
Sylectra Darwin: That’s cool that you can get on the Internet in the train.
stevenaia Michinaga: wow, I wnat that ride
Pema Pera: only in the urban area
Sylectra Darwin: I know, seems so wonderful
Pema Pera: we just passed Yokohama
stevenaia Michinaga: aww
Pema Pera: so I guess I should log out soon
Pema Pera: or it will drop anyway
stevenaia Michinaga: second life in the bullet train… I feel a song comming on
Pia Iger: enjoy, Pema
Sylectra Darwin: Well Pema and Pia, have a good rest of your day
Pema Pera: but I’m glad I could say hi and stop by :)
Sylectra Darwin: Pema, should I e-mail you the chat log?
Pema Pera: yes please!
Pema Pera: If you feel like
Pema Pera: and only if you do and have the time
Pema Pera: you can add comments :)
Sylectra Darwin: Will do right away - I know how you like to jump on it!
Pia Iger: haha
Sylectra Darwin: OK
Pema Pera: haha, thank you!
Pema Pera: I’m a couple days behind
Pema Pera: myself
Pema Pera: so won’t jump that quickly . . . .
Pema Pera: but hope to catch up tomorrow
Sylectra Darwin: haha!
Sylectra Darwin: Good.
Pema Pera: famous last words . . . .
Sylectra Darwin: grin
Sylectra Darwin: good effort on that paper
Pema Pera: oh, thanks!
Sylectra Darwin: I will read the whole thing soon
Pema Pera: was fun to write
stevenaia Michinaga: Thnks for the email about the journal, can;t wait to read the accompanying articles
Pema Pera: yes, good issue!
Sylectra Darwin: Yes, I didn’t know about the journal.
Sylectra Darwin: I e-mailed the editor.
Pema had disappeared mid-sentence.
Sylectra Darwin: Bullet train got Pema
Pia Iger: woops,
Sylectra Darwin: ah well
Sylectra Darwin: All things must come to an end
stevenaia Michinaga: lol, yes
