2008.10.09 01:00 - Letting Being See Me, Completely

That night I, Pema, was the guardian on call. When I reached the pavilion at exactly 1 am SLT, Fael was already there, and Corvi arrived around the same time.

Fael Illyar: Hi Pema, Corvi :)
Pema Pera: Hi Fael, hi Corvi!
Fael Illyar: ah, green glasses :)
Pema Pera: Are you feeling better today, Fael? Anything new you'd like to share with us?
Fael Illyar is boring and hasn't changed outfit for days.
Pema Pera can't see many colors yet . . . . still all grey
Corvuscorva Nightfire hugs Fael...who looks gorgeous..I thought that was why you were not changing.
Fael Illyar: could be :)
Fael Illyar: thank you :)
Fael Illyar: I'm feeling about the same as yesterday I suppose.
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods.
Fael Illyar: not exactly very happy but can't quite call myself depressed either.
Pema Pera: And how about you, Corvi?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: other than up too early I am well. You?
Fael Illyar smiles.
Pema Pera: hehe, yeah that holds for me too . . . pretty early here
Corvuscorva Nightfire smiles warmly...where are you now? East coast?
Pema Pera: yup, back in NYC
Pema Pera: funny to switch between living in New York and Kyoto several times a year
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods.
Pema Pera: what is dream, what is reality, what is like fairy tale?

In anticipation of Fael's visit to my work place in Princeton, a few days from now, a few questions about transportation.

Fael Illyar: oh, I just remembered I wanted to ask if there's an internet service that finds routes in Princeton using public transport.
Pema Pera: there should be info on the IAS web site, Fael, did you try that?
Fael Illyar: (there is one for helsinki)
Pema Pera: I don't know. What time do you arrive?
Pema Pera: Taking a train from Newark Airport to Princeton Junction is what I would do, and then take a taxi from there
Fael Illyar: that part I figured out already.
Pema Pera: Don't go to Princeton station, only to Princeton Junction, which is on the main line from New York to Trenton
Fael Illyar: I'm wondering about how to proceed from Princeton Junction :)
Pema Pera: taking a taxi at Princeton Junction is by far the best
Pema Pera: they bring you directly to Fuld Hall, the main building of IAS, where you pick up the keys to your apartment

Finally, SL was letting everything rezz sufficiently for me to discern some colors.

Pema Pera: Ah! Now I see Corvi's green glasses, finally -- looking good, Corvi!
Pema Pera: one green one red now?
Corvuscorva Nightfire laughs..I changed to another pair...
Corvuscorva Nightfire: a friend recommended these...
Pema Pera: now you can see in 3D here :-)
Corvuscorva Nightfire laughs.
Fael Illyar: :)

I brought up Adams' way of working with Being seeing.

Pema Pera: I've just caught up with Adams' blog. Always interesting to read!
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods.
Pema Pera: One thing I noticed was her talking about Being seeing, and wondering whether to let Being look out from her
Pema Pera: That is a very interesting question.
Pema Pera: We normally think we have two choices, like mouselook or normal in SL
Pema Pera: like first person and third person
Pema Pera: Adams has given great descriptions of third person view (actually some of the literally "third person" like when a bug was watching and describing Adams or **** passing by)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: yes she has.
Pema Pera: But the question is: is there another way?
Pema Pera: Not associated with your own self-centered point of view
Pema Pera: not from afar or more neutral or distant
Pema Pera: something that in some sense combines both 1st person and 3rd person view?
Pema Pera: the intimacy of being-here of 1st person combined with the wide openness of 3rd person?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: hmmm
Pema Pera: Does that make some sense?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: yes...sort of.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: but...
Corvuscorva Nightfire: is Being and 3rd person the same?
Pema Pera: no :)
Pema Pera: Being is beyond all distinctions
Pema Pera: including 1st person vs. 3rd person
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods.
Pema Pera: and of course, our attempts at Play as Being are unlikely to fully drop all limitations and fully let Being be here with nothing further to be learned or opened up -- you might say we are still "us" playing Being on a practical level (even whiile it is ALSO true that everything is already Being)
Pema Pera: so we can play as Being in 1st and 3rd person, and then we can play further and see whether we can playfully let both qualities combine, blend in some sense
Pema Pera: let Being see your body, inside and out, all your thoughts and emotions, even the most hidden, all there is to see around you, in and around others, etc. etc.
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods...and laughs at the etc's.
Pema Pera: hehe
Pema Pera getting tired from typing an infinite list . . . .
Corvuscorva Nightfire: nawwww
Fael Illyar: :)
Pema Pera wondering wether a countible infinity or uncountable infinity . . . . .

Why not do, rather than talk? PaB is all about brief explorations -- on the spot!

Pema Pera: It may be fun to flex your muscles of imagination: trying to see/feel what it would be like, to be completely seen/understood by Being . . . . all aspects of you no matter how small, like an ultimate friend accepting literally everything about you, even all that you don't even know yourself . . . .
Pema Pera: I'd love to hear you both trying that for a while and sharing what that feels like -- how about taking a minute or so right now?
Pema Pera: (a minute seems loooooong in a 9-sec land)
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods, smiling...
Corvuscorva Nightfire: thank you, Pema..that was a kind exercise...I will repeat it.
Pema Pera: yw, Corvi!!
Fael Illyar: hmmh... interesting, that has me feeling more positive now :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: rl calls me....
Fael Illyar: See you later Corvi :)
Pema Pera: see you Corvi!
Pema Pera: glad to hear that, Fael -- I myself find this a very powerful form of practice or exploration
Pema Pera: it is a key to YSBS for me
Fael Illyar: kind of like, I thought about letting being see me, completely. Noticed that there are things I'm trying to hide, stopped doing that and suddenly started feeling better.
Pema Pera: YES!
Pema Pera: that is a wonderful cleansing exercise, isn't it?
Pema Pera: cleaning up all the cob webs
Fael Illyar: Yes :)
Pema Pera: instead of analyzing all your problems, just open the windows and let the light shine in, let them be seen by Being . . . a very lazy approach to solving problems, you could say :-)
Fael Illyar: in some ways, yes :)
Pema Pera: of course, the next step is not lazy: you do then have to deal with them
Pema Pera: but it's a very quick way to get to the punch line
Pema Pera: the rest is celebration
Fael Illyar: Yes, you do need to deal with them after that.
Pema Pera: solving problems normally starts with struggle and then with finding ways to deal with what you find in your struggle -- but we can skip the struggle part, by and large
Pema Pera: let Being do that bit for us
Pema Pera: then dealing with what you see is the way to celebrate being alive
Fael Illyar: :)

Time for me to go to work, a bit earlier than usual.

Pema Pera: well, I'll get going and do what I described to you to do, take a train to Princeton Junction :-)
Pema Pera: good seeing you here again!
Pema Pera: and looking forward to also seeing you in RL in a few days
Pema Pera: I'll be coming in around 9 am on Monday
Fael Illyar: Ok, see you later :)
Pema Pera: There is a Dining Hall, where breakfast is served, which opens at 8 am
Pema Pera: I suggest we meet on Monday morning in RL there, around 9 am, in the Dining Hall.
Pema Pera: You can use the white card that should be in the envelope that you pick up when you arrive, together with the keys to your apartment
Pema Pera: You can use that plastic white card to charge your meals to my program
Fael Illyar: Ah, ok, thank you :)
Pema Pera: I have to be goc at 10 am that morning, so if we meet at 9 am, we will have some time to chat and have breakfast -- but if you are hungry, which is quite likely with jet lag, by all means get something to eat there earlier, at 8 am or so, as you like!
Fael Illyar: ok :)
Pema Pera remembering his first trip to the US
Pema Pera: (how everything was familiar in one way, from movies, and yet quite different too, as an experience)
Pema Pera: you'll enjoy it!
Fael Illyar: :)
Pema Pera: tc!