2009.07.04 01:00 - Appreciation

The Guardian for this meeting was Scathach Rhiadra. The comments are by Scathach Rhiadra.

Nymf was already at the pavillion when I arrived; both of us Europeans and so in the process of still waking up early on a Saturday morning......

Nymf Hathaway: Good day Scathach :)
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Nymf:)
Scathach Rhiadra: how are you this morning?
Nymf Hathaway: Just waking up and you?
Nymf Hathaway: Is it morning for you?
Scathach Rhiadra: yes it is 9 am, so just waking up too!
Nymf Hathaway: Smiles, you are in England?
Scathach Rhiadra: Ireland:)
Nymf Hathaway: oh nice :))
Scathach Rhiadra: and you are in Holland?
Nymf Hathaway: yes :) near the German border
Scathach Rhiadra: ah, near Gronigen (can'tspell it properly)?
Nymf Hathaway: lag
Nymf Hathaway: No problem at all :) Groningen is in the North and near the German border I live in Overijssel thats more in the middle near the border :)
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Scathach Rhiadra: Have you anything you would like to discuss?
Nymf Hathaway: Not so far... seems my brain is still sleeping and you?
Scathach Rhiadra: :) same way, I have just made some coffee, might wake me up!
Nymf Hathaway: Well here as well...so to a lovely day :)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Nymf Hathaway: ah Pema how lovely :)

Pema arrived, closely followed by Eliza, both infrequent visitors to the session at this time-slot.  with Pema in Japan and Eliza in the US we had a nice geographical spread, and briefly discussed time differences.  Nymf also brought up the subject of genealogy......

Nymf Hathaway: Good afternoon Pema :)
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Pema!
Pema Pera: Hi Scathach and Nymf!
Nymf Hathaway: Just waking up here :)
Scathach Rhiadra: How are you today?
Pema Pera: close to going to dinner here :)
Nymf Hathaway: Did one of you ever search his/her genealogy?
Pema Pera: I didn't have to; an uncle of mine had mined the archives already :-)
Nymf Hathaway: ooh wonderful
Scathach Rhiadra: ah, I tried once, but most birth records only go back to the war of indenendence in Ireland, they were destroyed then
Nymf Hathaway: Good morning...very early morning... Eliza :)
Pema Pera: Hi Eliza
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Eliza!
Nymf Hathaway: Pity Scathach
Pema Pera: late night, I suspect, for Eliza :-)
Eliza Madrigal: Hi again Nymph, Hi Pema, Hi Scath :)
Eliza Madrigal: yes...sigh :)
Scathach Rhiadra: very:)
Scathach Rhiadra: this time slot seems to catch the very early and the very late, always either morning or the middle of the night for someone
Pema Pera: and just before dinner for me :-)
Nymf Hathaway: yes I noticed as well
Scathach Rhiadra: yes:)
Eliza Madrigal: This is the only second time for me...have had strange sleep patterns for weeks

I aksed for suggestions for a topic and Pema quickly brought us Appreciation:).......

Scathach Rhiadra: so has anyone a topic they would like to discuss?
Pema Pera: how about appreciation?
Pema Pera: or are you getting tired of that by now?
Pema Pera: :-)
Scathach Rhiadra: :), thought you might say that:)
Pema Pera: Given that I'm probably the most awake of you all, perhaps I should start myself then. After 50 days of appreciation-focused exploration, in preparation for the PaB retreat, the whole notion of appreciation has taken on a quite different flavor.
Nymf Hathaway: oh
Pema Pera: hmmm, how to express in words -- much less emotional, you could say
Pema Pera: it is more a stripping down of judgments and desire to analyse and control, even in very subtle ways
Eliza Madrigal: less emotional?
Scathach Rhiadra listens
Pema Pera: at first, appreciation may have a ring of "feeling good about" something
Pema Pera: and there definitely is still a strong feeling aspect
Pema Pera: but more a kind of feeling the openness and wonder of it all, of anything appearing at all
Pema Pera: less about the "what" of what appears but more the "that" of it appearing
Pema Pera: if that makes any sense :-)
Nymf Hathaway: yes can follow that :)
Eliza Madrigal smiles, yes it does
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, thank you:)
Nymf Hathaway: isn't that what aging does Pema.. not meaning you are getting old of course :) but it seems these developments come with aging
Scathach Rhiadra: would you say the seeing is enough?
Pema Pera: hahaha, yes, I am getting older indeed . . . and yes, for some people getting older leads to a mellowing, but for others it seems to lead more to become set in one's way . . . .
Pema Pera: yes, seeing is enough is a nice way to summarize it all, Scathach

.....a short digression into the genealogy of phrases in PaB.....

Scathach Rhiadra: your phrase, if I remember correctly:)
Pema Pera: actually, Genesis coined it, I believe
Scathach Rhiadra: ah:)
Pema Pera: but perhaps she took it from Stim
Pema Pera: in any case, I took it from her :-)
Nymf Hathaway: :)
Pema Pera: . . . talking about geneology
Scathach Rhiadra: :)

.....then back to appreciation, and emotions.....

Eliza Madrigal: The subject of emotion is a funny one... of not trying to conjur nor repress it...
Nymf Hathaway: Just being... it sounds to me
Eliza Madrigal: Often any sort of sitting I need to let that arise and go before I can settle. So a helpful observation, Pema.
Pema Pera: emotions often come with their counterparts, only thinly veiled . . . .
Pema Pera: anger that can lead quickly to insightfulness, cutting through, for example -- not quite a counterpart but another aspect
Pema Pera: love that can quickly led to a need for possession, and fear of loss . . . .
Pema Pera: *lead
Eliza Madrigal nods
Nymf Hathaway: and passion?
Pema Pera: so many forms :-) including devotion to an exploration of reality, which may be what unites us here!
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Pema Pera: quietly passionate as we same to be as a group :-)
Eliza Madrigal: Corvi brought up this idea one day, of appreciating without attaching 'good' or 'beauty' to anything
Pema Pera: yes, that is key!
Eliza Madrigal: Seems to go in that direction when the word seems like an active thing to 'do' ?
Pema Pera: letting all that appears speak for itself, rather than dressing up it with our judgments like baby dolls, the way we usuall do
Pema Pera: ah, you mean the word "appreciate"
Eliza Madrigal: yes
Pema Pera: good point, Eliza
Pema Pera: perhaps "opening up for the presence of appearance" would avoid that association?
Eliza Madrigal: Ahh, that idea has breath
Pema Pera: though it also lacks a bit the enthusiasm of appreciation, the passion :-)
Pema Pera: can't have it all, perhaps?
Eliza Madrigal: why not :)
Eliza Madrigal: Why not the word appreciation now, with the breath of the idea of opening :)
Pema Pera: haha, sure, but perhaps not expressible simultaneously in words
Pema Pera: ah, I see, sure, you can build up your own assocations
Pema Pera: which is one function of repeating a ritual
Eliza Madrigal nods
Eliza Madrigal: Thank you all. I should try to get a few hours of sleep :)
Pema Pera: concerning the opening up, through dropping and stopping, one of my favorite short summaries was given in just six words, by Tilopa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilopa#Six_Words_of_Advice
Scathach Rhiadra: good night Eliza, sleep well:)
Pema Pera: sleep well, Eliza!
Nymf Hathaway: Good night Eliza :)
Eliza Madrigal: :) Thank you. Yes...fantastic outline. Night ;-)
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, Tilopa covers it all:))
Pema Pera: :-)
Pema Pera: I just noticed that my computer battery is about to give out . . . . am sitting in a coffee shop here in Kyoto.
Pema Pera: I may disappear without warning any moment . . . .
Nymf Hathaway: :)
Scathach Rhiadra: ah, thank you for coming Pema, it was great to see you:)
Pema Pera: same here, Pema, enjoyed seeing all three of you again!
Nymf Hathaway: Yes same here and wishing you already a nice dinner :)
Pema Pera: enjoy your European early mornings!
Nymf Hathaway: Thanks :)
Scathach Rhiadra: lekker eten, as I think you say:)
Nymf Hathaway: Nice Scathach :)
Scathach Rhiadra: heh, my few words of Dutch
Nymf Hathaway: well to survive...the best two :)
Scathach Rhiadra: true!

As Eliza and Pema leave Yakuzza arrives.....

Yakuzza Lethecus: morning everyone
Nymf Hathaway: Good morning Yakuzza :)
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Yakuzza!
Scathach Rhiadra: you just missed Pema and Eliza, we were talking about appreciation
Yakuzza Lethecus: yeah i guess it´s too late for them
Yakuzza Lethecus: at least as long pemo is back in the states :P
Yakuzza Lethecus: pema
Yakuzza Lethecus: i believe appreciation is just an decison
Yakuzza Lethecus: even when it sound surreal that we decide to be unhappy often
Yakuzza Lethecus: i dunno i still think about that issue :P
Scathach Rhiadra: Pema Pera: Given that I'm probably the most awake of you all, perhaps I should start myself then. After 50 days of appreciation-focused exploration, in preparation for the PaB retreat, the whole notion of appreciation has taken on a quite different flavor.
Yakuzza Lethecus: problem is that there are even advantages out of a documented suffering sometimes
Scathach Rhiadra: Pema Pera: hmmm, how to express in words -- much less emotional, you could say [1:17] Pema Pera: it is more a stripping down of judgments and desire to analyse and control, even in very subtle ways
Yakuzza Lethecus: interesting
Scathach Rhiadra: have you tried the 9-secs practice yet Yakuzza
Yakuzza Lethecus: sure i tried
Nymf Hathaway: Needs to log off wishing you both a good conversation :)
Yakuzza Lethecus: but i always need more :P
Scathach Rhiadra: have a good day Nymf, see you soon:)
Yakuzza Lethecus: bye nymf
Nymf Hathaway: Bye bye

Nymf leaves and Yakuzza and I continue discussing meditation for a short while.....

Scathach Rhiadra: yes it is a very short time:)
Yakuzza Lethecus: I don´t only think about meditation that much meditation techniqes seem to me techniques how i control associations
Scathach Rhiadra: but I suppose the idea is to have a continuity of practice throughout the day
Yakuzza Lethecus: and i have problems that many of my actions seem to be irrational to me
Yakuzza Lethecus: i don´t know how to break up habits
Yakuzza Lethecus: and i have the feeling that an understanding might be related to even a better self control
Yakuzza Lethecus: :P
Scathach Rhiadra: mmm, well even noticing the habits is a sgood start
Scathach Rhiadra: good*
Yakuzza Lethecus: i even think much about the issue how i percieved people talking about meditation
Scathach Rhiadra: :))
Yakuzza Lethecus: it never had that much of a positive connotation for me in real life
Yakuzza Lethecus: only because everyone in my envrionment wasn´t ever interested and kept joking about those stuff
Yakuzza Lethecus: to get a clean and a view without any prejudices is the key
Yakuzza Lethecus: and i still associate it in some ridicoulous ways sometimes
Yakuzza Lethecus: or that i still have prejudices when it come´s to the lightworkers and what ever but i don´t even want to rethink my few that that is just something non sensefull for me even when i believe that it´s something how people can learn to decide to be happy...
Yakuzza Lethecus: it´s complciated
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Scathach Rhiadra: it helps to have like-minded people around you, which is where SL is so good

.....and Shyama popped in for a quick visit, but the hour had well passed and it was time for me to leave.....

Shyama Sheryffe: hi
Scathach Rhiadra: hello Symama
Yakuzza Lethecus: hello shy
Yakuzza Lethecus: i just deleted 5 sentences :P
Scathach Rhiadra: we are just coming to the end of a session, but please join us:)
Shyama Sheryffe: what r u talking about ?
Scathach Rhiadra: appreciation and some meditation
Shyama Sheryffe: appreciation in general ?
Scathach Rhiadra: more PaB appreciation, appreciating everything as it is, no judgments or preferences
Shyama Sheryffe: nods
Scathach Rhiadra: I have to go now, have a great day Yakuzza and Shyama, Namaste
Shyama Sheryffe: bye Scat
Shyama Sheryffe: me too, just popped in
Shyama Sheryffe: bye Yakuzza