2010.01.26 13:00 - Pizza, giggles, and text on the wall

The Guardian for this meeting was Storm Nordwind. The comments are by Storm Nordwind.

The avatars of arabella and Pema were already in the pavilion, broadcasting live from the locale of the Play as Being real life retreat on the island of Malta. As the editor of this chat log, I've decided to leave all the greetings, wavings, comings and goings in the log as it adds to the sense of happy chaos being shared between the different worlds!

Storm Nordwind: Whoa... the Malta contingent! :)
--BELL--
Pema Pera: Hi Storm!
Pema Pera: Arabella is AWOL
Storm Nordwind: Acting as WOL ? ;)
Pema Pera: (smoking outside, with Mick)
Pema Pera: they will be back in soon :-)
Storm Nordwind: l
Storm Nordwind: k
Storm Nordwind: Hi there Bleu!
Pema Pera: hi Bleu!
Bleu Oleander: hi Storm, Pema

Pema explains the odd technical set-up, one that was to have interesting consequences as the session went on!

Pema Pera: We're in a pizzaira
Bleu Oleander: Ella
Pema Pera: pizzaria
Storm Nordwind: Oh!
Pema Pera: where there is internet access
Storm Nordwind: What news from the island?
Bleu Oleander: how is Malta going?
Pema Pera: there is no internet in our hotel, and not in the retreat center either
Storm Nordwind: Hi there SophiaSharon!
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi everyone!
Pema Pera: Hi Sharon!
Pema Pera: and yes, the workshop is going very well indeed!
Bleu Oleander: hi SophiaSharon
SophiaSharon Larnia: happy to see everyone, including retreaters.. you found time to come :)

Pema tells of an astonishing find - the kind of coincidence, miles from home, that could possibly rate as synchronicity: "personally meaningful coincidence that cannot be explained by cause and effect."

Pema Pera: interestingly, when we entered the retreat center, in the main room there were a few pictures, and one of them had a text on it -- guess by whom?
Pema Pera: Tarthang Tulku

We are studying the book Time, Space and Knowledge by Tarthang Tulku in the Time workshop at the moment. And Stim Morane, who until recently ran the Ways of Knowing workshop in the Kira Cafe, has strong links with Tarthang Tulku.

Storm Nordwind: Oh!
Storm Nordwind: Wonderful!
Pema Pera:

Beyond the beliefs
of any one religion,
there is the truth of
the human spirit.

Beyond the power of
nations, there is the
power of the human heart.

Beyond the ordinary mind,
the power of wisdom, love,
and healing energy are
at work in the universe.

When we can find
peace within our hearts,
we contact these
universal powers.
This is our only hope.

~ Tarthang Tulku

Storm Nordwind: How strange to travel all that way and see that in a small haven on a small island
SophiaSharon Larnia: lovely
Bleu Oleander: very nice!
Pema Pera: yes, and PaB is exactly beyond the beliefs of all religions . . . .
Storm Nordwind: Do we have any confirmed atheists in PaB, I wonder?
Pema Pera: we met the owner this morning: he was introduced to Tarthang Tulku by a women from the Dutch branch of his Nyingma Institute . . .
Pema Pera: hence the picture
Pema Pera: small world
arabella Ella: Hiya
Storm Nordwind: Hi ara!
SophiaSharon Larnia: was about to say that, such a small world :)

The rest of the Maltese pizzaria's clientele starts leaning over some shoulders!

Pema Pera: btw, Bleu, Yakuzza says hi; he is sitting next to me in RL
Pema Pera: w/o a computer
Bleu Oleander: oh say hi to him
Storm Nordwind: Can you take a photo of the picture to put on the Wiki, Pema?
Bleu Oleander: how was his first flight?
Bleu Oleander: yes, take photos!
Pema Pera: somebody can, I'm sure!
Storm Nordwind waves to Yakuzza
Pema Pera: Eos is on his way, by the way
arabella Ella: Hi this is Fefonz next to me now
SophiaSharon Larnia: what is the time difference there to slt?
Bleu Oleander: TH say hi, we're jealous of your wonderful experiences
arabella Ella: So Fefonz says hi too
Storm Nordwind keeps waving :)
Pema Pera: we are 6 hours ahead of you, Sharon
Pema Pera: so it is 10 pm here

Malta has prepared a chilly welcome for the Play as Being retreaters.

arabella Ella: they are all saying it is cold on this little island
SophiaSharon Larnia: :) thanks Hi Eos!
arabella Ella: gale force tonight
Eos Amaterasu: freezing!
arabella Ella: we may be blown away
SophiaSharon Larnia: ohhh lol really?
arabella Ella: yes ... you think i dont say the truth?
Storm Nordwind resists the temptation to say "cool" ;)
arabella Ella: :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: still beautiful though?
Pema Pera: Bertram is on his way too
Pema Pera: and so is Wol
Pema Pera: it *is* cold here . . . without a heater it is
Eos Amaterasu: very beuatiful
Pema Pera: and with the very strong wind
Bleu Oleander: I'm sure it's very beautiful!
Pema Pera: indeed!
arabella Ella: the wind speaks to us too .... in a language we dont even need t understand
SophiaSharon Larnia: smiles are Ara
SophiaSharon Larnia: at*
arabella Ella: the wind plays with being ... and the wind plays with the sea too
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Zon, Hi Wol
Pema Pera waves at Sharon from across a few seas

Eos starts to tell us of magical things that can be found there on the island...

Eos Amaterasu: the stone walls of the meditation farmhouse were telling us stories

...but he'll have to carry on doing so later, as meanwhile more greetings are happily swapped and we get more insights from the pizzeria!

SophiaSharon Larnia: waves back!!!
Bleu Oleander: hi Zon, Hi Wol
Zon Quar: heya all
Storm Nordwind: I always loved living right by the sea. It was always different, day after week after month after year
SophiaSharon Larnia: ohh Eos thats beautiful
Pema Pera: hi neighbor (in RL)!
arabella Ella: Hey Zon greetings from the Malta retreat :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Bertram
Zon Quar: warm in Malta ?
arabella Ella: Hey Bert I can see you in RL too
Wol Euler: damnede cold
Pema Pera: no :)
arabella Ella: cold in Malta
Wol Euler: and windy
arabella Ella: freezing
Zon Quar: how can that be
Bertram Jacobus: hi everybody online and rl ... ! ;-)
SophiaSharon Larnia: giggles, isn't that a weird experience Ara!!
Wol Euler: but great fun.
Pema Pera: I haven't worn so many layers of clothes for many years -- seriously
arabella Ella: yes it is
Pema Pera: T shirt, sweater, cardigan, overcoat
arabella Ella: but the weather is something i have no control over
Pema Pera: + blanket inside
arabella Ella: Mickorod says hi too here he is too
Eos Amaterasu: two heaters
Pema Pera: but the landscape is fabulous!
arabella Ella: Yaku and Paradise and Lia just went to bed
Wol Euler: yes, very beautiful
Wol Euler: stark
Eos Amaterasu: we were forced to eat almond cookies
Pema Pera: :-)
Storm Nordwind: Oh no!
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi to all who are not logged on too :)
Wol Euler sobs
SophiaSharon Larnia: :O
arabella Ella giggles
Pema Pera: right now only MIck is not online
Pema Pera: from the diehards around the pizza table
SophiaSharon Larnia: laughs
Bleu Oleander: is this the first time many of you have met in RL?
Pema Pera: Hi Magic!
arabella Ella: yes we are five laptops and Mick around a pizza table
SophiaSharon Larnia: HI Magic
Wol Euler: we really need a photo of htis, maltesers!
Magic Leimes: hello evryone
Wol Euler: who has a camera?
Wol Euler: five laptops in malta and in SL
Bertram Jacobus: hi magic dear - nice to see you ! :-)
Storm Nordwind: I think it's "delicious irony" that Wol should travel so far and so stressfully just to eat pizza of all things
Bleu Oleander: you mean you went all the way to Malta for pizza?!!
SophiaSharon Larnia: hahah
Eos Amaterasu: auspicious coincidences abound here
Pema Pera: pizza and internet!
Wol Euler: yeah, well there is free wireless here.
arabella Ella: of course we have special retreat pizza here
Pema Pera: a great combination
Bleu Oleander: :)
Wol Euler: a rarity in malta apparently
SophiaSharon Larnia: wow Ara
Eos Amaterasu: I mean more than pizza and internet, Pema
arabella Ella: and pizza was the only way for us to join you at PAb
Storm Nordwind: Cut into nine slices I hope
Wol Euler: heheheheh
--BELL--
arabella Ella: please Wol ... some ... generosity for us poor Maltesers
arabella Ella: Pema really love your long red hair in RL too!
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Pema Pera: :-)
Bleu Oleander: :)
Wol Euler: hello from Malta, calvino!
Pema Pera: Arabella has been telling us "YOU ARE STUPID" several times today, very lively
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Calvino
Calvino Rabeni: :)
arabella Ella: Hiya Calvino
Zon Quar: hi Cal
Pema Pera: hi Calvino!
Bleu Oleander: hi Cal
Calvino Rabeni: Wish I were there

Being stuffily serious for a moment, I venture a question.

Storm Nordwind: So what take home lessons, practices, experiences or thoughts do you have from the retreat so far?
arabella Ella: and yes the 'you are soooooo stupid' is from the movie Avatar of course ... and i did not comment when they asked who i meant
Bertram Jacobus: hey cal ! ... :-)
Magic Leimes: Hi calvino
arabella Ella: tomorrow is ... our silent day
Pema Pera: Arabella does great Navi impersonations . . . .
Storm Nordwind: :O
arabella Ella: Navi comes naturally to me Pema
Wol Euler: we are getting hte talking out ofour sytems tonight
Pema Pera: too early to say, Storm, we haven't even finished our first full day yet

Eos tries again...

Eos Amaterasu: we have found that even farmhouse walls can play as being

...but not this time either!

arabella Ella: would any of you like to get a TP to freezing Malta?
Pema Pera: Arabella pleaded to be allowed to talk at least over breakfast tomorrow morning
SophiaSharon Larnia: me please :)
Pema Pera: so we gave her special dispensation
Eos Amaterasu: her Maltese is delightful to hear
Pema Pera: indeed, especially with the Navi accent
Wol Euler: Maltese is an interseting language, like Italian spoken with Arabic accent and rhythm
Storm Nordwind: Right now, the weather report for Valletta claims to be 59/15 degrees. But the wind is 24mph from the SE. It's colder where I am I think. Yes TP please ara!
Pema Pera: it's definitely a LOT colder than 59/15 at this part of Malta!!!
Eos Amaterasu: Sunny for tomorrow

At this point, the temporary nature of existence is emphasized!

Eos Amaterasu: Ara's battery ran out
Pema Pera: (sorry, battery running out for me too, like it did for Arabella just now)
SophiaSharon Larnia: ohhh
Pema Pera: (so, bye for now!)
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye for now!!

Trying to re-cue Eos...

Storm Nordwind: Eos... what was that about farmhouse walls?

... hmm :)

Bleu Oleander: bye!
SophiaSharon Larnia: HI Eliza :)
Storm Nordwind: bye Pema too!
Bleu Oleander: hi Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: Hi :) Surprise visit from Malta today?
Wol Euler: hello from Malta, eiza!
Wol Euler: +l
SophiaSharon Larnia: Wol and Bertram can pass on messages :)
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Eliza!
SophiaSharon Larnia: oops and Eos too
Storm Nordwind: You arrive Eliza just as the power supplies of Malta seem to be running out!
Eos Amaterasu: Yes, I'm running low too
Magic Leimes: hi eliza
Eliza Madrigal: ((( all in Malta ))
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, was at dream workshop...
Eliza Madrigal: timing :)
arabella Ella: Hiya Eliza
Wol Euler: back in a moment, folks, Mick wants to see how he looks :)
arabella Ella: sorry I crashed my battery ran out
Wol Euler: he's on sparkle...
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Ara! How is the host holding up?
Bertram Jacobus: hey eiza ! ... ;-)
Eliza Madrigal: :)

This time, we get the description.

Eos Amaterasu: We started the retreat at Hypogeum, 3600 BC underground chambers, red ochre drawings on the wall
SophiaSharon Larnia: ah ok
Eliza Madrigal listens
Storm Nordwind: (ara has just fed her dynamo-hamster extra grain for the treadmill it seems)
SophiaSharon Larnia: wow Eos!!!
arabella Ella: yes how did you guess Storm :)
Eliza Madrigal: MM, how wonderful Eos
Eos Amaterasu: the farmhouse is on one side of a valley full of caves and old buildings
Storm Nordwind: How fascinating!
Eliza Madrigal: ooh, nice
Eos Amaterasu: in the room we use there was a picture on the wall with a quote from Tarthang Tulku!
Eliza Madrigal: !
Bleu Oleander: sounds wonderful!
Eliza Madrigal: What is the quote?
Storm Nordwind: (already in the log Eliza)
Eliza Madrigal: Ah.... Eliza lag... timing timing... hehe Sorry (go on)
SophiaSharon Larnia: i sent it to you on a note card Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: Thanks Storm and SophiaSharon :)
Bertram Jacobus: the quote was and is something that beyond lies the truth - (do i quote that correctly?) ...
Storm Nordwind: Beyond beliefs... lies the truth
Zon Quar: thats better...than something beyond truth..lol
Eliza Madrigal: :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: wb Wol
Wol Euler: ty!
Wol Euler: that was fun if frustrating
Eliza Madrigal: WB Wol :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: nods
Wol Euler: laggy with six of us on the same wifi link
--BELL--

"Drop what you have in order to see what you are" is one of the very few method-of-practice pointers that we give people. And so...

Eos Amaterasu: As Pema pointed out, it's ironic for PaB to be hosted at the Point de Vue guesthouse, since the idea is to have no point of view
Wol Euler: :)))))
Eliza Madrigal: hah
Bleu Oleander: :)
arabella Ella: how can we get beyond our human point of view?
arabella Ella: especially if we are all at the Point de Vue?
Bertram Jacobus: may be in trying ? meditating ? practise with dropping and such ? ...
Storm Nordwind: Bit by bit? So many people seem unable to see things from other people's points of view that asking them to drop all points of view may be quite a demand?

Wol has a semi-serious question to ask all of us about "silence" on the retreat.

Wol Euler: we need your advice, group: can one giggle on a silent day?
SophiaSharon Larnia: mmm giggle silently ;p
Calvino Rabeni: I vote yes giggle :)
Eos Amaterasu: if you can drop your Point de Vue you can hear another Point de Vue
Wol Euler: her RL giggle is quite charming, we wish you could hear it (says pema)
Wol Euler: over my shoulder
Eliza Madrigal: yes, much louder when you try to giggle silently...
Storm Nordwind: Can you transmute your giggle-energy into something higher... like pizza perhaps?
arabella Ella wants to giggle on silent day ... at the very least
SophiaSharon Larnia: loves that... giggle energy :)
Wol Euler: I suppose we could allow that
Storm Nordwind: perhaps you can instead *INSIST* that people giggle every 15 minutes ;)
Eliza Madrigal: haha
arabella Ella: any suggestions Storm re transmuting my giggle?
SophiaSharon Larnia: lol
Eliza Madrigal: yes we could do that here
Eliza Madrigal: too :)

And a suggestion for us too.

Wol Euler: perhaps you could be silent too, in communion with us?
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, that would be nice... Tomorrow Wol?
Wol Euler: mmhmm
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Wol Euler: starting at breakfast
SophiaSharon Larnia: is quite silent as it is :)
Wol Euler: (except ara)
Wol Euler: up to dinnertime

Interesting practicalities about long-term group silences.

Calvino Rabeni: I went on a 1 month meditation retreat with silence - occasionally the giggle would erupt and take over many people - it was a transcendent experience if you allow it
Eliza Madrigal: Well... hm... can carve a space of silence
Wol Euler: this is so funny, talking onscreen and above the screens
SophiaSharon Larnia: nice Calvino
arabella Ella: one whole month of SILENCE Calvino ... is that honestly possible?
Wol Euler: sounds very nice, calvino
Calvino Rabeni: like smoking - there are designated places for talking :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: weird question, would typing in chat count as no longer being silent?
Wol Euler: heheheh
Calvino Rabeni: yes
Wol Euler: sharon, I think it would.
Wol Euler: IM too
SophiaSharon Larnia: ok
Eos Amaterasu: functional talking, functional chatting
SophiaSharon Larnia: nods
Eos Amaterasu: functional giggling
SophiaSharon Larnia: hehe
Wol Euler: giggling in chat might be OK
SophiaSharon Larnia: :O
Calvino Rabeni: you let "being" giggle - then no blame
Wol Euler: Appreciate the Presence of Giggling as an Appearance of Being
Eliza Madrigal hopes others will dive into silence after her session tomorrow... ;-)

And a question about who and who may not benefit from the silence.

Storm Nordwind: I find it interesting - some people like silence at retreats but maybe they have busy or noisy work or home life. Ones who have silence all the time in their worksplaces or homes may not look forward to more of the same quite so much.
Calvino Rabeni: I've found that at retreats storm true
arabella Ella: hey Storm you seem to be reading my mind again :)
Eliza Madrigal: true, Storm
Eliza Madrigal: There is something about shared silence though....
SophiaSharon Larnia: i am quite silent, but would welcome communal silence, ive never experienced it before
Storm Nordwind: Like the enforced shared silence of school dinners? ;)
Calvino Rabeni: shared silence is nice when minds are silent, not when the mind is active and mouths are closed :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: ahh
Eliza Madrigal: :) Not quite... like turning down one thing to hear another...
Eos Amaterasu: the month long da-thun (da=moon) silent sessions I went to always had a party at the end
Eos Amaterasu: you partying being partying
SophiaSharon Larnia: Hi Pila!
Eliza Madrigal: Have you all fallen into a nice rhythm of practice and discussion?
Pila Mulligan: hi everyone
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Pila :)
Bertram Jacobus: hey pila ! ... :-)
Storm Nordwind: Greetings Pila old friend
Eos Amaterasu: Hey Pila!
Magic Leimes: Hi Pila
Pila Mulligan: and slautations .. to Malta especially
Wol Euler: hello from Malta pila
Bleu Oleander: hi Pila
Wol Euler: long time no see
Pila Mulligan: happy pizza there guys
Pila Mulligan: ara IMed about the pizza
SophiaSharon Larnia: Pila, Ara, Wol and Eos are in the retreat in Malta, Pema was here too and had to leave
Wol Euler: :)
Eliza Madrigal: It must be good :)
Eos Amaterasu: Club IMed?
SophiaSharon Larnia: oih and Bertram (sorry)
Wol Euler: it is, very nice
Pila Mulligan: :)
Wol Euler: cold and windy...
Bertram Jacobus: ara shortly seems to be outside to "have a portion of fresh air" ... ;o)
Pila Mulligan: she also said the wind was fresh
Pila Mulligan: as in sttrong
Wol Euler: I can confirm that Mick really is a cigar smoker.
Pila Mulligan: :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: lol Wol
--BELL--
Eos Amaterasu: oO0 oO0

Once again we ask, "How is the retreat with regard to Play as Being practice?"

Pila Mulligan: [13:42] Eliza Madrigal: Have you all fallen into a nice rhythm of practice and discussion? <-- previous question for the Retreatees
Wol Euler: too early to tell, eliza
Wol Euler: and with silent day tomorrow ...
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, yes of course... thanks :)
arabella Ella: hey we are really relaxed and enjoying every 'non-second' of 'timelessness'
Pila Mulligan: :)
Wol Euler: telling stories
arabella Ella: i started off by 'dropping' time
Wol Euler: eating almond cookies and pistachios
arabella Ella: (my mobile battery was flat anyway)
Eliza Madrigal: Hah, That helps Ara :)

A sense of prehistory and size...

Eos Amaterasu: this place is dense with time present stretching over K's of years
arabella Ella: yes it sure does
SophiaSharon Larnia: sighs
Eliza Madrigal sighs too
arabella Ella: well Eos could you tell everyone about the age of the Sphinx compared to the Hypogeum?
Wol Euler: yes, the very air is thick with history
Pila Mulligan: I bet it is
Wol Euler: and the smell of the sea
Wol Euler: palm trees and cacti everywhere
Eos Amaterasu: Hypogeum is 1000 years older than the Sphynx
Wol Euler: stony soil, bare yellowish sandstone cliffs
Pila Mulligan: sounds like an old piece of land
Wol Euler: tiny :)
arabella Ella: but ... to be fair ... those on the retreat are seeing Malta which few other visitors normally see ...
Storm Nordwind: Rather like Castlerigg in England which is from 3200 BC too
Eos Amaterasu: roads are narrow lanes with stone walls on both sides
arabella Ella: ehrm ... hypogeum is from 3,800 BC
Pila Mulligan: :)
Wol Euler: Ara, is Malta as big as Manhattan?
Bertram Jacobus: (ara crashed) ...
Pila Mulligan: 121 sq mi Malta, 22.96Manhatta -- wiki
Eliza Madrigal: Thanks Pila, looks like Wol crashed too
SophiaSharon Larnia: hanks Pila
SophiaSharon Larnia: thanks*
Eliza Madrigal: Has everyone arrived then Bert?
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, and Eos...
SophiaSharon Larnia: oops now Bertram!
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, well nice that they popped in for a bit :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: glad they could make it today though
Pila Mulligan: 413,609 Beings on Malta vs 1,634,795 Manhattan :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)

The pizzeria contingent have dropped like flies... "dum... dum... dum... d'dum dum dum d'dum"...

Storm Nordwind hums an old Queen tune ;)
Eliza Madrigal: haha, that did come to mind
SophiaSharon Larnia: lol

The rest of us say our goodbyes too.

SophiaSharon Larnia: yes, much different density Pila
Storm Nordwind: That makes Malta more densely populated!? wow
Storm Nordwind: No
Pila Mulligan: nope
Storm Nordwind checks to see what's in his drink. And orders more ;)
Pila Mulligan: the Google Earth view of Malta is fun to see
SophiaSharon Larnia: oh wait, forgot the land size oops
Pila Mulligan: it actually has a pretty thick density of buildings
Eliza Madrigal: I wondered if Fef and Yakuzza were there yet ... was that mentioned?
Storm Nordwind: They waved to us
SophiaSharon Larnia: yes they are
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, okay... so all in their places with bright shiny faces
Eliza Madrigal: :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: yay :)
Storm Nordwind: cold shiny faces apparently - there's a stiff wind blowing
SophiaSharon Larnia: haha
Eliza Madrigal: bright red noses then....
Eliza Madrigal: Well what a treat!
Calvino Rabeni: What is the name of your location or town in Malta?
Calvino Rabeni: or is it remote?
Eliza Madrigal: Thanks everyone... Bye for now
Storm Nordwind: Bye Eliza
SophiaSharon Larnia: good question that i didnt think to ask, i think they are all gone from the pavilion
SophiaSharon Larnia: Bye Eliza
Eliza Madrigal waves
Bleu Oleander: bye Eliza
Magic Leimes: bye eliza
Zon Quar: bye all..have a nice retriet ㋡
Calvino Rabeni: Right they all left due to tech issues
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye Zon :)
Storm Nordwind waves
Bleu Oleander: bye for now
SophiaSharon Larnia: Bye Blue :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: me too, nice to see you all!
Storm Nordwind: Bye for now
Pila Mulligan: et moi aussi -- aloha all
Magic Leimes: bye sophia
--BELL--
Calvino Rabeni: aloha
Storm Nordwind slips away quietly too
Calvino Rabeni: Goodbye, magic :)
Magic Leimes: bye
Calvino Rabeni: see youlater
Magic Leimes: ;-) bye
Calvino Rabeni: :)