2010.01.31 13:00 - Malta retreat, Pema's remembrances

The Guardian for this meeting was Maxine Walden. The comments are by Maxine Walden.

In this session, as a theme session about the recent Malta retreat, Pema begins by giving some of his impressions.  I will say little here but try to edit the intros and other possible distractions for clarity.  One observation, however, that the PaB session time seemed to go very quickly, and am wondering if that mirrored the retreaters' experience as well.  Many opportunities to further inquire.

Pema Pera: shall we get started?
Pema Pera: this is the second Malta retreat theme session; this morning Wol reported, and now it is my turn
Pema Pera: there will be eight more sessions within the coming week!
Pema Pera: Given that Wol already gave a beautifully detailed impression of the setting and the atmosphere, I'll just add a few pieces here and there
Pema Pera: and then we can have a free discussion, and I'm happy to answer whatever questions there may be about the retreat
Pema Pera: first of all, the arrival was perfect -- with Arabella waiting for me (and for everybody in fact) at the airport
Pema Pera: what a royal way to start the retreat -- thank you so much, Ara!
arabella Ella: :)
Pema Pera: Malta itself was a big surprise: for such a small island nation, the variety was stunning
arabella Ella: sorry seem to have some lag
Pema Pera: within an area of roughly ten by twenty miles there was such a variety in cultural and natural history both
Pema Pera: you could walk a few hundred feet and find yourself in a different micro climate
Pema Pera: through the combination of hills and different soil and different wind patterns
Pema Pera: the visit to the hypogeum the first afternoon (while Wol was stuck in the snow) was also an early highlight
Pema Pera: this is an underground place, constructed well over five thousand years ago, before pyramids and Stonehenge
Pema Pera: the oldest underground temple
Pema Pera: built as if it was a normal building: with pillars and windows and a roof, all made to like like that
Pema Pera: but carved into the walls of a natural labyrint
Pema Pera: Let's see
Pema Pera: Wol already discussed some of the sessions
Pema Pera: on the silent day Eos and I decided to hike across and around the valley to the more distant hills
Pema Pera: and that's why we missed both the lunch and the afternoon naps which we heard about later :-)
Pema Pera: but it was a great hike, with spectacular views
Pema Pera: As for the content of the sessions, as usual it was a mix of explorations/exercises and talking and sharing in between
--BELL--
Pema Pera: typically 5 to 10 minutes of some kind of practice, followed by an hour or so of talking.
Bertram Jacobus: sry. hit the silence ...
Lia Rikugun: helo bertram
Pema Pera: we all shared in proposing what to focus on, during a practice/exploration period
Pema Pera: suggestions were made by Paradise, Fefonz, Lia, me, and various others
Pema Pera: including Bertram -- hi Bertram!
Pema Pera: As for my own personal experience
Bertram Jacobus: hehe. really ? i made suggestions ? don't remember yet (always) ... ;-)
Bertram Jacobus: ah. yes. one i remember now :-)
Pema Pera: perhaps the most striking aspect of all that I learned was the sense of multiple aspects of reality
Pema Pera: how to put it into words . . . .
Pema Pera: the sense of being fully present within the story of daily life -- and totally accepting that aspect of what is real
Pema Pera: and at the same time the sense of Being which transcends all stories, all realms, all that appears
Pema Pera: and to find ways to acknowledge and appreciate both sides, simultaneously, without any kind of worry or hope or fear or expectation
Pema Pera: very luxuriously, really :-)
Pema Pera: but perhaps I should stop here, and let all of you ask, comment, report, share
Pema Pera: wow, we have many here from the retreat: Yaku, Eos, Ara, Wol, Bert, Lia, and me!
Bleu Oleander: how is the sense of Being different from the story of daily life?
Pema Pera: within daily life we feel we have many needs, many plans and prospects and worries, and all that becomes transparent, so the speak, in the Light of Being
Pema Pera: the appearances are still there, but one doesn't feel bound by them to the usual degree
Bleu Oleander: different layers of being?
Pema Pera: different angles, yes, of what is the same thing ultimately
Maxine Walden: does being present in every moment of daily life, being really present there, does that seem to link with Being?
Pema Pera: in the world but not of the world -- in Christianity
Pema Pera: the two truths -- in Buddhism
Pema Pera: yes, that is a natural aspect of it, Maxine
Pema Pera: both a reflection of it, and a kind of portal into it
Maxine Walden: yes, that is becoming my experience as well, Pema
Lia Rikugun: i am wondering how you got this feeling? was this mostly relaxation ?
Pema Pera: :) I have seen that in your emails, Maxine, like in the time workshop
Maxine Walden: :) , yes
Pema Pera: that's a long story, LIa, so many aspects coming together . . . . .
Lia Rikugun: we have 35 minutes left :)
Pema Pera: and undoubtedly aspects I don't know about
Pema Pera: hahaha
Pema Pera: well, one thread was your sally, followed by my suggestion to make it a different kind of sally
Pema Pera: while being right in the room -- but that is something that you should tell, not me
Eos Amaterasu: It seems to be both giving in to it (not looking for elsewhere), and not attaching to it
Pema Pera: yes
Pema Pera: opening up for it, a kind of balanced devotion
Maxine Walden: yes, Eos
Lia Rikugun: yes this seems right
Eos Amaterasu: so relaxing in both senses, Lia
Pema Pera: listening to what the Universe suggests, each next moment, in wu-wei
Pema Pera: Hi Aurora, good to see you again!
Aurora Kitaj: sorry to be late
Lia Rikugun: hello aurora
Aurora Kitaj: nice to see everyone, a long time :)
Pema Pera: feel free to join the circle, Aurora, there is one seat left between Bertram and Bleu!
Bertram Jacobus: :-)
Pema Pera: another great experience was our walk through the Silent City at the end of the Silent Day
Pema Pera: another treat by Arabella
arabella Ella: Pema during the retreat you asked us what the highlight was for us, what was the highlight for you?
--BELL--
Pema Pera: What I mentioned Arabella: [13:18] Pema Pera: perhaps the most striking aspect of all that I learned was the sense of multiple aspects of reality
Pema Pera: [13:19] Pema Pera: the sense of being fully present within the story of daily life -- and totally accepting that aspect of what is real [13:19] Pema Pera: and at the same time the sense of Being which transcends all stories, all realms, all that appears [13:19] Pema Pera: and to find ways to acknowledge and appreciate both sides,
arabella Ella: :)
Pema Pera: but hard to put into words, really!
Lia Rikugun: multiple aspects of reality
Lia Rikugun: had to say it again for the echo
Pema Pera: simultaneously a sense of all being okay, and receiving enormous inspiration to improve things :-)
Pema Pera: but no paradox there
Pema Pera: on the level of Being everything is okay
Lia Rikugun: i understand
Pema Pera: and that makes it possible to really improve things on the level of daily life
Pema Pera: without worries and regrets, etc
Maxine Walden: Being protects the daily self from the erosion of overwhelming doubt etc...(one way to glimpse these multiple levels of reality)
Pema Pera: as a celebration and confirmation, not an attempt to overcome anything
Maxine Walden: But feels so important not to impose such a connection...to rather let it all Be
arabella Ella: wearing Being lightly perhaps
arabella Ella: but nevertheless Being
Maxine Walden: yes
Pema Pera: the main point is to see what we are already doing: closing ourselves off every moment -- just relaxing that tendency is enough
Pema Pera: yes
Eos Amaterasu: giving in to the confidence of Being, holding your confidence in its hand
Pema Pera: !
Maxine Walden: the quiet non-arrogant confidence of Being
Pema Pera: ah, yes, I introduced three ways of action: control, cultivation, and seeing -- confidence is connected with seeing
Maxine Walden: lovely phrasing, Eos
Lia Rikugun: may i say what i understand and you tell me if thats what you see as well?
Pema Pera: please!
Lia Rikugun: in a way that every experience has its meaning if it seems to be bad or not, but there will be a learning at some point
Lia Rikugun: today or in 5 years
Pema Pera: yes, that is part of it -- but it is also more direct, in that right now we can accept and appreciate everything already
Lia Rikugun: or is this more the self perspective?
Lia Rikugun: ok
Pema Pera: both is true, what you said and the immediate version
Pema Pera: like relative and absolute truth
Pema Pera: accept what is -- and then improve it within the daily life story, on a relative level
Bleu Oleander: what is absolute truth, can we know it?
Pema Pera: well, the words "absolute" and "relative" are not ideal . . .
Pema Pera: and "we" as we normally consider what we are, can never now the ultimate truth
Pema Pera: but we can learn to open up for it
Pema Pera: and then as a side effect see that we are much more than we thought we were
Pema Pera: seeing directly how everything is one -- more than "connected"
Pema Pera: without separation in space or time or cognition
Pema Pera: and then we see that the "relative" is in no way different from the "absolute"
arabella Ella: or the so called 'self' from everything else around it
Pema Pera: yes, all appearances can be appreciated as not separate from Being
Pema Pera: subject and objects
Pema Pera: the only way to invite that kind of direct insight is to open up for it, deemphasizing our usual own preoccupations and chatter -- we can't reach or grasp it
Lia Rikugun: the questioning is important for this
Lia Rikugun: questioning as a kind of path as eos said
--BELL--
Pema Pera: questioning how we keep obstructing our own insight, yes
Pema Pera: btw, one aspect of the retreat was similar to what happened in the previous two RL PaB retreats: that after a while everybody tended to have a kind of silly smile on their face, happiness without a reason; Mick was especially good at this, radiant really :-)
Wol Euler nods.
Maxine Walden: Pema, are there easy ways to describe the differences between Malta and the previous RL retreats?
Pema Pera: hmmm, not so easy
Pema Pera: the natural setting was totally different
Maxine Walden: OK, just wondering
Pema Pera: the cultural one was too, with ancient history
Pema Pera: the people were different as well, individually
Pema Pera: one other thing:
Pema Pera: we did not sleep at the retreat place, but we had to get in and out by two cars
Eos Amaterasu: Also the transitions throughout the day, from hotel to cars thru towns to store to meditation farmhouse
Pema Pera: which divided our time into two halves:
Eos Amaterasu: & back (including getting lost :-)
arabella Ella: :)
Lia Rikugun: :)
Pema Pera: at the retreat center and at the hotel
Maxine Walden: ah...
Pema Pera: I myself saw this as an advantage, actually
Pema Pera: in that it was an extra challenge to keep the retreat atmosphere in the more conventional setting of hotel and restaurants
Lia Rikugun: I feel the same way it is easier to bring it to daily life
Pema Pera: so each day we already were invited to intregrate practice and daily life -- yes
Lia Rikugun: (hopefully)
Eos Amaterasu: keep that smile in the daily life activities
Pema Pera: insofar as daily life is drinking wine with good friends in ancient South European settings
Pema Pera: :-)
Wol Euler grins.
Lia Rikugun: hehe
Maxine Walden: ...bringing a smile of its own, the wine (!)
Pema Pera: and listening to Arabella's contagious laughter
Maxine Walden: amidst such wonderful surroundings
Lia Rikugun: yes!
Pema Pera: while she was telling us all "you are so stupid!!!"
arabella Ella giggles ...
Eos Amaterasu: and Maltese melodic speech
Pema Pera: yes!!
arabella Ella: oh yes the different accents each of us had!
Eos Amaterasu: interacting with the people providing us support of varous kinds
Maxine Walden: ah, what wonderful lyrical images...
arabella Ella: and i guess the dreams too although we did not discuss those much ... but something for you to keep in mind Maxine
Maxine Walden: oh, Ara?
Pema Pera: one practice we did came directly from a dream by Lia!
Maxine Walden: can inquire about those as seems fitting
arabella Ella: yes i had lots of dreams mixing SL and RL and the retreat settings but unfortunatelyt did not record them
Lia Rikugun: :)
Lia Rikugun: in a dream i had pema suggested a meditation ;)
Lia Rikugun: which we did the next day
Lia Rikugun: i felt it was very powerful, during the dream and afterwards in real life
Maxine Walden: an anticiptory dream, Lia?
Lia Rikugun: looking back it seems like
Maxine Walden: very interesting
Lia Rikugun: i had the feeling to suggest it
Lia Rikugun: i liked it a lot
Pema Pera: interestingly, three days earlier I dreamt going with Lia on a similar exploration, but I didn't tell Lia about that, until she mentioned her dream
Maxine Walden: and that is so interesting, Pema...a kind of meeting in the dream
Maxine Walden: in the dream space...
Lia Rikugun: i like to think of it like this ;)
Pema Pera: :)
Pema Pera: and then Lia discovered an actual staircase, which she hadn't seen yet, behind a door in the retreat room, similar to her dream :)
arabella Ella: perhaps dreams could play a more key role in future retreats Maxine
Lia Rikugun: well yu discoveredc it and showed to me
Lia Rikugun: i still dont understand why it was there!!
Pema Pera: I keep mixing up what we see in what order :)
Lia Rikugun: very strange
Maxine Walden: hmm, curiouser and curiouser...as was said in Alice in Wonderland, if I recall correctly
Lia Rikugun: and interesting
Lia Rikugun: yes
Pema Pera: three days earlier Lia led us on a joint daydream
Lia Rikugun: so has the staircase always been there or not?
Pema Pera: hahaha, who knows?
arabella Ella: in the meditation farmhouse, i think probably yes ... since ancient times
Pema Pera: she took the whole group, as a tour guide, to her happy place
Maxine Walden: hmm
Pema Pera: and we all rezzed the place in our own imagination
arabella Ella: itt was so lovely sharing with Lia
Maxine Walden: sounds wonderful
Lia Rikugun: thank you all!
Pema Pera: btw, I have to leave for dinner now
Lia Rikugun: it was wonderful with everybody :)
Pema Pera: please go on
Maxine Walden: yes, I have another meeting as well in a minute
Bleu Oleander: sounds like a wonderful trip!
arabella Ella: bye Pema and thanks
Pema Pera: don't let me interrupt
Pema Pera: thank you all !
Maxine Walden: bye all
Wol Euler: bye pema, bye maxine
Eos Amaterasu: Also leaving...
Bleu Oleander: bye Pema
Lia Rikugun: bye
arabella Ella: bye Maxine
--BELL--
TH Ordinary: bye
Lia Rikugun: yes i will go to bed too
arabella Ella: bye Eos Lia
Bleu Oleander: bye all
Calvino Rabeni: bye all
Wol Euler: bye lia, schlaf gut
Wol Euler: bey bleu
TH Ordinary: bye
Bertram Jacobus: bye all ... :-)
Lia Rikugun: ok so have a good night all
Lia Rikugun: or a great day
arabella Ella: nite Lia
Wol Euler: goodnight all
Lia Rikugun: byebye
arabella Ella: i must go too nite all