2010.02.02 19:00 - If They Were Smiling and Breathing

The guardian for this session was Eliza, filling in for Eos while travelling back from retreat.

I was joined for this session by Flux and Sitar. We discussed, of all things, PlayasBeing, with a few diversions here and there! ;-) 

Eliza Madrigal: I think we have no end bell at the beginning since conversations are just starting :)
Sitar Ishelwood: ah
Eliza Madrigal: So Hello!
Sitar Ishelwood: hello
Eliza Madrigal: This is your second time at PaB only, right?
Sitar Ishelwood: yes
Sitar Ishelwood: i am still not sure what is going on here
Eliza Madrigal: Oh! Ask anything...
Sitar Ishelwood: what is going on here?
Eliza Madrigal: You've noticed the bell I'm sure...
Eliza Madrigal: hahaha
Eliza Madrigal looks around
Sitar Ishelwood: ive heard it
Eliza Madrigal: I think I gave you a notecard before, but basically we have four sessions a day, and every 15 minutes during the sessions, we stop to pause...
Sitar Ishelwood: ok
Eliza Madrigal: you're familiar with meditation, so the pauses you might call micro-meditation...
Sitar Ishelwood: ok
Eliza Madrigal: a way to incorporate practice throughout a day... "drop what you have to see what you are"
Eliza Madrigal: Does that make any sense?
Sitar Ishelwood: ah, who is the one who is living me now
Sitar Ishelwood: yes
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eliza Madrigal: yes! what I have, what my roles are, what I look like...
Eliza Madrigal: is not the whole pictures... but what we tend to get caught up in
Eliza Madrigal: *picture
Sitar Ishelwood: reminds me of something thicht naht hahn said once
Eliza Madrigal: I was very drawn to that idea when I first came here
Eliza Madrigal listens

The bells reminds me to smile and breathe...

Sitar Ishelwood: he would ask people chopping potatos ( at his retreat)
Sitar Ishelwood: what are you doing?
Sitar Ishelwood: if they said chopping potatos, he would nod
Sitar Ishelwood: and if they said, im smiling and breathing, he knew they were getting it
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Sitar Ishelwood: the bell reminds us to smile and breathe
Sitar Ishelwood: ?
Sitar Ishelwood: right?
Eliza Madrigal: that's sweet actually, yes
Sitar Ishelwood: he's a sweet guy
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eliza Madrigal: Hello Flux
Flux Constantine: hi
Sitar Ishelwood: hi
Eliza Madrigal: How are you, Flux?
Flux Constantine: not too bad. you?
Eliza Madrigal: Well, thanks :)

Eliza Madrigal: Sitar and I were discussing the pauses, and stopping to breathe and smile :)
Flux Constantine: sounds like a good idea :)
Eliza Madrigal: yes :)
Sitar Ishelwood: you are in favor of smiling and breathing?
Sitar Ishelwood: then its unanimous!

Eliza Madrigal: haha, yes
Eliza Madrigal: Well, I open the floor... What topics might be on our mind yet...
Eliza Madrigal: Still more questions about what is going on here Sitar?
Eliza Madrigal: :))
Eliza Madrigal: We have nearly 2 years of chat logs... really quite remarkable...
Sitar Ishelwood: im maybe up to speed
Eliza Madrigal: conversations centering on timelessness and Being, on various practices, etc
Eliza Madrigal: Sometimes we watch thoughts during pauses... or an excercize i love:
Eliza Madrigal: appreciate the presence of appearance as a presentation by being...
Eliza Madrigal: then we share notes on what we noticed...

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Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eliza Madrigal: Flux, have you ever been here for one of those exercizes?
Eliza Madrigal: I was late, but we might do that at the half hr if you both are interested...
Flux Constantine: no, I don't think so, but I read a little about APAPB and so on in the logs
Eliza Madrigal: Make sense to you?
Flux Constantine: yes, I think so

Time Space Knowledge...

Flux Constantine: I've also studied the TSK book a bit
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, I didn't know that
Sitar Ishelwood: it seems like the thing to do. what is the tsk?
Eliza Madrigal: we're reading that together in the Time workshop...
Eliza Madrigal: It is the book Pema was inspired by, when he began PaB....
Flux Constantine: titled Time, Space, and Knowledge
Sitar Ishelwood: by a tibetan guy?
Eliza Madrigal: Steven Tainer, who is Stim Morane here in SL, helped his teacher Tarthang Tulku write the book... yes
Sitar Ishelwood: yes, i used to have a copy of that.
Eliza Madrigal: really?
Eliza Madrigal: Did you read it?
Sitar Ishelwood: yes, dont think i got all the way through it
Sitar Ishelwood: skipped around a bit.
Eliza Madrigal: Its dense... lots of people have either read it slowly or stopped...
Flux Constantine: I didn't do many of the exercises... too lazy :)
Eliza Madrigal: I had to pre read it once before I felt I was reading it...
Eliza Madrigal: :))

The mountain retreat exercize..

Flux Constantine: I think I got to a point where it said something like, "OK, now go off to a mountain retreat for a couple weeks"
Eliza Madrigal did not do the mountain exercize since she lives in Miami
Flux Constantine: and I'm thinking, hmm, that may be a bit difficult :)
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Eliza Madrigal: you and I were thinking of the same exercize I think...
Sitar Ishelwood: it didn't really grab me, but if it was like the book club book, i would give it another shot
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, I find it a book that when it clicks and begins to work with you, is really strong...
Sitar Ishelwood: what is the hard excercise?
Sitar Ishelwood: seems like an inside joke
Eliza Madrigal: going to a mountain
Sitar Ishelwood: ok
Eliza Madrigal: :) I think it is the way it is phrased in the book...
Eliza Madrigal: just go to the mountain...
Flux Constantine: yes, it's mentioned like it would be the most casual and easy thing to go do
Eliza Madrigal: Its an exercize just about getting out where there are no visual obstructions though....

Sitar Ishelwood: and then what?
Eliza Madrigal: so I think if one wanted to do it, one adapts :)
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, well let me get the book?
Sitar Ishelwood: like an open sky meditation
Flux Constantine: I think the actual exercise was visualizing oneself as having a giant body. and then visualizing it as being made of up parts, and those divisions opening up in certain ways
Flux Constantine: going by memory
Eliza Madrigal: My copy is falling apart  :)
Eliza Madrigal: the mountain exercize is open sky....
Eliza Madrigal: but yes there is a giant body exercize
Sitar Ishelwood: sounds like stuff from the vijnana bhairava tantra
Sitar Ishelwood: and this youtube video
Sitar Ishelwood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ
Eliza Madrigal: Willian Shatner?
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Sitar Ishelwood: passionate love between kirk and the mountain
Eliza Madrigal smiles....
Eliza Madrigal: well you may get some of the ideas....
Eliza Madrigal: I can't quite find the mountain exercize... pages falling out... bookmarks...
Sitar Ishelwood: oh well,
Sitar Ishelwood: this guy does a beautiful translation of the vbt, and it has meditaions like you speak of in it :  http://www.lorinroche.com/
Eliza Madrigal: But yes the idea is to become familiar, I think, with a sense of Great Space
Sitar Ishelwood: 112 practices for essential sacred being
Sitar Ishelwood: but i need a copy of this book, i guess
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, that sounds interesting
Sitar Ishelwood: and to read it until it falls apart

Eliza Madrigal smiles...
Eliza Madrigal: let me get a link to something you might like to read at leisure...
Eliza Madrigal: http://playasbeing.wik.is/PaB_Theme_Sessions
Eliza Madrigal: Toward the bottom are dialogues with Pema and Stim, and some other sessions on TSK actually... and Timelessness...

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Eliza Madrigal likes the title of this teacher's book "the Radiance Sutras"...
Sitar Ishelwood: he's juicy and delightful
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Sitar Ishelwood: really expresses the spirit of divine love of the text
Eliza Madrigal: hm, that matters more than anything perhaps
Sitar Ishelwood: it is a religious text, and a flirtation between shiva and shakti
Sitar Ishelwood: so, you kind of have to be into that sort of thing
Eliza Madrigal: Ah :)
Eliza Madrigal: We're at page 190 for the workshop, btw ... if you'd like to attend it is at kira tomorrow 11AM...
Eliza Madrigal: Flux do you have a lm for that?
Flux Constantine: ok, thanks
Sitar Ishelwood: i've got to get this book and catch up wiht you guys
Flux Constantine: no, but I usually use the link on the web page
Sitar Ishelwood: i dont think ill make it tomorrow
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, no worries... let me give you a link to kira anyway...

2/3rds of the way to enlightenment...

Sitar Ishelwood: what is going on on page 190?
Flux Constantine: well, the book is about 300 pages long, so we're 2/3rds of the way to enlightenment ;)
Eliza Madrigal: " undermining the idea of a solid and continuous self"
Eliza Madrigal: haha, Flux
Sitar Ishelwood: borderline enlightened!
Sitar Ishelwood: yeah, i totally want to do that
Sitar Ishelwood: wait, who does?
Eliza Madrigal: haha..yes exactly
Eliza Madrigal: who wants to learn all of this...
Eliza Madrigal: This deeply into the book, one begins to get a real sense of the interplay between time,space, knowledge... intimate dance perhaps...
Eliza Madrigal: or at least that's been my experience
Sitar Ishelwood: sure, sure. i think i have alot to learn about this concept of knowledge
Sitar Ishelwood: knowing the knowing

Eliza Madrigal: But, even without reading the book.... PaB was inspired by the vision...
Eliza Madrigal: so many of the exercizes and discussions we have give a taste :)

Eliza Madrigal feels like a salesman and apologizes...
Eliza Madrigal: difficult to give an impression sometimes
Eliza Madrigal: hah

Sitar Ishelwood: thats ok, i been feeling like im highjacking a little, and taking it off topic
Sitar Ishelwood: i just get excited
Eliza Madrigal: yes me too... and you not at all...
Eliza Madrigal: I don't think we had a topic other than "What's going on here"
Sitar Ishelwood: really, i think flux needs to quiet down
Eliza Madrigal: hahaha
Flux Constantine: I'll try :)
Eliza Madrigal: yes, he's terribly disruptive tonight
Sitar Ishelwood: srsly, dude
Flux Constantine: so far it's been either this or totally obnoxious...
Flux Constantine: :)
Eliza Madrigal: We all have our days :)
Sitar Ishelwood: a man after my own heart
Eliza Madrigal: Well, shall we try a quick exercize when the bell rings?
Sitar Ishelwood: yes
Sitar Ishelwood: what?
Eliza Madrigal: We might just "notice what we notice" and then share....
Sitar Ishelwood: ok

We have a visitor but manage to keep the rhythm somewhat...

Eliza Madrigal: Hello Pandora :)
Pandora Ampan: hello
Eliza Madrigal: Welcome to PlayasBeing... I'll give you a note to introduce you to our group...
Sitar Ishelwood: quick sit down!

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Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eliza Madrigal: We record our sessions Pandora, is it okay that I include you? If not I can easily edit.
Pandora Ampan: yes, i am here doing research for school
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, wonderful. What kind of research?
Pandora Ampan: I have a race, ethnic, diversity class
Sitar Ishelwood: ah, we are a diverse bunch
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, then SL is a wonderful environment to explore...
Eliza Madrigal: yes international and diverse on many levels
Sitar Ishelwood: today, i got a new job, and i work with a vampire and a na'vi
Sitar Ishelwood: last night i flirted with elves
Pandora Ampan: SL job, os otherwise, I am extremely new at this.
Eliza Madrigal laughs...Sitar, yes you've been exploring the diversity of SL... maybe have some tips
Sitar Ishelwood: it is a sl job. no na'vi in my real life hood, yet
Eliza Madrigal explores mostly from this very spot
Eliza Madrigal: :))
Flux Constantine: only vampires and elves? :)
Eliza Madrigal: haha
Eliza Madrigal: lions and tigers and bears oh my
Sitar Ishelwood: well, in the past few hours...
Eliza Madrigal: Oh... think she poofed...
Sitar Ishelwood: so it goes

And so it goes, yes, then back to what we noticed...

Eliza Madrigal: Might either of you remember your thoughts during the pause... what you noticed...
Sitar Ishelwood: maybe she got bored and ported
Eliza Madrigal: She seemed mid sentence...
Flux Constantine: mainly that I started breathing a lot more deeply without really meaning to
Flux Constantine: I guess my breath was pretty shallow before
Eliza Madrigal nods... yes that's rather what I noticed too... that I sat up straighter and felt more open breathed...
Eliza Madrigal: and heard background sounds more intensely
Sitar Ishelwood: hah, i noticed that i was slouched, but didnt change it
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Flux Constantine: yes, noticed the AC, both the sound and the air from it... and the SL sounds
Sitar Ishelwood: and i noticed the heat in my mouth from the indian food
Eliza Madrigal nods nods
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, don't say that... will get hungry
Sitar Ishelwood: and i noticed that i was annoyed that my roommate was yelling in my ear about his google analytics account, but happy i could help him
Eliza Madrigal: hah, kidding... Thank you both for sharing that... its funny how much one can notice in 90 seconds
Sitar Ishelwood: oh, i have enough for you, come over
Sitar Ishelwood: both of you
Eliza Madrigal: :) See you soon
Flux Constantine: you don't happen to be next door, do you? :)
Eliza Madrigal: we have a giant body, Flux...
Sitar Ishelwood: im next doo to someone
Eliza Madrigal: can take two or three steps...
Flux Constantine: ah right
Flux Constantine: with a giant hungry mouth?
Eliza Madrigal: hahah, yes Sitar perhaps can't feed us like that...

Eliza Madrigal: Anyway, thanks to you both. This was a fun session for me
Sitar Ishelwood: in this realm i can offer you tea, and thats about it
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Sitar Ishelwood: i may have a beer around here somewhere
Flux Constantine: thanks Eliza
Sitar Ishelwood: good to meet you flux
Flux Constantine: where are our nano-assemblers, dammit? :)
Flux Constantine: you too, Sitar
Eliza Madrigal: nono-assemblers?
Flux Constantine: oh, I mean like where they materialize the food like on Star Trek
Eliza Madrigal is constantly learning new vocabulary around here
Eliza Madrigal: Ahhh
Sitar Ishelwood: sounds so nutritious!
Eliza Madrigal: yes I thought we'd all have virtual rooms like Star Trek by now...
Sitar Ishelwood: well, the ipad is here
Eliza Madrigal: that it is... not quite climb-in-able

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Eliza Madrigal: Well, bye Sitar...
Eliza Madrigal: haha
Eliza Madrigal: Night Flux, Have a good evening
Flux Constantine: good night