2011.05.21 19:00 - No Need to Wait

The Guardian for this meeting was Pema Pera. The comments are by Pema Pera.

Pema Pera: Hi Lila!
Lila Darkmatter: Hi Pema!
Pema Pera: (lots and lots of lag)
Pema Pera: (I can't even read my own lines, until a couple minutes later!)
Pema Pera: ah, getting a wee bit better now
Pema Pera: if I don't respond to a question, please repeat: sometimes lines drop when having large lag
Lila Darkmatter: Oh, sure. It seems fine so far
Pema Pera: (am in my breakfast cafe, but with pouring rain, like a deluge, affecting my internet cell phone connection, it seems
Lila Darkmatter: but then I may be laggy myself
Pema Pera: any more visits to parks and trees recently?
Lila Darkmatter: Well, today a farmer's market at my daughter's school
Lila Darkmatter: and that was interesting... a demonstration of a solar powered car the robotics club made, etc
Pema Pera: oh, how nice!!
Lila Darkmatter: and I bought spicy black radishes :)
Lila Darkmatter: you?
Pema Pera: I can imagine doing that when I was young . . . (robots, not radishes :-)
Lila Darkmatter: It was very impressive, I must say. The student was so knowledgeable
Pema Pera: I keep rediscovering the simplicity of life, while walking around the city . . . . so hard to put into words . . . .
Pema Pera: (answer to "you?" -- still laggy)
Pema Pera: hi Steve!
stevenaia Michinaga: waves

I had to smile at the way Lila was kindly yet persistently prodding:

Lila Darkmatter: simplicity does seem difficult to word :) but it would be nice if you might try?
Lila Darkmatter: Hi Stevenaia :)
stevenaia Michinaga: how are things in Japan?
stevenaia Michinaga: hii Lila
Lila Darkmatter: :)
Pema Pera: breathing in the relative world, breathing out naturally occurring timeless awareness -- how's that for a try?
Pema Pera: lots of rain today, Steve, a real downpour
Lila Darkmatter: Very nice :)
Pema Pera: it's a very simple exploration
Pema Pera: anyway, you have to breathe, right?
stevenaia Michinaga: rain cleans things up nicely, cept along the mississippi
Pema Pera: so you might as well breath in all that appears, and then breathe out its essence
Lila Darkmatter: with the relative world appreciative of the timeless awareness you are giving back?
Pema Pera: a kind of TSK level tong len, if you like
Pema Pera: yes, it all mingles
Pema Pera: after a while the two become almost the same
Pema Pera: like the swinging door of Suzuki Roshi
Lila Darkmatter: :)
Pema Pera: we can all try it right now,
Pema Pera: while typing
Pema Pera: no need even to wait for the 90 seconds
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Pema Pera: given that we're still breathing anyway
Lila Darkmatter: breathing in the words and letters....
Pema Pera: how about you, Steve?
stevenaia Michinaga: the question?
stevenaia Michinaga: was reading about Suzuki Roshi :)
Lila Darkmatter: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: about 5 minutes behing here
Pema Pera: breathing in all that appears, the whole world of phenomena, and breathing out its empty essence/nature
Pema Pera: (sorry, hadn't stated that very clearly before)
stevenaia Michinaga: when breathing before Tai Chi I find it takes quite a while for the quiet to envelope
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: then the little things in the emptiness become relivant
Pema Pera: here we don't worry about quiet -- just breating in the turmoil is interesting too. Then breathing out the essence/nature of all phenomena, including turmoil

Lila then provided the title for this session:

Lila Darkmatter: :) really like that 'no need to wait' sensibility
Lila Darkmatter: and quiet too :)
Pema Pera: yes, that could be the core of PaB
Pema Pera: the "no need" including not even a need to wait
stevenaia Michinaga: true, any moment becomes THE moment
Pema Pera: actually almost any "no X" could be the core of PaB, hahaha
Pema Pera giving away his tricks :-)
stevenaia Michinaga: smiles
stevenaia Michinaga: then all moments become THE moment
Pema Pera: (^_^)
Lila Darkmatter: :)
Pema Pera: =(^+^)= cats seem to know that . . . . when they rest
stevenaia Michinaga: they often look like they are meditation, yet they also always seem to know what's happening around then
stevenaia Michinaga: not a bad model
Pema Pera: and they are able to get others to pet them
Pema Pera: very advanced :-)
Pema Pera: (and feed them, the whole works)
Lila Darkmatter: the outdoor cat conducted a stake out.. sly devil
stevenaia Michinaga: truely the master of their universe
Lila Darkmatter: the neighborhood is full of people who feed outdoor cats, but we didn't... so he came each day and stared at us
Lila Darkmatter: and stared and stared
Lila Darkmatter: :) Sigh... of course eventually he won
stevenaia Michinaga: lol
Pema Pera: hahaha
Pema Pera: do you know the book "the silent meow"?
stevenaia Michinaga: no
Lila Darkmatter: :) Listens...
stevenaia Michinaga: is it the cat handbook of human manipulation

the answer is yes, didn't get to say that in the conversation :-)

Lila Darkmatter laughs
Pema Pera: required reading for cat lovers
Lila Darkmatter: how so?
Pema Pera: from 1964, by Paul Gallico
Pema Pera: somebody discovers that his cat is writing on his type writer
Pema Pera: a manual for kittens
Pema Pera: describing all the follies of humans
Pema Pera: (sorry large lag here sometimes)
Pema Pera: http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Meow-Ma...6031140&sr=1-2
Pema Pera: the BIGGEST trick is the "silent meow"
Pema Pera: Lila's description reminded me of that
Pema Pera: if a cat can't yet charm humans in doing something for them
Lila Darkmatter: :) he must have read the book for sure
Pema Pera: the last resort is to look at them with pitiful eyes, opening their mouth as if meowing, but no sound coming out
Lila Darkmatter: Oh, definitely
Pema Pera: the epitomy of the power of mellowing
stevenaia Michinaga: my cat sticks his tongue out, sounds similar
Lila Darkmatter: :)
Pema Pera: (on the web site I just gave you there is a picture of a silent meow
Pema Pera: hehehe
Pema Pera: ears straight up, eyes round like "how can you find peace in your heart treating me like this!"
Lila Darkmatter: hahah
Lila Darkmatter: the indoor cat here is far pushier... lays on the book one is reading, or climbs on your chest and plows his head into yours
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: brb
Lila Darkmatter: but wow, when he is content, how wonderful... motor going, like a warm electric blanket
Lila Darkmatter: coincidentally my daughters went to orientation to become 'feline counselors' today
Lila Darkmatter: for a shelter. We laughed at what an 'official' sounding name it is
Lila Darkmatter: for them to volunteer to come and play with cats a few hours on weekends :)

From here on my lag was increasing again . . .

Pema Pera: what does a feline counselor do?
Lila Darkmatter: ah, just answered :)
Pema Pera: talk with distressed cats? or distressed humans in cat-like ways?
Pema Pera: (sorry, terrible lag . . . )
Pema Pera: (more than a minute -- still raining hard)
Lila Darkmatter: they'll just snuggle cats for a few hours... no that's fine... nice to slow down :)
Lila Darkmatter: we need the rain here... it must sound wonderful
Lila Darkmatter: :::breathes in the imagination of the smell and sound of rain::::
Pema Pera: hi Bert!
Lila Darkmatter: Hi Bert :)
Bertrum Resident: hi everyone.
Lila Darkmatter: How are you doing Bertrum?
Bertrum Resident: Doing well, thank you.
Lila Darkmatter: :) Glad
Lila Darkmatter: Pema is laggy and Stevenaia is away for a moment. We were talking about 'the silent meow' and about each moment, all moments, being THE moment
stevenaia Michinaga: a loud graduation party nearby seems to be getting out of control
Lila Darkmatter: uh oh
Lila Darkmatter: togas?
Bertrum Resident: the silent meow?
Lila Darkmatter: heheh
Lila Darkmatter: yes, it is a cat manual about how to manipulate humans, as Stevenaia rightly guessed
stevenaia Michinaga: hmmm, not sure

. . . to the point that I decided to bail out.

Pema Pera: I think I'll log out -- lag is getting worse -- looking forward to seeing you soon again!
Lila Darkmatter: Bye Pema
Bertrum Resident: bye, Pema
stevenaia Michinaga: enjoy lunch
Lila Darkmatter: laggy lunch....hehe
Lila Darkmatter: (except that he's at breakfast)
Lila Darkmatter: hehe
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Bert
Lila Darkmatter: a lazy cat hopes for laggy lunch
Bertrum Resident: so what is the silent meow?
Lila Darkmatter: Oh, just a book Pema mentioned
Lila Darkmatter: a cat stares with mouth open but no sound
Lila Darkmatter: eyes looking pitiful
stevenaia Michinaga: http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Meow-Ma...6031140&sr=1-2
Lila Darkmatter: it is amazing how much we talk about cats in PaB now :)
Bertrum Resident: Thanks, Steve for the link!
Lila Darkmatter: cats, dogs, pizza
stevenaia Michinaga: cats have much to show us
Lila Darkmatter: and chickens
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: seems that it was an offence to kill a cat in ancient Egypt
stevenaia Michinaga: http://www.richeast.org/htwm/cats/Cats.html
Lila Darkmatter: oh, cutting a hole in a jacket rather than disturbing a sleeping cat
Lila Darkmatter: I can understand that :))
Lila Darkmatter: some days I come in to make the bed and turn right back around upon seeing the cat so happily sprawled
Lila Darkmatter: let sleeping cats lay
stevenaia Michinaga: when a cat sprawls, I swear thay take up as much room as a person
Lila Darkmatter: well, if I remember correctly, your cat may be larger than most
stevenaia Michinaga: all cats are larget than most
Lila Darkmatter: :)
Bertrum Resident: wonderful beings!
Lila Darkmatter: a neighbor has cats the size of dogs... it feels strange walking into her house...
Lila Darkmatter: like looking at a capibara
Lila Darkmatter: have you seen those?
stevenaia Michinaga: googling now
Lila Darkmatter: hope my spelling is correct
Bertrum Resident: what size of dogs are these cats?
stevenaia Michinaga: not a cat
Lila Darkmatter: but they are enormous and look like giant hampsters
stevenaia Michinaga: nods
stevenaia Michinaga: that might freighten most cats
Bertrum Resident: Uh the rodent cat?
Lila Darkmatter: Hm, I'd say the cats are the size of medium poodles
Lila Darkmatter: haha
Lila Darkmatter: well just a rodent, but I'd say capibara is to hampster as these cats are to regular ones
Lila Darkmatter: :)))
stevenaia Michinaga: where are those things from?
Lila Darkmatter: good question
Lila Darkmatter: South America it seems
stevenaia Michinaga: nods
Lila Darkmatter: the world is full of wonderous creatures
Bertrum Resident: Yes. That's very true.
Lila Darkmatter: giant squid, seahorses...
stevenaia Michinaga: starfish
Lila Darkmatter: ibis, spiders, kangaroos!
Lila Darkmatter: Well I have to go, but I hope you have an ipod or something to protect you from the next door party steve
Lila Darkmatter: or an invitation :)
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Lila Darkmatter: Nice to see you Bert
stevenaia Michinaga: night lile
Lila Darkmatter: :))Bye
Bertrum Resident: Night Lila
stevenaia Michinaga: I think I picked up your 7:0o am session this morning
Bertrum Resident: ?
stevenaia Michinaga: there was a guardian MIA this mornign wasn;t it you?
stevenaia Michinaga: perhaps npt
stevenaia Michinaga: not
Bertrum Resident: No, I'm entirely MIA (but have no assignments)
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Bertrum Resident: Have you read the book, Silent Meow?
stevenaia Michinaga: no, Pema showed it to us
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: Bertram Jacobus, isn;t that you?
Bertrum Resident: Bertrum Quan (in an earlier incarnation)
stevenaia Michinaga: my error
Bertrum Resident: What was the context of the discussion about the book?
stevenaia Michinaga: cats and their mamzing abilities to control us
stevenaia Michinaga: amazing
stevenaia Michinaga: this was one of their atributes
Bertrum Resident: Ah. I'm a fan of the cat!
stevenaia Michinaga: see, they have successded
Bertrum Resident: Absolutely.
Bertrum Resident: They are very intuitive.
stevenaia Michinaga: I remember once my cat was gazing into my eyes for a very long time... began to feel a unique commection
stevenaia Michinaga: then the cat turned his head and began staring in the same way at a blank wall... so much for the connectedness'
stevenaia Michinaga: human = blank wall
Bertrum Resident: That's one way to see it,,,
Bertrum Resident: From what I've observed, so cats have deep connections with their human friends.
stevenaia Michinaga: nods
Bertrum Resident: It's not a fake connection.
stevenaia Michinaga: I know... my cat speans much time with me when I am on the internet his head on my arm between me and my computer
stevenaia Michinaga: I can't be that comfortab;e typing
Bertrum Resident: Yes, some cats want to stay close. It gives both cat and human comfort.
stevenaia Michinaga: I hurd the purr calms and actually strengthes their bones (sound) in cats and nearby humans
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: bed time for me, night bert
stevenaia Michinaga: thanks
Bertrum Resident: Night Steve. May you dream of many cats!
stevenaia Michinaga: :)