2012.05.14 19:00 - Openness Toward All

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

Pema Pera: Hi Steve!
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Pema
Pema Pera: good evening!
stevenaia Michinaga: just read this mornng's session
stevenaia Michinaga: (your midnight)
Pema Pera: yes, that was interesting
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Storm
Pema Pera: hi Storm!
stevenaia Michinaga: always appreciate your focus
Storm Nordwind: Hellooo!
Pema Pera: has there been any email follow-up? My email system has been out for the last 16 hours or so
stevenaia Michinaga: how are you feeling Storm
Pema Pera: patiently waiting to be reconnected to the world
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Storm Nordwind: Up and down, thanks Steve... poor sleep
stevenaia Michinaga: links to the session
stevenaia Michinaga: follow-up by Eliza and Eos
stevenaia Michinaga: I found that in reading the session again, when posting, many things seemed far clearer. What emerged (to me) is a familiar pull in some ways, structure v free form, but also some sense that those two ways/ideas do not have to conflict as they play out. :) Best, -Eliza
stevenaia Michinaga: Eos's had a lovely depth to it, hope it get's through to you
Storm Nordwind nods in agreement
stevenaia Michinaga: to long to repost
Pema Pera: thanks!
Pema Pera: Eos is often deep and thoughtful
Pema Pera: Ah, I think you met him in Princeton once, didn't you, Steve?
Pema Pera: a couple years ago
stevenaia Michinaga: yes :)
Pema Pera: hi Santo!
stevenaia Michinaga: I remember years ago I asked about the practicality of PaB, not exactly what Boxy was asking, at that point in time I belive your rsponse related the the experiment, not the practicallity
stevenaia Michinaga: *to the
Pema Pera: the practical angle was Boxy's special request :-)
stevenaia Michinaga: nods
stevenaia Michinaga: I keep hearing the voice of youth in boxy :) refreshing
Pema Pera: so today we can talk about experience, practicality, and judgment, three for the price of one!
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Pema Pera: hi San!
Pema Pera: in my judgment, going back to direct experience is the most practical way of dealing with life situations -- how's that!
Storm Nordwind: Do come closer San... otherwise you won't be being recorded. :)
Pema Pera: a coastal voice . . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: poofs
stevenaia Michinaga: well woven, perhaps there is poetry in this theme
stevenaia Michinaga: oh there you re San, thought you dissappeared
Pema Pera: actually, judgment is what often precludes getting in touch with experience, in practice :)
stevenaia Michinaga: judgements seems to be constructed of wall
stevenaia Michinaga: not of windows
Pema Pera: nice!
stevenaia Michinaga: how to have people understand that
Pema Pera: how to have me understand that . . . .
Pema Pera: I know it, and yet . . . to integrate that knowledge into life is not so simple . . . .
Pema Pera: hence the 9 sec as a little aid :-)
stevenaia Michinaga: goes to my thought that " judgements are defensve in nature"
Storm Nordwind: defensive?
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: thinking the negative judgements, , the kind that isolates others from you by lableing then.... whatever you judge them to be
stevenaia Michinaga: but there can the positive side of judgements, inclusive of all
Storm Nordwind: I find that hard to relate to, since the only judgments I make are about my own behavior, usually in this particular here and now, put possibly evaluating my past behavior too (and surmising future occasionally).
stevenaia Michinaga: ponders self judgement... I think I forgot about that
stevenaia Michinaga: probably do it more than I think about it
Storm Nordwind smiles
stevenaia Michinaga: every choice then is a judgement
Santoshima Resident: self- judgements can be orienting: spatially, contextually
Pema Pera nods
stevenaia Michinaga: temporally
stevenaia Michinaga: thinks back on my youth and how different my perspective was
stevenaia Michinaga: and the judgements made
stevenaia Michinaga: the context of space and time are very close in this instance and how they affect judgement
Storm Nordwind nods
Santoshima Resident: ~ connected to discriminative awareness
stevenaia Michinaga: yyoung, old, here or there all can change ones perspective
Storm Nordwind is reminded of his log two weeks ago entitled: "You say 'discrimination' like it was a bad thing!" ;-)
Santoshima Resident: very good!
Pema Pera: on the topic of experience, one very simple exploration/experiment/exercise I like to do is to try to watch how thoughts (or feelings, images, memories) arise, to try to see how they appear. Shall we try to do that during the upcoming break?
Santoshima Resident: sure :)
Storm Nordwind nods and smiles
stevenaia Michinaga: how?
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: wow, rather busy watching in there
Pema Pera: for me, one surprising aspect of trying this is to see how difficult it is . . . thought typically appear already full fledged, fleshed out; hard to see them form
Storm Nordwind: If I'm meditating, like i did during the break, I find they just arise and fall in response to physical stimuli. Though at first there's a few seconds of the infinite mirrors of mind watching mind, but that quickly goes and awareness takes over.
Storm Nordwind apologizes but must try and get an early night - to remedy only getting to sleep at 4am last night!
Pema Pera: sleep well, Storm!
stevenaia Michinaga: nods, the sounds around me take hold, if only for a second, then another takes hold, the white noise of my computer,my own breathing, followed by the recognition of that moment, before another appears
Santoshima Resident: rest well, Storm ~ good to see you
Storm Nordwind: Be well dear friends
stevenaia Michinaga: night storm
Pema Pera: yes, Steve, I know the feeling, there seems to be no end to thoughts and impressions, once you try to enumerate them!
Pema Pera: normally they are lumped together as background
Pema Pera: like a wet book with most of the pages stuck together
Pema Pera: until you start peeling them apart :)
stevenaia Michinaga: I remember once at the retreat in princeton writing them all down, like a path to the next
Pema Pera: you'd have to write very very very fast!
stevenaia Michinaga: nods, I think I wrote them after, like waking from a dream and jotting all the thoghts down before they left
Pema Pera: interesting comparison!
stevenaia Michinaga: is it like a dream?
Pema Pera: how about you, Santa, did you get a chance to watch thoughts appear, if I may ask?
Pema Pera: *Santo
Santoshima Resident: sure, but might not articulate ... i like the "santa name btw, it's a chuckle
Pema Pera: I so often *almost* typed that -- it's in my fingers I think :)
Pema Pera: I think we are all Santas is showering thoughts around as little presents . . . . :-)
Pema Pera: *in
Santoshima Resident: difficult to describe, since most thoughts for me are not words
Santoshima Resident: yes, all are santa
Pema Pera: more like images?
Pema Pera: or feelings?
Santoshima Resident: sounds connected to a sense of space/texture
Santoshima Resident: and deeply connected to body sensation
Pema Pera: ah, yes, hard to summarize, I can see!
Pema Pera: words are so limited . . .
Santoshima Resident: a body mapping, linked to the sensory information
Santoshima Resident: but instantaneous
stevenaia Michinaga: I only Appear to be typing
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Santoshima Resident: this might fall into the category that boxy described of "spiritual vagueness"
Santoshima Resident: sorry
Pema Pera: mapping as in a different location for each feeling/thought?
Santoshima Resident: yes
Pema Pera: oh, not to worry about boxy -- you're eloquent!
stevenaia Michinaga: reseating myself
Pema Pera: and many of the precious things in life cannot be circumscribed, hence are by definition "vague" :-)
--BELL--
Pema Pera: I enjoy it all: from the precise diction of engineers, to the mixed sensibilities of architects (in between engineering and art) to the expressive creativity that may resemble vagueness to some (^_^)
Santoshima Resident: openness toward all ~ a sense of humour helps
Pema Pera nods
stevenaia Michinaga: speaking of santa... and bear wih me... I saw a santa pez despensor at the market today, seems out of place
Pema Pera: pez!!!
Pema Pera: down memory lane . . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: I age pema a pez despensor the second time we met
Pema Pera: four years almost!
stevenaia Michinaga: *cage
stevenaia Michinaga: Gave
Pema Pera: we are all aging . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: and today you call Santo, santa
Pema Pera: :-)
stevenaia Michinaga: coinsidence... I think so
Pema Pera watching the clock . . . have to leave a little early to catch another lunch appointment
stevenaia Michinaga: but contect gives it meaning
Pema Pera: yes ! :)
Santoshima Resident: ok, bye Pema ~ good to talk with you
stevenaia Michinaga: okies, let me know if you need refills, Pema
Santoshima Resident: :))
Pema Pera: good talking with you two too !
stevenaia Michinaga: enjoy lunch
Pema Pera: haven't seen a single pez in Japan so far, Steve!
Pema Pera: thanks for the offer :)
Pema Pera: bfn
stevenaia Michinaga: I have found those japanese kitty pex despensors
stevenaia Michinaga: pez
stevenaia Michinaga: hello kitty
Santoshima Resident: oh, wow, steve! i have never collected ... only admired from afar
stevenaia Michinaga: thre used to be a pez museum in town , so I found Pema a special one
Santoshima Resident: nice
Santoshima Resident: are the pez candies edible?
stevenaia Michinaga: yikes, I still ahve a pic of it on my phone
Santoshima Resident: or that's not the point of pez?

Santoshima Resident: & what exactly does "P e z" stand for? is it an acronym?
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, with a clever despensor, usually coming out of the neck of whatever head is on the top of it
Santoshima Resident: yeah, never had one, but i know whatcha mean
stevenaia Michinaga: http://www.pez.com/index.php
Santoshima Resident: .... heading for the "fun facts" section
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Santoshima Resident: & fund fact #2 answered my question: A_ The word PEZ was created using the first, middle and last letter in the German word for peppermint PfeffErminZ.
Santoshima Resident: fund = fun
Santoshima Resident: has there every been a Pez avitar here at PaB?
Santoshima Resident: seems timely for it
stevenaia Michinaga: I don;t think so
stevenaia Michinaga: that would be coinsidental
--BELL--
Santoshima Resident: i better get going ... also not much sleep last night ~
Santoshima Resident: thanks so much for this conversation, Stevenaia
stevenaia Michinaga: okies, nice seeing you
Santoshima Resident: bye for now
stevenaia Michinaga: thx for the pic
Santoshima Resident: you are welcome :)
Santoshima Resident: ciao, bella
stevenaia Michinaga: night