2013.04.29 13:00 - Acceptance and Openings

The Guardian for this meeting was Eliza Madrigal. The comments are by Eliza Madrigal.

--BELL--

Eliza Madrigal smiles
szavanna Resident: _/\_
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Sunshine ^.^
szavanna Resident: ;))
szavanna Resident: hi
szavanna Resident: it was a little mixed up - I lost my connection
szavanna Resident: but all is well
Eliza Madrigal: So I am thinking to pause at 1:10, and return after the second bell, if that seems okay
Eliza Madrigal: happy you are connected :)
szavanna Resident: yes
szavanna Resident: me too ;))
szavanna Resident: ok so in 5 minutes
Eliza Madrigal nods
szavanna Resident: second bell?
szavanna Resident: 30?

First meeting logistics...

Eliza Madrigal: before you arrived was musing on acceptance more, and accepting how things like to go... whether no one would come or many would come
szavanna Resident: listens
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, I mean after the 15 minute point stop
Eliza Madrigal: so there is a beginning bell and end bell then
szavanna Resident: ah okok
Eliza Madrigal: and we'd come back on the end bell :)
szavanna Resident: oh so we start at 15 then and end at 30
szavanna Resident: or ?
Eliza Madrigal: could do that... was thinking that might seem long? was thinking... start at 10... then back at 15, but after the usual 90 second pause bell :)
szavanna Resident: ok °͜° just wanted to make sure
Eliza Madrigal: Hello Wol :)

Wol Euler: hello eliza, sun
Wol Euler: is this the first Eliza Session? :)
Eliza Madrigal: were just kind of setting the parenthesis... yes
szavanna Resident: hi Woly :)
Eliza Madrigal: thinking to have a five minute pause to start simple... beginning at 10 after (1 minute)
Eliza Madrigal: if anyone arrives I will IM them
Wol Euler: okay, let me clean up here :) music off
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: will post a poem instead of ringing a bell, this time
Eliza Madrigal: end bell will ring itself ^^
szavanna Resident: kk
szavanna Resident: 
szavanna Resident: ♥

Eliza Madrigal:

Gone, and a million things leave no trace
Loosed, and it flows through the galaxies
A fountain of light, into the very mind--
Not a thing, and yet it appears before me:
Now I know the pearl of the Buddha-nature
Know its use: a boundless perfect sphere.

- Han-Shan, circa 630

--BELL--

Eliza Madrigal: :) Namaste
Wol Euler smiles.
Eliza Madrigal: *nice*
Wol Euler: Namaste
szavanna Resident: _/\_

Eliza Madrigal: so just we three... no need to be too structured, but would someone like to share about their meditation or anything that comes to mind
(plan is to record these but also not post what is asked to not be posted)

Wol Euler: I found myself sitting unusually, elbows against my sides, knees together. Thought "how odd, fix it" then thought "eh, let it be"
Wol Euler: didn't seem to interfere
szavanna Resident: its been a bit mixed up here in RL and SL too so I was not able to really quiet down
Eliza Madrigal: interesting, hm
szavanna Resident: °͜° Woly
Eliza Madrigal: "mixed up in RL and SL too" :))
Wol Euler smiles.

szavanna Resident: yes quite busy here in RL
szavanna Resident: but settling into something slower as we go on
Eliza Madrigal: I noticed that it was oddly a little strange to settle, while being in the pavilion
szavanna Resident: I love the new look
Eliza Madrigal: perhaps I've developed certain habits
Wol Euler smiles.
Wol Euler: yes, the temple look is great
Eliza Madrigal: do enjoy the scene, nods
szavanna Resident: its so beautiful I am not really missing the retreat skybox
Eliza Madrigal: but also.... after a few seconds really, after seeing the tendency.... it started to downpour and thunder began to rumble everything
Eliza Madrigal: the rain is hitting hard against the house and sliding doors... feels refreshing and I can almost imagine the sound of it on the roof of our virtual tea house pavilion :)
Wol Euler nods and smiles
Wol Euler: I like the sound of the fountain, it fits so well
szavanna Resident: oh nice °͜° I love to hear the rain
Wol Euler: with the lake behind us
Eliza Madrigal: mmmm
szavanna Resident: °͜°

Wol Euler: I went into the meditation feeling very warm and happy, coddled almost
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Wol Euler: I'm glad you are doing these sessions, Eliza, and so glad that I happened to come by tonight.
Wol Euler: I wasn't sure whether this would be the first one or not
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: :) wonderful - I wasn't sure whether to send a note but then thought to let things happen naturally
Wol Euler smiles.
Eliza Madrigal: going with the "acceptance" theme
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: :) it will take hold with time

Eliza Madrigal: Shall we pause again, at 25? in the same way? It was interesting to have the bell, then end bell
szavanna Resident: yes
Wol Euler: I giggled when I figured out what you were doing with the bell, very clever
Eliza Madrigal: :)))
szavanna Resident: °͜°
Wol Euler: yes, let's do
Eliza Madrigal: working with what is ^.^
Wol Euler nods.
Eliza Madrigal: I'll post another poem now... but not always

Eliza Madrigal:

To what shall I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected In dewdrops.
Shaken from a crane's bill.

- Dogen, 1200 - 1253

--BELL--

Wol Euler: _/|\_
Eliza Madrigal: :) _/ \_
szavanna Resident: _/\_
szavanna Resident: it was much more calmer this time
szavanna Resident: apart from my leg that fell asleep
szavanna Resident: ;o)
Eliza Madrigal: :)) happens to me too
Wol Euler: :)
szavanna Resident: I tried a bit of music
szavanna Resident: you know those alpha waves
szavanna Resident: and played it in the background - very low
Eliza Madrigal: very calming sometimes
Eliza Madrigal: and this helped?
szavanna Resident: definitely made a difference
szavanna Resident: just doing it for the second time also
szavanna Resident: getting into the feel
Eliza Madrigal: everyone has such a different environment
Wol Euler nods.

szavanna Resident: kids are wrestling in the other room
szavanna Resident: very noisy
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Wol Euler chuckles.
szavanna Resident: :)
szavanna Resident: hehe
Eliza Madrigal: here there was some whistling
Eliza Madrigal: but it felt very blendy with everything
Wol Euler: oddly quiet here, not even much traffic tonight
Wol Euler: not a peep from the neighours
szavanna Resident: here the TV is on - they are watching the soccer and wrestling in the same time
Eliza Madrigal: challenging :) I guess sometimes total quiet can be just as challenging for being unusual?
szavanna Resident: hmm yes its never totally quiet
szavanna Resident: but I think they will get used to mom doing her quiet things :)
Wol Euler smiles.
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: when son was little he would come in, sit with me for a few minutes, then go out
szavanna Resident: really :)
Eliza Madrigal: as he got older, that stopped but I think he sort of became a bit aware
Eliza Madrigal: aside from the whistling :P
Wol Euler: :)
szavanna Resident: ;))

Eliza Madrigal: Okay... so we're nearing the next opening (driving through tunnels) :))
szavanna Resident: ;))
szavanna Resident imagines
Wol Euler: which is which, though?
Wol Euler smiles.
Eliza Madrigal: good question
Eliza Madrigal: thresholds

Eliza Madrigal: here we are
Eliza Madrigal:

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe,
deserve your love and affection.”

Buddha

--BELL--

szavanna Resident: _/\_
Eliza Madrigal: _/ \_
Wol Euler: _/|\_
szavanna Resident: the quotes are so nice
Wol Euler nods.
Eliza Madrigal: noticed a fidgety mind this time
Eliza Madrigal: :) thanks.... these are from the group of quotes I gathered for meditations years ago... for PaB I'd like to find a wider range
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: not just meditation masters but also musicians, etc
Eliza Madrigal: :)

szavanna Resident: once I made a wall with the pictures of some special people
szavanna Resident: in SL
szavanna Resident: it had Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, Thich Nath Hanh
szavanna Resident: Bob Marley
szavanna Resident: all sorts of people °͜°
szavanna Resident: it was like meditation spot
szavanna Resident: will try to find it
Eliza Madrigal: fantastic :) makes me think of temples and deity images .. reminding of qualities :)
Wol Euler nods.
szavanna Resident: my other avi has it
szavanna Resident: but will get it from her :)
Eliza Madrigal: :))
szavanna Resident: I used a japanese gate
szavanna Resident: what is it called?
Wol Euler: torii?
szavanna Resident: probably
szavanna Resident: and put a pillow in front of it for meditation
Wol Euler: two uprights and one or two horizontals`
szavanna Resident: yes
szavanna Resident: :)
szavanna Resident: so these quotes are a bit like this
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: I love that, yes, fun to play around/tinker and find what we connect with
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: Dogen has been very meaningful for me but I don't know if I'd connect as much with an image somehow
Eliza Madrigal: yet do at times... hm...
szavanna Resident: hmm depends
Wol Euler: it depends on the associations you have with them, I guess

Eliza Madrigal: :) I've got a lingering smile imagining boys wrestling in front of the soccer game
szavanna Resident: ;o)
Wol Euler: :)
szavanna Resident: they left to sleep now
Eliza Madrigal: haha... timing timing
szavanna Resident: hehe yes
szavanna Resident: but it went all ok
szavanna Resident: its nice to have them play and do things as I carry on

Eliza Madrigal: one thing I notice about pausing this way, is that when the 90 second bell comes, one time I went deeper in, like diving into the water deeper...
Eliza Madrigal: anticipating the end bell
Eliza Madrigal: and the other time it was like "okay, come back to everyone"
Wol Euler: yes, it's like an intensifier, a bit of extra focus
Eliza Madrigal: interesting

szavanna Resident: I love the sound of the bell
Eliza Madrigal: a friendly sound
Wol Euler nods.
Eliza Madrigal: :) So we're at the close of the session....
szavanna Resident: I just made one
Eliza Madrigal: ty Sun :)
szavanna Resident: yw :)
Eliza Madrigal: Will use this to lead us into the last pause....
szavanna Resident: ;))
Eliza Madrigal: pretty... copper...
szavanna Resident: :)

Eliza Madrigal: So this time let's start on the hour, but I'll bring us back by ringing the bell at 5 after :)
szavanna Resident: ok :)
Wol Euler: okay
Eliza Madrigal tests
szavanna Resident: need to zoom a bit
szavanna Resident: hear ok?
Wol Euler: mmhmm
Eliza Madrigal: ah hearing it now... my sounds are low
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: (((((((((( )))))))) thank you both for spending this time together
szavanna Resident: ♥ ♥ ♥
Wol Euler: thank you dear eliza for organizing it
szavanna Resident: was looking forward to starting it
Wol Euler: ♥
Eliza Madrigal: hard to make time in usual routines so this is a trick
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: it went well
szavanna Resident: °͜°
Wol Euler: agreed :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)

--BELL--


((ding))

Eliza Madrigal:

To what shall I compare
this life of ours?
Even before I can say
it is like
a lightning flash or a dewdrop
it is no more.

- Sengai

Eliza Madrigal: ♥ ♥ ♥
Wol Euler: _/|\_
Eliza Madrigal sighs happily
Wol Euler: thank you, eliza, and thank you sun
szavanna Resident: _/\_
szavanna Resident: ;))
Eliza Madrigal: beautiful, Sun
szavanna Resident: ty I loved to be here
szavanna Resident: ❤
Eliza Madrigal: loved this too :)
Wol Euler: ♥
szavanna Resident: :)) looking forward to the next one
Eliza Madrigal: hope relaxing and leading into rest for you both
szavanna Resident: will practise in between
Wol Euler: yes, I shall sleep well - quite soon too
Eliza Madrigal: great, me too
Eliza Madrigal: for me, leading into math tutoring :)
szavanna Resident: nitenitee Woly
Wol Euler: heheeh
szavanna Resident: ah happy tutoring °͜°
szavanna Resident: can you do it for me too
szavanna Resident: ;P
Eliza Madrigal: hahah
Wol Euler: take care, be happy and healthy
szavanna Resident: I love this retreat spot
Eliza Madrigal: ::::showers of appreciations:::::::
szavanna Resident: 
szavanna Resident: byebyeee both ♥
Eliza Madrigal: and a shout out to Bleu :)
szavanna Resident: ;))))
Wol Euler smiles.
Eliza Madrigal waves
Wol Euler: goodnight!
szavanna Resident waves and smiles
szavanna Resident: niteniteee