B. Scathach

I met Scathach Rhiadra at the teahouse at the Zen Retreat for our conversation. I had forgotten how  much trouble I used to have getting my avatar up the steps and in through the door. Interesting that after all these months I had not yet mastered the technique. It was nice to be in the cozy confines of the teahouse once again for a chat about Play as Being.

Scathach is one of the group of guardians who arrived late in the first calendar year and have added so much to our group. Since she became a guardian I have enjoyed reading the sesssions in which she is Guardian on Call.

Adams Rubble: How did you find your way to PaB?
Scathach Rhiadra: well, I met Pema, at the Buddhist Centre
Scathach Rhiadra: he briefly told me something of what PaB was about and gave me the wiki URL
Scathach Rhiadra: I had a look at the wiki and went to a session.
Scathach Rhiadra: He had looked at my profile and saw I was interested in exploring the nature of reality and the Buddhist connection, the Science interest too I suppose
Adams Rubble: yes :)
Adams Rubble: What was your first experience doing the nine second stops?
Scathach Rhiadra: mmm, I had done short meditations before, though not quite so short, so I found it relatively easy to just stop , so to speak, but was surprised at how easy it was to just slip into mindfulness in such a short period of practice.
Scathach Rhiadra: It took some time to get into a regular routine though, but I found the breathing space and refocusing, the sense of presence, was lasting between each 9 seconds practice almost to the next session
Adams Rubble smiles. I exprienced that too :)
Scathach Rhiadra: so achieving a regular practice was very beneficial
Adams Rubble: Is the regularity the biggest difference compared to longer meditations?
Scathach Rhiadra: probably, though i still find longer meditations are very useful sometimes
Scathach Rhiadra: maybe it would be more correct to say a different type of meditation in the longer sessions sometimes, more insight meditation, whereas the 9 secs are more mindfulness, just being present in the moment
Scathach Rhiadra: just dropping everything and experiencing the awareness of being 'now', experiencing everything 'as it is'
Adams Rubble: yes

I ask Scath what was it like during her first couple of weeks in PaB?

Scathach Rhiadra: Well, in the meditation I started to have a regular practice.
Scathach Rhiadra: then I found the PaB sessions really something I had been looking for, so to speak.
Scathach Rhiadra: to have like-minded people , though from all different backgrounds/traditions, all exploreing reality and share their findings
Adams Rubble nods
Scathach Rhiadra: a bit like coming home:)
Adams Rubble: :)
Adams Rubble: yes it is isn't it :)
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, kind of like a family
Adams Rubble nods
Adams Rubble: It took me a while to get to know the guardians apart and there were many fewer when I started. Did you experience some of that?
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, it took some time to get to know people, but it is also amazing how new people fit in to the group so easily
Adams Rubble: Yes, particularly some of the group that started about the time you did. You have all added quite a bit to PaB
Adams Rubble: You also are involved in some of the Kira Workshops
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, the pheno, and philosophy workshops
Scathach Rhiadra: then Stim's Ways of Knowing workshop and lately the Time workshop
Adams Rubble: wow!
Adams Rubble: I have noticed ideas filtering into PaB from the workshops. What have they added to your PaB experience?
Scathach Rhiadra: yes there is a lot of overlap, or at least I think so:
Scathach Rhiadra: like the pheno explorations are very close to PaB, but starting from an exploration of phenomena, whereas PaB satarts with Being
Scathach Rhiadra: then the nature of Time is very tied up in the nature of reality
Adams Rubble: That is the workshop I know least about
Scathach Rhiadra: and probably the most differenly structured one too, in that it is more structured with readings and led discussions
Adams Rubble: Oh :)
Scathach Rhiadra: maybe it just seems that way:)

I wonder whether Scath's experience with the workshops give her any insights about the PaB sessions, good or bad?

Scathach Rhiadra: hmmm, I think overall the PaB sessions work as they are, not led too much, but we have seen how they can quickly go off topic too:)
Adams Rubble has been guilty of that
Scathach Rhiadra: the themed dialogues have been very good I think, giving a bit of a framework
Scathach Rhiadra: focusing on certain areas/ideas which everyone is interested in exploring
Adams Rubble nods
Scathach Rhiadra: so a good mixture of both
Adams Rubble: Yes, it seems good to have both
Adams Rubble: What do you think has been the biggest surprise of PaB?
Scathach Rhiadra: mmm, difficult:)
Scathach Rhiadra: oh, I suppose discovering just how many people there are who are also trying to figure out the nature of reality:
Adams Rubble nods thoughtfully
Scathach Rhiadra: I would not have gotten to meet most of them in RL
Adams Rubble: and such a variety too :)
Scathach Rhiadra: yes:)
Adams Rubble: How has your knowledge of Buddhism helped with PaB (or possibly not helped)?
Scathach Rhiadra: well, in some ways it has helped, having a long standing meditation practice is certainly a help with starting the 9 secs practice
Scathach Rhiadra: also, many of the subjects and topics we discuss are very prominent in Buddhism, like arising, awareness, timelessness, mindfullness, experiencing or 'seeing' things as they are
Adams Rubble nods
Scathach Rhiadra: but there are drawbacks too, I don't know so much, if anything, about other traditions and have a lot to learn there, though that is the same for everyone, not all know much about Buddhist philosophy:)

Yes, I become challeneged when people start talking seriously about Buddhism

Adams Rubble: One last question :)
Adams Rubble: Did I miss anything you would like to talk about?
Scathach Rhiadra: mmm, no, but I suppose I didn't say anything about how the people who attend PaB really contribute to my experience
Scathach Rhiadra: I find people very open and sincere in their questioning and sharing, really a bit unique in such a large group of people:)
Scathach Rhiadra: also, the friendships we have developed are very strong and we seem to sustain each other, if that makes sense:)
Adams Rubble: It makes a tremendous amount of sense to me :)
Adams Rubble: yes
Adams Rubble: Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. It has been a pleasure talking with you :)
Scathach Rhiadra: it has been a pleasure talking to you too:)