2008.11.02 07:00 - Two Pavilions, One PaB

Adams Rubble was the guardian and added the following comments.

I Got into Second Life a few minutes early and decided to visit the new structure. While I was sitting there a balloon filled in and Dozen Parx emerged and sat opposite me in the pavilion. He had read a notecard on the way in and was ready to talk about Play-as_Being. Since this was essentially a PaB meeting, I have started with our brief conversation there

Adams Rubble: Hello Dozen
Dozen Parx: Hello Abigale
Dozen Parx: Playing or Being?
Dozen Parx: Or both?
Adams Rubble: We move here tomorrow and I just wanted to get a feel for it
Dozen Parx: Move here?
Adams Rubble: In answer to your question, I guess Being
Adams Rubble: We are meeting at another pavilion and this is our new home
Dozen Parx: As in just built?
Adams Rubble: hehe. It was built three months ago but we are a bit slow in moving :)
Dozen Parx: Too much playing!
Adams Rubble: Well it has to do with autorecording :)
Dozen Parx: Playing as being is an interesting idea.... have you been in the
discussion group?
Adams Rubble: Yes. The idea is that we pause each 15 minutes for 9 seconds and it stops us
from what we are doing
Adams Rubble: We meet four times a day at 7, 1, 7 and 1 SLT
Adams Rubble: We are meeting in about 15 minutes
Dozen Parx: I went for a ride in a hot air baloon
Dozen Parx: it came here
Adams Rubble: Storm just set that up yesterday :)
Dozen Parx: and I got a card about playing as being
Adams Rubble: great :)

Isen, an old friend of Play-as_being, had given his first Second Life lecture to the Zen Retreat zazen group at Delani's Buddhist Center the night before

Adams Rubble: I saw you at Isen's talk last night
Dozen Parx: Oh yes
Dozen Parx: I was there
Dozen Parx: Small(ish) world...
Adams Rubble: yes
Adams Rubble: Isen used to come to some of our sessions
Dozen Parx: Looking at you, I may have made an error... is your name Abigail, or is
that a group?
Adams Rubble: Is it a group but I like the name over the Adams :)
Dozen Parx: So... Abigale then...
Dozen Parx: :-)
Adams Rubble: :)
Dozen Parx: or Abigail....
Dozen Parx: If I could spell
Adams Rubble: :)
Dozen Parx: I don't so much say what I want to say as say what I can spell...
Dozen Parx: It's a frustrating thing abouth this place
Dozen Parx: but maybe something else that slows you down
Dozen Parx: Would you say some more about pausing?
Adams Rubble: text chatting gives some of us an advanatge who talk more slowly or quiter in
real life but who type faster than those who talk faster :)
Adams Rubble: There are no rules to PaB. Some of us do some form of meditation and others
just stop and think
Dozen Parx: Do you pause for 9 seconds here... or everywhere
Adams Rubble: We are encouraged to keep a log as a record of our thoughts but most do not do
that
Adams Rubble: We also do not need to pause for every 9 seconds
Dozen Parx: So the pause is thinking time, or empty mind?
Adams Rubble: I tend not to pause when I am in second life, especially at PaB meetings but
many do :)
Adams Rubble: It can be empty mind or thinking time
Adams Rubble: I think it has been both for me
Adams Rubble: I had no experience with meditation before I came into PaB

Dozen introduces me to Gatha, another method of pausing, but with verses

Dozen Parx: Do you know the practice of reciting gatha... short verses associated
with particular actions...
Dozen Parx: Gatha on turning on the radio
Dozen Parx: Gatha on getting dressed
Dozen Parx: gatha on starting the car...
Adams Rubble: I have learned a little bit from people and sometimes do breath meditations or
a body scan
Dozen Parx: Little ways to stop and think...
Adams Rubble: no I don't think I ever heard of gatha
Adams Rubble: It sounds interesting
Dozen Parx: Pausing seems to me a bit like that... giving yourself some breathing
space
Adams Rubble: yes it sounds like it
Adams Rubble: Would you share one of the verses?
Dozen Parx: When the table is set for a meal
Dozen Parx: I vow with all beings
Dozen Parx: to accept this food as an offering
Dozen Parx: that honours my ancient path
Dozen Parx: It's a bit like saying grace!
Adams Rubble: Yes, I was thinking that :)
Dozen Parx: before starting the car
Dozen Parx: I know where I am going
Dozen Parx: The car and I are one
Dozen Parx: If the car goes fast, I go fast

I invite Dozen to the morning session at the pavilion and he accepts

Adams Rubble: I really like this idea :)
Adams Rubble: I have to go to the meeting now, would you like to come?
Dozen Parx: Can you explain how?
Adams Rubble: I'll send a tp since you do not really need a landmark since it the last day
there (unless you decide you like it so much you want to come back later today) :)
Adams Rubble: bfn
Dozen Parx: Thanks

 

We then teleported to the old Pavilion, I put on my guardian tag and remember to ask about the blog

Adams Rubble: Hello again :)
Adams Rubble: One thing i did not tell you is that we record the log and put it on the
website. Do you have an objection to that?
Dozen Parx: No problem...
Adams Rubble: Thanks. I have another request
Dozen Parx: I just expose my bad typing to the world
Dozen Parx: :-)
Adams Rubble: Do you mind if I include the part at the other pavilion?
Dozen Parx: Not at all
Adams Rubble: We have lots of bad typisets here :)
Adams Rubble: including me

Corvi then joined us and we made our introductions. I was wearing the outfit I used when I first came to the old pavilion and Corvi had never seen it before

Adams Rubble: Hi Corvi :)
Adams Rubble: Hello Corvi :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: Hi Adams..I'm confused!
Adams Rubble: Yes, Corvi?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: are we PaBing at the new place?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: nice hair!
Adams Rubble: It starts tomorrow morning at the 1 am session
Corvuscorva Nightfire: ah!
Adams Rubble: Thank you it was my hair when we moved to this pavilion :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: ahhhhhh
Adams Rubble: It is very primmy
Corvuscorva Nightfire: fairwell, hair
Adams Rubble: :(
Dozen Parx: Hello Corvuscorva
Corvuscorva Nightfire grins..I don't believe we've met?
Adams Rubble: I met Dozen at the other pavilion and we have had a nice chat
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I'm Corvi
Corvuscorva Nightfire: Good to meet you Dozen.
Dozen Parx: Corvi is a little easier to type...
Corvuscorva Nightfire: exactly
Dozen Parx: Thank you
Dozen Parx: Good to meet you too
Dozen Parx: It gets dark early...

We continue our comparisons of PaB with Dozen's practice

Adams Rubble: Dozen was telling me about gatha which are verses one recites before doing
things duyring the day
Adams Rubble: There is one for eating, driving, etc
Dozen Parx: I came across them in a book by Robert Aitken
Adams Rubble: It sounds much like our pausing
Dozen Parx: It's part of a buddhist practice called mindfulness
Dozen Parx: and I thought it sounded like pausing
Dozen Parx: that's how it came into the conversation
Adams Rubble: Mindfulness is a goal of PaB too
Dozen Parx: Do you practice pausing Corvi?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: not in any concerted way
Storm Nordwind is Online
Corvuscorva Nightfire: but I am being more and more drawn in.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I'm very new..this is my first experience with anything like
this.

Dozen was very interested in the playing part

Dozen Parx: What about playing.... how does that fit in?
Adams Rubble: We can be very silly here at times. It often is a good tension breaker
Adams Rubble: Some seem to like to be more silly than others :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire resembles that remark
Adams Rubble: :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: ^.^
Dozen Parx: This place is a little formal for playing maybe?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: oh no!
Adams Rubble: We have managed :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: we seem to do just fine...heheheh
Corvuscorva Nightfire: snap.
Adams Rubble thinks back to the first time in the pavilion when she was lying in a
drunken stupor in the corner
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I wish I'd been here to see that, Adams.
Adams Rubble: This is a very serious business and the idea is that is good not to talke
ourselves too seriously
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I think sometimes it's good to get wacked by a cushion, too.
Dozen Parx: Play is serious... or being
Corvuscorva Nightfire: keeeps you on your toes.
Dozen Parx: Maybe play is the serious stuff and being is just fun
Adams Rubble: The exploration of ourselves can be serious
Adams Rubble: hehe Dozen
Adams Rubble: maybe
Corvuscorva Nightfire: part of the explorations are play, too.
Dozen Parx: You talk about exploration as though it's a systematic thing...

Hmmm. Is the exploration systematic? I do the best I can with that question

Corvuscorva Nightfire: well, i don't think it is...
Corvuscorva Nightfire: is it, Adams?
Adams Rubble: Well exploration of reality os one of the goals
Adams Rubble: Is it systematice?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: we introduce ideas to each other, and play with them.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: at least that's how I have experienced the system.
Adams Rubble: I blog regualrly and it keeps me more systematic than most maybe
Dozen Parx: Pause sounds like a tool for exploring in a systematic way
Corvuscorva Nightfire: it is a bit of system, I guess.
Adams Rubble: but I don;t know that I would call it that
Adams Rubble: Yes Dozen
Dozen Parx: I like the sound of it
Adams Rubble: The more one pauses, the more things seem to keep moving
Adams Rubble: Pema talks about the experience as we being ships moving in the water
Adams Rubble: The more one pauses, the more the ship seems to be in motion
Adams Rubble: We stay engaged
Dozen Parx: It's a nice idea - not lots of baggage
Adams Rubble: We are supposed to shedding baggage :)
Adams Rubble: to be
Dozen Parx: No ritual, or belief, or guilt....
Adams Rubble: Exactly
Dozen Parx: just a little promise to stop and look every once in a while
Adams Rubble: Pema calls it the 1% tax
Adams Rubble: we devote 1% of the day
Adams Rubble: if we do it all the time
Dozen Parx: It's a good practice for busy people
Adams Rubble: yes
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods.

Corvi adds what we get from other people in the group

Corvuscorva Nightfire: there is something hidden in all that that I value more, though
Corvuscorva Nightfire: what erupts from the people here....
Adams Rubble: we learn from and support each other
Corvuscorva Nightfire: yes
Dozen Parx: Well, I guess a lot of people find erupting difficult elsewhere
Adams Rubble: :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire laughs.
Adams Rubble: This is a good place to erupt :)
Dozen Parx: Conversation can be tricky
Corvuscorva Nightfire: mmmhmm
Dozen Parx: I'm afraid I have to go to find someone....
Dozen Parx: A friend who is waithing on a help island
Corvuscorva Nightfire smiles..ah
Corvuscorva Nightfire: ok
Adams Rubble: It was great meeting you Dozen and I hope you come again
Dozen Parx: I hope to see you both again sometime
Adams Rubble: bye for now :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: me too
Dozen Parx: I have the card....
Dozen Parx: :-)
Adams Rubble: namaste

Dozen leaves and Corvi and I discuss houses

Adams Rubble: How is your house coming along?
Corvuscorva Nightfire grins. I am very happy with it.
Adams Rubble: It is nice to have a home in SL :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I still have a fire to create...and haven't figured out a way
to play music except off the web.
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: it is surprisingly nice
Adams Rubble: I think that is how music is played most places but I know niothing about that
part
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I didn't think it mattered, before.
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods...I don't either.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: but I'm sure I'll find out.
Adams Rubble: I like putting my avatars to bed at might. I hate having them sleep out in the
grass
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I have been sleeping on metaphorical couches.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: where is your home?
Adams Rubble: In Buyeo. I have the northernmost guardian plot (at least for the present time)
Corvuscorva Nightfire smiles..
Adams Rubble: I am a bit up the coast from Wol
Adams Rubble: Where are you?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: we're neighbors then....
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I'm west of Wol.
Adams Rubble: Ah, that's nice
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I think west.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I'll have to look which direction.
Adams Rubble: The coast kind of goes diagonal
Adams Rubble: Do you know where Gaya is
Corvuscorva Nightfire: I'm in mangrove swamp...and I'm not sure about Gaya...I have
been there
Corvuscorva Nightfire: but not explored out of there
Adams Rubble: Ah, yes I know the swamp

We decide that with the half hour up, we should go and visit

Corvuscorva Nightfire smiles...lets go on a home tour!
Corvuscorva Nightfire: ?
Adams Rubble: I am Gaya's neighbor to the north
Adams Rubble: Yes, I would like to see your home. I haven;t seen most of the guardian's places
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods.
Adams Rubble: Oh you mean now?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: well...it seems to be me and you, the half hour is up....
Adams Rubble: Hmmm
Adams Rubble: Yes, the half hour is up. OK. I have to catch a train a bit early anyway. It
will give me a chance to save the log
Corvuscorva Nightfire sits back down, smiling.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: k
Adams Rubble: OK, let's go
Adams Rubble: Your place first?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: ok
Adams Rubble: tp me?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: yes..one minute

And so Corvi and I had a pleasant exchange of visits to our respective houses.