2009.06.12 19:00 - Walking meditation and art museums

The Guardian for this meeting was Dakini Rhode. The comments are by Dakini Rhode.

Adams, Resting and I chatted about the upcoming Playasbeing retreat, meditation practice, and art museums

Dakini Rhode: hi Adams :-)
Adams Rubble: Hello Dakini and Resting :)
Resting Thor: hi Adams, Dak

Adams crashes...

Resting Thor: waiting on Adam's book
Dakini Rhode: ohoh
Dakini Rhode: signs of crashing
Resting Thor: bummer

Adams returns...

Adams Rubble tries different seat
Dakini Rhode: wb Adams
Dakini Rhode: we were waiting for the book you appeared to be typing
Adams Rubble giggles
Adams Rubble: It may be under the other cushion

We chat about the upcoming Playasbeing retreat and Playasbeing practice...

Dakini Rhode: Adams are you planning to attend the PaB retreat this summer?
Adams Rubble: no I can't
Resting Thor: how will that work?
Dakini Rhode: nor am i
Adams Rubble: It is a bad time and a little far
Adams Rubble: there is a retreat in California at the end of August Resting
Resting Thor: a group thing?
Adams Rubble: It will focus on "appearance" from APAPB
Dakini Rhode: it's 5 days, isn't it?
Adams Rubble: yes 5 days
Adams Rubble: about 13 people I think
Adams Rubble: in the hills south of San Francisco
Dakini Rhode: planning to get deeper with the practice
Dakini Rhode: i have so many choices nearer to me, too much to do even
Adams Rubble has never been on a retreat
Dakini Rhode: would you like to do one?
Resting Thor: what kind of pratice do you do adams?
Adams Rubble: I would have gone on this one had it been a bit closer Dakini
Adams Rubble: and Resting, I am not sure what I would call it. I have followed the PaB practice for a year
Resting Thor: that answers my question
Resting Thor: you must like the results then?
Adams Rubble: I haven;t doen that well understanding Buddhism
Adams Rubble: yes, I think it has been a bit of a short cut for me
Resting Thor: you must be more mindful during the day as a result
Adams Rubble: but I am in a state of drifting at the moment
Adams Rubble: yes, when I do the stopping regularly I get focused on whatever O am doing

the 90 second bell rings...

Dakini Rhode: every time that 90 second bell rings i'm like... where was i?
Adams Rubble: :)

Suggestions for walking meditation...

Resting Thor: have you done walking meditation?
Adams Rubble: only a little. Storm suggested a meditation he called Faru
Adams Rubble: which involved picking up light behind you on the the inhale
Adams Rubble: and laying it down in front on the exhale
Resting Thor: or you could breathe in the worlds pain and breathe out happiness?
Adams Rubble: I find it interesting that it sharpens my focus on what is around me
Adams Rubble: :)
Adams Rubble: that is a nice thought
Adams Rubble: won;t it hurt?
Resting Thor: breathe in pain, burn it up completely, breathe out happiness
Resting Thor: have to destroy it inside you at the heart
Adams Rubble: wow
Adams Rubble: I'll try it :)
Resting Thor: let it ride on your breath...don't change your breathing
Dakini Rhode: when you take another's pain into your heart, it has no reference point
Dakini Rhode: it dissolves automatically
Dakini Rhode: you don't need to do anything
Resting Thor: i like to explode it into little cinders hehe
Adams Rubble: :)
Resting Thor: lots of noise and bang
Resting Thor: i'm a noisy guy
Adams Rubble: hehe
Resting Thor: keeps me from dozing off haha
Adams Rubble: It sounds like a good exercise to practice opening one's heart
Resting Thor: makes us more aware of others pain i think
Dakini Rhode: or the emptiness of others' pain?
Adams Rubble: This was the kind of thing I came to PaB looking for a year ago :)
Resting Thor: and could plant seeds karmically to live in a world of happiness free from pain
Dakini Rhode: pain without a reference point is not really pain
Adams Rubble: maybe wouldn;t hhave been ready for it then
Dakini Rhode: you know Vivienne of Peacemaker Institute?
Adams Rubble: no
Dakini Rhode: She's been posting the Lojong slogans on facebook
Dakini Rhode: Lojong are buddhist slogans for training the mind and opening the heart
Dakini Rhode: i think she had one about sending and taking a few days ago
Resting Thor: many forms of tonglen
Resting Thor: :)
Adams Rubble: thank you Dakini
Adams Rubble: Is that on her own page or the Instutes page?
Dakini Rhode: it's one and the same
Adams Rubble: :)

The 90 sec bell rings...

Dakini Rhode: ah where was i
Adams Rubble: :)
Adams Rubble: peacemaker institute
Dakini Rhode: haha yes
Dakini Rhode: that and prison dharma network
Dakini Rhode: i was waiting for the typing animation to stop but... doesn't look like it will
Adams Rubble: who is typing?
Dakini Rhode: it appeared to me that Dakini was typing
Dakini Rhode: not to you?
Resting Thor: i didnt' see any typing
Dakini Rhode: interesting
Adams Rubble: nor I
Dakini Rhode: which is real lol?
Adams Rubble: hehe. The pavilion is haunted
Resting Thor: pabspirits
Dakini Rhode: my server must have taken over

We exchanged information on meditation retreat resources and buddhist art museums...

Resting Thor: so what started your quest a year ago adams
Resting Thor: teh one that led u to pab
Adams Rubble: It was time and SL offered an opportunity for exploration
Resting Thor: what part of the country do u live in?
Adams Rubble: spent some time visiting numerous spirtual places and ended up at the Zen retreat looking for Buddhism and found PaB :)
Adams Rubble: east coast
Resting Thor: so you are in ripe Buddhist lands :)
Adams Rubble: am I?
Resting Thor: NY city for sure
Resting Thor: close to godstow?
Adams Rubble: don't know what that is
Dakini Rhode: i have so much "close" to me -- Kripalu in Mass, Omega Institute in NY, Karme Choling in VT, and KTD monastery in Woodstock, NY
Dakini Rhode: lots more in NY too
Adams Rubble: best to take the train to NYC :)
Dakini Rhode: i agree
Dakini Rhode: have you seen the Rubin Museum Adams?
Adams Rubble: no not yet
Adams Rubble: There are so many museums to go to when one gets to NY :)
Adams Rubble: Just haven;t gotten there yet
Dakini Rhode: but you know of it?
Adams Rubble: oh yes
Adams Rubble: looks interesting
Dakini Rhode: a museum of tibetan buddhist art and artifacts, Resting
Adams Rubble: I am more familiar with Chinese Buddhist art than Tibetan though
Resting Thor: i know it well from the internet
Resting Thor: would love to visit it
Dakini Rhode is thinking field trip
Resting Thor: http://www.himalayanart.org/
Adams Rubble: :)
Resting Thor: is one of my favorite sites
Resting Thor: includes the rubin collections
Adams Rubble: The Met has a wonderful collection of Chinese and Japanese art
Adams Rubble: and the Newark NJ has an interesting collection of Tibetan art
Resting Thor: really!
Resting Thor: what is its name
Resting Thor: i would love to know what they have
Adams Rubble: The Dalai Lama visited there
Dakini Rhode is hoping the computer doesn't eat THIS blog
Adams Rubble: I think he dedicated an altar
Resting Thor: looking for wheel of life thangkas
Adams Rubble is not sure how much is on their website
Resting Thor: would give me a contact tho :)
Adams Rubble: they also have a first classs American collection
Adams Rubble: but that won;t help you
Adams Rubble: did you lose one Dakini?
Dakini Rhode: last friday's apparently :-(
Adams Rubble: Wol or Fael could get it for you
Dakini Rhode: o good!
Dakini Rhode: it was an interesting chat
Adams Rubble: Wol is away tomorrow but will be back Sunday
Adams Rubble: I stayed awake for almost the whole hour. hehe
Dakini Rhode: you did well!
Adams Rubble: hehe
Adams Rubble: Learned lots of things :)
Resting Thor: i like the fountain sounds
Adams Rubble: Time for me to go. Good night. Hope you can make the Tibetan Class Resting :)
Dakini Rhode: good night Adams
Adams Rubble: thanks for the chat and all the information :)
Resting Thor: happy to help anytime
Dakini Rhode: time for me to go too :-)
Adams Rubble: bye :)