Hello all,

I had something bizarre happen today while in a "hangout" this morning so I thought I would share.

I got up early this morning to meet with someone on G+. Once my meeting was over, I decided to go ahead and sit Zazen before I had to wake my kids up and get them ready for school. So I started a Hangout and invited Treeleaf Zendo as I usually do when I'm siting online. I got settled on my bench and got to it. About 5 minutes in, I hear someone join. I mute my microphone (in case the kids or dogs start raising hell) and leave my speakers on (so I can hear). Usually when someone from Treeleaf joins, there is a little noise and then silence. (I don't face my computer so can't see what is going on). I guess when you invite the Treeleaf Community, it makes it "public" because the gentleman that joined me did not know what was going on. So I start hearing this running monologue in an Australian Accent. He first tries to get my attention, which I ignore thinking he'll get bored and go on to something else. Nope. He then begins, out loud, trying to figure out what it is I'm doing. You know all those thoughts that run through your head when you have an unusual experience? Well, he verbalized all of them. He commented on everything he could see. You should have heard him trying to figure what I had around my neck! (My rakusu) At one point he went on a run with the idea that it was some kind of performance art. This went on for about 10 or 15 minutes with no end in sight. I finally surrendered. I bowed, which I think startled him, and then proceeded to have a nice chat with a young man from Brisbane about what it was I was actually doing.

I spoke to someone in Ireland and Australia, all before 7AM! What an amazing world we live in! :-)

Gassho,


Shugen