Plop!
Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 5:45PM Day 13 of my two week fast and detox finds me feeling very different to what I did upon arrival. As toxins have been eliminated my energy levels have risen, and a feeling of lightness and clarity has been my companion these last few days.
Visits to the Chalong Temple, the Big Buddha, Sunset Beach and a mall have been possible in my free time. I have travelled in a tuk-tuk, the local taxi of Phuket, exposed largely to the elements. Traditional Thai massage has loosened muscles. I have listened to tales of Calcutta, Kashmir and Rajasthan, recollections of motorbike rides into the Himalayas, stories of both successful and failed business ventures, as well as family histories. We have all laughed a great deal and supported each other on the programme.
Much fills me with gratitude. For one, I have had the privilege to be introduced to the practice of Qi Qong and partake in meditation sessions led by Tobi Warzinek. Tobi spent seven years studying at the Center of Higher Tibetan Studies in Switzerland under the guidance of some of the greatest contemporary masters of Tibetan Buddhism.
Sensing the energy of people and places is something I often experience, but this has become heightened during my stay. In the Qi Qong classes, I have experienced energy flying all over my body as well as energy which is controlled and tangible.
Today I have found myself thinking much about online energy. To what extent does online presence convey energy? Is it possible to feel the energy of the other online through avatars, content produced or shared, quantity, quality, online conversations, etc.? If the worldwide web contains a flowing stream of consciousness arising from all its users, what sound does each individual make as s/he enters this stream? Is it a gurgle, a splash, a gush or a drip?
I believe energy is conveyed by online presence but would love to know what readers of this blog feel about this.
This morning as we walked to the Wellness Center we came upon this frog.
The famous frog haiku by Matsuo Basho immediately came to mind and somehow seems appropriate in this context too. Here is the translation by Alan Watts:
The old pond,
A frog jumps in:
Plop!