Cyber-Monk Redefined

Cyber Monk Joke
I guess it would be accurate to say that Cyber Monk was a joke when I first coined the term inside my head. My Vietnamese traveling buddy even laughed at the idea (and so did others, but I do get the joke). But it was given substance when I left my last permanent address 4 years ago to live a nomadic life as a renunciate, armed only with my laptop and my web-skills to ensure my survival on the open road. With not enough money, no property and no address, I had been traveling around the Philippines and Southeast Asia, essentially, as a monk surviving on this laptop.

Wanna be a Monk?
With my 10-day Vipassana meditation courses and my current monastic life at Thai Plum Village in Pak Chong (Thailand), my friends ask if I want to be a monk. Somehow, staying real and sincere about my answer, I am compelled in all seriousness to say that I am already a monk...but I make my own monk rules.

A Conventional Monk Thing
Initially, it's abstract. Here's how I see it. I do have spiritual pursuits and I am in search of something bigger than myself. I resonate with a monk's aversion to material wealth or ownership, I embrace the notion of detachment and I live a life of nomadic mobility. That's the similarity.

One Size Fits All?
Here's where I differ. If I subscribe to any kind of monastic order, I will invariably find a few of its laws, rites or rituals to be inapplicable or even unacceptable. Every person is unique. Unique in his/her genetic predisposition, unique in his intellectual capacity to synthesize information into a workable life equation, unique life experience, unique body anatomy, etc. Unique everything! So how could one monastic order fit all sizes?

Not my Truth
Additionally, even the greatest monastic order was founded by a human being - it is not divine architecture. It was envisioned, developed and propagated by people who are great visionaries, living saintly lives whose way of life served as inspiration for many people. Indeed many beneficial lessons can be learned from these disciplines. I emulate what resonates - after all, why reinvent the wheel? Mindfulness as practised at the Plum Village is profoundly powerful and I will take that with me. The notion that my self-realization resides in me (and not anywhere else) is transformational and that is one of the great legacies of Vipassana to me. But just the same, the founders are of flesh and blood just like you and me. Whatever the doctrine, manifesto or dogma of that order principally is a by-product of the founder's unique truth that was selflessly shared for the benefit of many. But at the end of the day, I still have to find my truth.

My Truth
I also have my own unique truth - everyone does. With that truth and my realization of right and wrong as a validating benchmark, I forge my own rules to my private and personal monastic order. I create my own template compliant to my uniqueness. I have no name for my monastic order and it's not even necessary - it's not for public consumption. I allow myself certain liberties most monks are restricted to, and I impose certain restrictions some monks are at liberty to exercise. As I evolve, so will my rules.

Personal Template
In yoga, my teacher once said that as you deepen your practice, you will do less and less of other people's yoga and develop more and more, a yoga practice that is uniquely yours in full compliance to your individuality. That has been my tenet for nearly everything else - my own relationship template (platonic, romantic or family), my own monastic order and pretty much my own way of living life giving due consideration to constraints imposed by society, religion and government (e.g. - I still have to get a driver's license to drive a car). I draw the line up to what point I will allow them to make decisions for me (e.g. - I will not be a soldier and be shipped across the globe to kill someone who hasn't wronged me, my family or my country). To the extent I allow them, at least I am mindful of what liberty I am relinquishing and what liberty I am exercising.

Ending Thoughts
Some people need institutions to make decisions for them - they need it and they look for it. And other people simply want to take ownership of their destiny by exercising that control themselves.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Cyber Monk Blogs

Cyber-Monk Redefined

(Mar 6, 2016) As I become increasingly aware of the world I live in and the role I play in dealing with all the challenges, my definition of cyber monk morphs into one of increased empowerment and control....more »»

Cyber Monk

(May 6-7, 2012) Armed with only my laptop and very little money, I thread the open road as a nomadic renunciate subsistent on the charity of my universe. With no or little ego to get in the way, the world was my oyster.....more »»

Next stop: First Day of Teaching English at Thai Plum Village

Thai Plum Village International Practice Centre Location: 174,176 Ban Sra Nam Sai, Moo 7, Tambon Pongtalong, Pak Chong District, NakornRatchasima, Thailand Tel: +66(0)2-885-5980 Email:visitus@thaiplumvillage.org

Blogs on Thai Plum Village

1. Goodbye Thai Plum Village Mar 20, 2016
2. Yoga at Thai Plum Village Mar 19, 2016
3. Pond Picnic with the Monastics Mar 14, 2016
4. Sentence Expansion Mar 12, 2016
5. Alms Round of the Thai Plum Village Monastics Mar 10, 2016
6. First Day of Teaching English at Thai Plum Village Mar 8, 2016
7. Cyber Monk Redefined Mar 6, 2016
8. Thai Plum Village, Day 6: Plum Village and Vipassana Mar 2, 2016
9. Thai Plum Village, Day 5: Visa Snag Mar 1, 2016
10. Plum Village, Day 4: Picnic with the Monastics on Lazy Monday Feb 29, 2016
11. Plum Village, Day 2-3: Getting Settled Feb 27-28, 2016
12. Plum Village, Day 1: Arrival Feb 26, 2016

How to Get to Plum Village from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport

1. Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok proper (Phaya Thai Station)
   there is already a direct train from the airport that goes all the way to Bangkok with a final stop at Phaya Thai. Upon airport arrival, go down to Basement and take the Airport Link train to Phaya Thai Station 35 mins | Baht 45. Get off at Phaya Thai Station (the last stop) and walk (.8km) to the Phaya Thai BTS Station.
2. Phaya Thai Station (N2) - Mo Chit Station (N8) by BTS TRAIN
   board the BTS train heading to Mo Chit and get off there.
3. Mo Chit BTS Station (N8) - Mo Chit North Eastern Bus Terminal
   Walk to Mo Chit North & North Eastern Bus Terminal (pls note, this is a 2km walk...you might like to take a cab or tuktuk).
4. Mo Chit North Eastern Bus Terminal - Platform 6, public van at #78
   this is a short walk. Go to Platform 6 and get on the public van at #78 offering Jamnong Tour.
   IMPORTANT ! - make sure you make it clear to the driver that HIS van drops you off at Plum Village. Otherwise, they might finish the tour in Pak Chong proper. If this happens, you're still 45 minutes away from Plum Village which costs 500 Baht by cab! Best to copy/print/take a picture of the image below to show to the driver:
   
   
   For the latest info, check out their website.
5. Mo Chit North Eastern Bus Terminal - Plum Village by VAN
   the trip all the way to Plum Village, Pak Chong costs Baht 500 and takes 3.5 to 4 hours. Take the 11am or 12 noon van to ensure you arrive at the center before 4pm.

How to Get to Pak Chong (Proper) from Bangkok by train

• If you are arriving Bangkok and would like to proceed directly to Pak Chong without spending a night in Bangkok, best to take a plane that will land in Don Mueang Airport in time for the #71 Train (Bangkok to Si Sa Ket) to stop at the MRT Train Station, Bang Sue, which is only a short walk from the airport. Train schedule at Bang Sue Station: Fri 10:27am, arriving Pak Chong 1:30pm. Express aircon car (Baht 289), non aircon (Baht 198). Duration is 3 hours, stopping right in the heart of Pak Chong. From Pak Chong.
  
  You can also take the train from the main terminal near the center of Bangkok at the MRT Station, Hua Lampong Railway Station. Departure, Friday 10:00am.

Plum Village Cost Index

• Baht 500 van from Victory Monument to Plum Village
• Baht 289 Express train from Bang Sue MRT Station (Bangkok) to Pak Chong Train Station, aircon (non aircon, Baht 189)
• Baht 500 taxi from Pak Chong to Plum Village (call this taxi number, Mr. Khun Paisan: 085 772.4519 for the trip to Plum Village)

Things to bring if staying overnight

1. mosquito repellent
2. hat/umbrella
3. flashlight
4. not a requirement, but it helps if you bring clothing in the dark brown color in order to blend-in

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