Today I officially start my Independent Research Project, which means I only have a month left in the program and two months left in Bali! It feels like just yesterday I stepped off the plane and entered Asia for the first time. At the same time, a lot has happened in the past two months and Bali has begun to feel like home, in a strange and unexplainable way. I think the cultural shock is going to be greater when I go back home.
Yesterday, my ISP advisor took my friend Maia and I to this stunning and peaceful temple amidst the jungle. Here we prayed three times before setting off to our first ISP location, Ubud. Ubud is a well-known tourist location and recognized for its emphasis on the arts, healthy and holistic living, and yoga. I figured this area in Ubud would be perfect for my project. My ISP explores spirituality in Bali and the relationship between secular and religious spirituality. The focus of the project is upon the Hindu practice of Yoga and the Buddhist practice of Meditation. I will be participating in both of these practices in a secular and religious context. Thus, in Ubud I will be taking yoga and meditation classes that are catered to tourists. Next week, I will be staying at a Buddhist monastery, where the most well known monk in Bali lives. Here I will be immersing myself in an extensive meditation practice for six days. I am beyond excited. After the monastery, my advisor will introduce me to his friends who are Balinese yoga gurus. I also look forward to interviewing them and hopefully practicing more yoga. I keep having to remind myself that I have to write a thirty page research paper. Thankfully it is on a topic that I am passionate about. I expect that at times it will be challenging but in the end it shall be rewarding! Hopefully I can write another post before I leave for the monastery, where I will not be using my laptop. Until next time!
P.S. I realized that my 2nd blog post from last month never posted so I will be posting three this month to make up for it.