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BALI TRADITION AND RELIGION
- THE BALINESE HINDUISM -
Though Bali is multi-religious, consisting of Christian, Muslim and
Buddhist minorities, the predominant religion is Hinduism.
Balinese Hinduism, called Agama Hindu Dharma, originated from
Java and is a blend of Shivaism and Buddhism. The theological
foundation for the religion comes from Indian philosophy while
indigenous beliefs form the backbone of the rituals. This blending
is perfectly acceptable in Bali as the saying goes "The truth is one;
the interpretation, multiple."
In Balinese Hinduism, the indigenous beliefs manifest in the belief
that nature is "power" and each element is subject to influence from
spirits. Ancestor worship is also a part of the beliefs. Spirits
and ancestors are treated with respect, and they are housed in a
shrine and feted with offerings made from agricultural products.
As Gunung Agung is the abode of the gods and the ancestors, it is
revered as the "Mother" mountain and is highly sacred to the Balinese.
As water and volcanoes - considered as the wrath of the gods - come
from Gunung Agung, the mountain occupies the pole of purity, kaja.
In contrast, the pole of impurity is the sea, or kelod.Balinese
Hinduism revolves around this kaja-kelod axis and determines the
spatial organization of rituals, architecture and daily life.
One sleeps, for example, with one's head in the direction of
the mountain.
Religion in Bali varies according to three principles: desa (place),
kala (time) and patra (circumstances). Hinduism acknowledges five
pillars of faith. They are belief in the one Supreme God (Brahaman
of Sang Hyang Widdhi Wasa); belief in the soul as the universal
principle of life and consciousness (atma); belief in the fruition
of one's deeds (karma phala); belief in the process of birth and
death (samsara); and belief in ultimate release (moksa).
One of the consequences of the principles of karma and samsara is
the existence of the caste system where an individual inherits his
status as a result of his or her past life. The four castes in
Bali are the brahmana, who deal with religion and the holy texts;
the satria or rulers; the wesia or merchants and the sudras, the
lower class.
God has a variety of names. Being multiple and all pervading, he
is the Ultimate Void or Sunya expanding in an infinity of murti of
manifestations from which people select one as lstadewata or a
personal god. Some of the names are indigenous; Sang Hyang Embang,
and others of Indian Origin, Sang Hyang Parama Kawi. Ultimately
however, all gods are seen as emanating from a single source.
The principle gods are Brahma, the God of Creation; Wisnu, the God
of Providence; and Siwa, the God of Dissolution. These three move
the world through an unending process of birth, balance and destruction.
Man, a microcosm of the world, is subjected to the same process until
he or she achieves moksa, blending into the Cosmos and God. The cosmos
and it movement is symbolized by the swastika.
Man should endeavor to maintain the harmony of the whole system, hence
the role of ritual. Only by adhering to the proper rules of behavior
can the proper balance be kept between the two sets of godly and
demonic forces. Balinese religion is known to the world through
the richness of its rituals. Gods and demons seem to be every where
and the life of the Balinese is therefore replete with rituals.
As the tools for maintaining the balance of the world there are
rituals for everything imaginable, from knowledge, cleansing machines
to marriage and birth ceremonies - all of different types and levels.
Rituals consist of calling down the gods and the ancestors for visits
from their heavenly abode in their country above the mountain. They
come down during temple festivals and are entertained with dances and
feted with offerings. They can also be called down through the
entreaties of a priest.
Balinese rituals are ruled by a complex calendar system, a combination
of the Indian Saka calendar and the Wuku calendar. The Saka year rules
the agricultural cycle and is divided into lunar months and fitted into
the solar calendar by the addition of an extra month, every thirtieth
month. The full moon and the dark moon are the most important ritual
moments of this calendar. The first day of the Saka year, however,
usually in March is the day of Silence and of profound importance
throughout Bali.
The Wuku year consists of a cycle of 210 days divided into thirty
wuku weeks, each of which corresponds to a specific activity.
There is a week of weapons and one of animals, for example. There
are then other types of weeks varying from one to ten days, each
having a name and number, being auspicious or inauspicious. The
most important days in this system are Galungan and Kuningan, when
all the ancestors come down to visit.
Temples in Bali are simple walled open yards from which people
can-communicate directly with their gods and ancestors, Gods and
ancestors normally "visit" their human worshipers or descendants
during temple festivals (odalan). They reside in miniature houses
set in the temple, the pelinggih shrines and alight with effigies
of gold, coins or offerings.
During the length of their stay, the gods and their companions are
symbolically bathed. feted, put to bed and entertained with dances
and other shows. Meanwhile members of the temple come and go over
three or more days, with offerings and to get their share of holy
water sprinkled over them and the offerings during the collective
prayers.
There are few societies in the world where religion plays a role
such as it does in Bali. The incredible beauty and color that
accompanies the rituals and offerings, which seem to be ever occurring,
that Bali is continually harmonizing the world of Man with the cosmic
world of the Gods.
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