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Note: I wrote this at the end of the stay in Ubud, Bali. It is not intended to be a generalization of the island, nor the religion of Hinduism, in general. _____________________________________________________
I think Jenn captured it best, “I want to subscribe to the Balinese religion”, referring not to the island’s majority religion, Balinese Hinduism, nor to the country’s dominant religion, Islam. (At this point, if you haven’t yet done so, check out my blog entry on Jakarta, then come back and follow along. The Indonesian islands of Bali and Java are vastly different places).
There is something so seemingly simple, yet fundamentally obvious about how the Balinese people live their lives. Strangers, upon greeting you, clasp their hands together against their chests. This symbolizes harmony between good and evil at the moment. They will also usually say, “
Om Swasti Astu”, meaning ‘peace and greetings from God’. There is recognition that good and bad exist, but rather than try to destroy evil, it is better to placate it and achieve balance. Beginning at dawn and continuing throughout the day, offerings of flowers, fruit, and incense are placed at family alters or business entries in an effort to please
and appease ancestors and evil spirits alike.
Families live in multi-generational compounds for their entire lives. The females upon marriage move to their husband’s compound, and throughout the male lineage, the compound is passed from generation to generation in perpetuity. The men work. The women, unless they have a high-grossing job, tend to the complex. Here in Bali’s cultural capital of Ubud, they get up as early as 4 am and walk to the market to pick up the essentials for that day. As they don’t have refrigerators, each day they buy the meat, fruits, and vegetables for that day. They return (typically without car), carrying the goods in a basket on their head and begin to cook the food for that day in the communal kitchen. Generations take care of or are taken care of by the others as time passes on. The compound is also set up in such a design that the highest point (the mountain), the most northern part, is the center of worship. The surrounding structures delineate the perimeter, with the innermost pavilion being the ceremonial piece.
The Balinese also subscribe to the belief of reincarnation and balance. Upon death, the body is
cremated, and the ashes are returned to the water so that the universe will have the right amount of material to create something new. As karma suggests, if you have lived an honest and good life, your spirit will come back in a desirable form that will find luck and prosperity, and if not, well, you get the alternative. Therefore, there is a general desire to live a respectable life while humbly accepting what you have been given.
As a result, you commonly see displays of behavior that we all should do but often forget or find an excuse to do otherwise.
Smile and
say hello to people (including strangers).
Show respect and
be humble.
Work hard in your current job, whatever that may be. Spend time with and take care of
your family.
Live in the moment. I think that’s a general practice we could all ascribe to embrace.
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