| |
Bali Beliefs
The aim of Hindu Dharma is “ to reach peace
of spirit and harmony in the material life”. In practicing their
faith, Hindu communities try to achieve a spiritual balance of worship
between Tattwa (philosophy), Susila (etiquette/morals), and Upacara
(rituals). These three areas are subdivided into various tenets.
The Tattwa has five principal beliefs (Panca Srada) :
- Brahman The belief in the existence of
one almighty God head.
- Atman The belief in the soul and the
spirit. Samsara The belief in reincarnation.
- Karma Belief in the law of reciprocal
actions (one gets back, eventually, what one gives out).
- Moksha The belief in the possibility
of unity with the divine (Nirwana).
The susila (etiquette) places emphasis on three major rules for behavior
(Tri Kaya Parisuda) :
- To think good thoughts.
- To talk honestly.
- To do good deeds.
As well three is an important code of Hindu Dharma called Tat Twam
Asi - “ You are as I am;” in other words, “ to feel the feelings of
one’s fellow beings.”
- Upacara (ritual) is divided into five
areas of holy sacrifice (Panca Yadnya) :
- Dewa Yadnya - holy rituals for the gods.
- Pitra Yadnya - holy rituals for the higher
spirits, and “rites of death”
- Rsi Yadnya - holy ritual for the holy
Hindu prophets (resis).
- Manusa Yadnya - ritual for and on behalf
of humans (from the baby in the womb until marriage).
- Bhuta Yadnya - sacrifices for neutralizing
the negative influences from the natural and super natural worlds.
Hinduism is a monotheistic religion with
one God head, in Bali called “Ida Sanghyang Widi Wasa,” “ Sang Hyang
Tunggal,” or “Sang Hyang Cintya.” Hinduism is often misunderstood
as being a faith with many gods and goddesses (Dewas and Bhataris).
These other gods are merely realization or manifestations of the holy
rays from the one God. The word Dewa (Deva) comes from the Sanskrit
word Dev, meaning ray.
Bhatara comes from the word Bhar, meaning protector. The Dewas, or
holy manifestations of God which appear most often in Balinese religion
are called the Tri Murti, or the holy Trinity.
- Brahma - The creator
- Wisnu - The preserver
- Ciwa - The destroyer or returner.
In Bali the pedanda, (high priest), selected
from the Brahman caste, officiates at large ceremonies. The pemangku,
or village temple priest, looks after the temple and leads the holy
rituals included in the Panca Yadnya.
The holy books of the Hindu religion are
the Vedas, which origined in the India. Those which reached Bali
are the Catur and the Veda Cirah, which are still used by the priest
in carrying out their religious duties. The religion is taught in
other forms as well. The most popular of these are the Purana, or
morality plays, and the Itihasa, or epic poems, the most well-known
being the Ramayana and the Mahabarata.
The many theatre forms-the wayang shadow
puppet plays, the masked drama, the operas and ballets-are also
vehicles of religious teaching.
The beliefs of the Balinese are living force
that pervade the island and reverberate outside it. The island sings
of love, the love that spends an hour making an offering of woven
palm leaves and flashing flowers, the love that finds the time everyday
to think of the “other world”, of giving something to the gods,
of lighting a stick of incense, of sprinkling holy water, of whispering
a mantra as the hands make gentle, sacred movement, of processions
incredible in their spelendour, of offerings amazing in their intricacy
or surprisingly simple in their humility, of loving work and love
bestowed on children a life of love, given freely to everyone in
a smile or a wave as you pass by.
On this island there is a link to enlightenment.
The Balinese feel themselves to be a blessed people, a feeling,
continually reinforced by the wealth of their every-day life and
strengthened by the splendour of their religion. It is almost as
if the Balinese are living as art continually worshipping their
muse.
To Nehru, Bali was “the morning of the world,”
To the Balinese, Bali is the only “real” world in the world and
the sacred mountain Gunung Agung is the “navel of the world,” the
umbilical cord form whence the world springs
|
|
