Introducing the Balinese Hindus

2017 Introducing the Balinese Hindus

Background 95% of Bali is comprised of Balinese Hinduism, an amalgamation of Indian religions and indigenous animist customs that existed before the Islam and, later, Dutch colonialism, arrived in Bali. PRONUNCIATION: bahl-uh-neez LOCATION: Indonesia POPULATION: 3,973,000 LANGUAGE: Bali RELIGION: Native version of Hinduism makes up about 95% of the population of Bali; Bali is 1.26% Christian 0.80% Evangelical The Balinese people represent 2 per cent of the Indonesian population, and they differ from the rest of Indonesia in language, dress, songs, stories, food, and calendar. The most significant difference is their religious beliefs. Nearly 90 per cent of the Indonesian population is Muslim, while almost all Balinese people adhere to the Balinese Hindu religion. Balinese families live in walled compounds where a group of brothers and their respective families live. Within the compound, separate buildings for cooking, storing rice, keeping pigs, and sleeping are grouped around a central courtyard. Each compound has a shrine. Tall, decorated bamboo poles are raised in front of each house to represent fertility, and wooden or stone carvings of protective spirits are commonly placed over the doorways of homes. Community and family are core values among the Balinese. Each family is part of a banjar, a group of 50-200 families who share common beliefs, areas, and goals. A banjar head is supported by the male heads of each of the families, and together, they arrange marriages, care for needy people, and maintain their community.

Family life Education and social life Depending on a family s social status, as many as 13 rituals may be performed during someone s life-cycle, including the sixth month of pregnancy, birth, the 210th day after birth, the loss of the last baby tooth, and marriage. The Balinese people speak an Austronesian language that has an hierarchy of politeness in it, reflecting the four castes of Balinese society: Sudras are peasants, who comprise over 90% of the population; Wesias is the warrior caste, which includes traders and some nobility; Satrias is the caste of kings; and Pedanas is comprised of holy men and priests (Brahman). When beginning a conversation with someone of a higher social status, one bows. Tooth-filing is performed on teenagers when they are ready to become adults; the ritual is believed to purge them of their animal nature, symbolized by the fang-like upper canine teeth.

Work Approximately 70 per cent of the Balinese earn a living from agriculture; rice, corn, cassava, and beans are grown, and it is common in densely populated areas to work someone else s land in return for a share of the crop. Industries in Bali also include tourism as well as arts and crafts. The most popular crafts are painting, stone-carving, woodcarving, puppet-making, weaving, and gold- and silver-working.

Religious life Balinese Hinduism combines the Indian model of Hinduism with elements of indigenous beliefs. The theological foundation comes from Indian philosophy, while indigenous beliefs form the backbone of the rituals. This blending is reflected in the Balinese saying, "The truth is one; the interpretation, multiple." The indigenous aspects of Balinese Hinduism manifest in the belief that nature is power, and that each element is subject to influence from spirits. Spirits and ancestors are treated with respect, housed in a shrine, and given offerings made of agricultural products. The object of Balinese Hindu practices is to maintain a balance between good and evil forces; thus, Balinese Hindus make offerings to both gods and demons. Balinese Hindu people recognize a wide range of supernatural beings, including demons, ancestral spirits, and divinities, such as the sun god, Surya, and the rice goddess, Dewi Sri. Balinese Hinduism includes 60 religious holidays per year; celebrations and acts of worship revolve around the gods Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, spirits, sacred places, ghosts, demons, and magic. In Balinese Hinduism, after death, a soul is considered to pass into another body. During its tenure in a body, the soul is in torment, and is thus always seeking to free itself from incarnation so that it can attain enlightenment or moksa. Therefore, when a person dies, if its soul has not achieved moksa, it will continue with the cycle of life through incarnations. Balinese Hindus believe that gods, deified ancestors, and souls which did not attain moksa live in the mountains; it is believed that gods and deified ancestors will descend occasionally during temple ceremonies, and that souls will come from the mountains or straight from hell when they are ready to re-incarnate on earth. Mount Agung, the highest mountain on Bali, is considered the house of the gods and ancestors.

Cremation ceremony Cremation is performed after death to ensure that the deceased become deified ancestors, and it may take months or even years to accumulate the funds necessary to pay for the ceremony. Until the funds are accrued, a temporary storage or burial spot is found for the body. In the ceremony, the body is carried to the cremation field in a portable high, multi-tiered tower made of bamboo, paper, string, tinsel, silk, cloth, mirrors, flowers and other bright and colourful things. The tower is rotated at each crossroad so that the deceased s spirit will not find its way back home to haunt the living. Other ways to confuse the spirits as to their whereabouts include running the tower around in circles, spinning it around, and throwing water at it. A priest often sits halfway up the tower to soak bystanders with holy water. At the cremation ground, the body is transferred to a funeral sarcophagus, and then the funeral tower, sarcophagus, and body are set on fire. It is believed that after cremation, one s soul goes to a heaven that is just like Bali.

How to pray for the Balinese Hindus Pray for international workers in Bali hoping to connect with families through soccer and English clubs. Being able to speak English opens up a lot of job opportunities which is a goal for our workers because now too many poor kids venture to the city and end up making money from prostitution and other harmful practices. Pray for the international workers working with churches to bring water to farming communities suffering as a result of weather-related water problems. Pray for Balinese Hindus to find freedom in Jesus; in their current practices, they do things to keep the good gods happy and to appease the bad gods. Pray for freedom from fear. It is believed that stepping out of tradition upsets karma for already-deceased ancestors and for those yet to come. Pray that God will reveal Himself to Balinese Hindus. Sources: everyculture.com joshuaproject.net National Geographic News Nigel Simmonds, Bali: Morning of the World, Periplus Editions (Hong Kong), pp. 41-43