Pandoraspace

An introduction to Balinism

     

    

While in Bali, LS coerced me into going to Pura Tanah Lot with her.  When I asked her what Pura Tanah Lot was, she said that it was a temple by the sea.  When I asked her whether it was a Hindu temple, LS told me that it was a Balinese temple and the Balinese people have their own religion, which was something of a mix of Hinduism and animism. 

I was intrigued.  I never knew there was such a religion as Balinism.   Thus, when I came across a book called Bali Chronicles by Willard A. Hanna, I immediately bought it.  In one of the chapters, Hanna tries to describe Balinism and he said this about it:

“In Bali, there is no creed, no dogma, no scripture, no conviction about salvation or damnation by reason of any metaphysical doctrine.  But there is an immense deposit of mystical and spiritual manifestations which the villagers constantly re-experience in daily life, always aware of the living presence in nature of the ancestral and divine spirits.  Under the guidance of the priests who plan the temples and conduct the temple ceremonies, these manifestations assume substance and names and significance.  This arrangement proves philosophically gratifying to the learned and symbolically satisfying to the unlettered.  And there is a rigid code of conduct which conditions every contact between human beings or between men and immortals.”  (Hanna, Bali Chronicles, p. 241 (c 2004).)

While Hanna’s description of Balinism is all the information I have about it, I do know that this system of belief has had a profound impact on the Balinese people who are gentle folk with a peaceful (almost spiritual) demeanor and who show great respect for life, people and  the world around them.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 am and is filed under My Indonesian Experience, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.