ONE BALINESE VILLAGE (part 2)
This piece continues to describe my observations while teaching English to the staff of Puri Lumbung in Munduk village, Bali, in 1995.
Unlike most of Indonesia, the Balinese are Hindus rather than Moslems. However, they have adapted Hinduism to their Balinese traditions so that it differs markedly from India’s Hinduism. It is a monotheistic religion believing in one god and many manifestations of this god.
The two most impressive parts of Balinese Hinduism to me are its animism and the holistic way of life. Many cultures, both western and westernized lifestyles lead to a compartmentalization of life. We develop several mental spaces, and even sometimes personalities, for work, family, community, and social aspects of life. Nature is often not even included in our lives on a daily basis. But Balinese and nature cannot be divided. Nor can life be split up into convenient sections.
Everything is so alive in Bali, it is only natural to believe in animism. Each building, including the Puri Lumbung cottages, has an offering in it and pieces of cloth hanging from the roofs to recognize the cleansed spirit of the building before anyone can live in it. Respect for nature, spirits, and gods cannot be taken out of the culture.
Nature is both a part of the Balinese and apart from them. Graced with nature’s beauty and bounty, Balinese never take nature for granted. You can watch them sitting and admiring a view or a sunset just like tourists do. Ask anyone in the village where the best view is to watch the full moon rise. Watching the fog rapidly rolling in over the mountains from two sides with the inevitable slow motion, silent collision, the restaurant staff and I all stopped our conversation to watch with the same appreciation.
Not only is there a personal appreciation of nature, but a village responsibility to nature. One large-scale example of this is when the whole village goes on what is called a recycling procession. This involves many people, many days, to several areas. Due to the expense, it can’t be done annually.
Put very simplistically, Balinese believe there is good and evil in the world. Both must be respected, and in the microcosm of oneself and the macrocosm of the world, kept in balance. White magic (for good), and black magic (for evil) also exist. Good can win over evil, but evil cannot be permanently vanquished. This was, to me, a refreshing departure from the Judeo-Christian concentration on sin.
Yet, there is a small, but growing Christian community in Munduk. Numbering perhaps 40, Balinese were attracted to Christianity often for economic reasons. Family ceremonies are expensive, and Christianity has very few ceremonies compared to Balinese Hinduism. Also, as confided to me, certain financial rewards and employment opportunities were offered to new converts.
A few people become outcasts from their villages. Like other societies based on social responsibility, there are clearly defined responsibilities to the village. Unlike some social cultures, the village gives much material support to each of its members. The one thing that cannot be forgiven is shirking one’s social responsibilities. For that offense, there is ostracism and even expulsion from the village. However, excluding this part of life, there is in Bali an impressive tolerance for individualism in thought and choice. Whether converting to another religion, or marrying a non-Balinese, the main criterion for the acceptance of any differences is that the person be a “good” person.
Tags: Bali; Puri Lumbung in Munduk; Balinese culture; village, Munduk, Travel
