Prayers and Chatter; Living our Dharma.
The many ways the Balinese interact with their spirituality.
I just got back from a ceremony I thought would be a half or so. Turns out it was three hours so I’m going to dash off some notes for today’s article.
One of the beauties in Balinese Hinduism and from what I understand Hinduism, in general, is its allowance for many ways of living.
When you reincarnate a few million times you’re not pressed to get everything done in one life and this shows in the Balinese ceremonies.
Every person has their part to play from those who are raising children and running a household to the priests and the dancers.
Laymen, learning through osmosis.
Most people in Bali are laymen. They live their lives to raise their kids and make some money. While everybody participates in the temple ceremonies it’s the laymen you hear chattering between prayers.
Temple and the ceremony is a time for people to pray but it’s also a time to rest and catch up with friends. Kids dance around, the rowdier ones play tag in the middle courtyard.
The men chat and smoke cigarettes as the women burst into giggles with jokes and stories.
They all know when to go silent when the ceremony turns to prayer, and they sit there with their offerings and their incense and their bodies poised.
But it’s a village gathering as much as it is a ceremony and more time is spent catching up and laughing than praying.
In Hinduism this is good. The messages of the Dharma that are meant to be learned by the laymen are soaked in through osmosis.
Bali children grow up learning the stories of their religion through actors and shadow plays, they go to the ceremonies often multiple times a week, they see their grandmother prepare offerings every single day, and they learn the ways to pray.
They soak in what’s necessary to live a Hindu life as a laymen householder. Those who feel called to go deeper will find a teacher when they're older. The rest chat and pray.
Balians, serving the people.
Balians bridge the door between the lay people and the spirits. They work to heal, empower, and bless.
Theirs is a deeper knowledge and with it comes the responsibility to the community.
In the Western world many people want to go deeper into the spiritual realms than the services on Sunday but few are told how important it is to have a teacher and to render services from what is found in the realm of spirit.
Balians learn early that a teacher is important as it is the teacher who keeps a Balian safe in the other world until they have learned to navigate it themselves.
It is believed when you open up to the deeper spiritual truths it makes you more attractive to the spirits who can bless or trick.
A teacher keeps one safe, they keep you sane.
When the gifts of the Balian are mastered it becomes their responsibility to serve the people and bridge the space between human and spirit.
A lot of time and energy go into maintaining the Balian’s connection to the spirits and the Gods and so this becomes their life.
Priests, serving the gods.
The priesthood is one of the highest callings a person can have. They are the bridges between the Gods and the world.
Larger ceremonies are always led by a priest. They devote their lives to learning the proper rituals to call on the gods, to make offerings, to bless, and empower people.
Their lives are ruled by their calling. There are taboos against sex, eating meat from four-legged animals, from eating salt.
Priests like Balians will meditate for hours during the day. They’ll chant mantras and study ancient practices to stay aligned with the gods.
Their life is lived in dedication to the Gods and the service of the Gods in the world.
Dancers, pleasing the gods.
Tonight there was a dance of laywomen. They held offerings in their right hands as they performed their dance beckoning to the gods.
Whether a dancer for a moment or for life the arts in Bali are seen as a means to appease the gods.
From the gamelan players to the shadow puppeteer performance-based artists seek to entertain the gods, to delight them. Luckily us humans get to watch too.
This goes a step beyond chatting and praying and makes the skill of the life and the acts of the body a prayer of its own.
Many in Bali participate in a performance art at some point in their life. Others craft the statues of the gods or paint the artifacts of the temple. These people are creating spaces for the gods to be honored.
The typical laymen finds a way to feed their family and then offers some of their abundance in ceremonies and prayers.
For the farmer or the merchant, this is simply a return of the gift given to them, the crops grown with the blessings of the Gods, Sun and rain, earth, and time. The merchants give back the money they were blessed with from that last minute shopper.
For artists, the inspiration of their work comes from the gods. Their skills are then used to please and honor the ones who give them their ability to create beauty.
The king, a living example.
The king of Ubud was at the services tonight. He partook of a ritual off to the side for a while before joining the rest of us. I couldn’t quite understand what he was doing as my usual interpreters weren’t sitting with me.
I was with Ebu, the grandmother of my homestay. The one who often starts a song whether or not the gamelan is playing or the shadow puppeteer is speaking as all the elders chime in.
The king performs special services. His life intersects all others.
He is a sponsor to the artists and is raising a family as he participates in worldly affairs. He sets the example of how to live for the entire kingdom. The kingdom becoming an extension of his family.
If the king is good he sets a good example, one that his people can look to and emulate. I’m not sure what happens in Bali if the king is less than admirable. The locals seem to enjoy their king and were excited to have him come and sit with them in tonight’s ceremony.
Conclusion
What I love about these ceremonies is how well they illustrate the practicality of Balinese Hinduism.
Not everyone is meant to search the world for the answers of existence. Some people just want to live, to raise their kids, have plenty of food on the table, to have money for offerings so they can pray, feel connected, and visit with their friends.
Others are called to go deeper and so they do.
What about you?
What do you feel called to do?
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