A Journey Beyond A Lifetime
Dee Goes to Temple!
I have never before been inside a Balinese temple, or attended a Balinese ceremony. This is hardly surprising, considering I am not a Balinese Hindu. I am more familiar with rituals such as baptism, Holy Communion, and Sunday Prayer Services. Religion is, perhaps, something your parents or culture introduces to you. However, I feel your true faith or belief is revealed by the way you live your life.
If you know who you are, it is easy to be yourself regardless of where you are. So, going to the temple wasn’t something I feared, exactly, but I anticipated the experience to be strange, possibly uncomfortable, and probably not quite life-changing. When I am exposed to the unknown, I often find comfort and reconnection with the well-known inside myself.
Sruni Carries an Offering
I cannot recall if I was the first or the last to walk into the temple out of Gede, Zoray, Cempaka, Heather or Pete, but I know my expectations were immediately blown away. Most churches, mosques, and cathedrals, in my experience, are opulent, spotless, well-maintained buildings, with spectacularly shaped roofs or domes. In contrast, a Balinese temple is a roofless enclosure, with an intricately carved entrance, and walls all around that resemble some kind of ancient ruins. Erected during the “Elephant Century,” that would be around the 1600s, as Gede explains it, all temples in Bali are believed to have invisible walls of energy around them. In hindsight, it also makes sense to me to worship in a place that has no ceiling or roof. I am sure it creates a more “direct line.”
Temple and Bale
I admired a detailed black and gold, multi-tiered thatched roofed temple, containing ornate offerings, piled high, as a priest chanted in a small roofed enclosure, called a “Bale,” before it. I then saw Sruni (Gede’s sister-in-law) carrying her offering towards a long table, where she placed it among all the other offerings. As she returned to where we were standing, everybody started to get seated on the temple floor. I sat with Heather and Pete, right at the back; partly because I was feeling like a naughty schoolboy, but mainly out of respect, and a desire not to be too interruptive. Just before we started, I whispered nervously to Pete: “I don’t know what to do. I have never been to a ceremony before!”
Table of Offerings
Gede quickly explained to me that there would be five prayers, and the blessing from the priest to look forward to. Pete comforted me by saying you can do it all with your eyes open, and follow along with what everybody else is doing! Sruni placed a little bamboo square try in front of me filled with flower petals and a burning incense stick.
Being Seated
First, I saw Pete waving his open hands over the incense smoke and did the same. With the men in cross-legged position, and the women kneeling on their heels, we then placed our hands together and lifted them over our heads, while bowing ever so slightly forward. Shortly, I heard a priest ring the bell, a faint “Om,” and we were at ease again. The next four prayers involved placing flower petals between your index and middle fingers and then placing your hands together, in prayer position, to lift above the forehead. Afterwards I saw some people throwing their flower up in the air, while others placed them behind their ears or in their hair.
Zoray Shoots Me a Look
After a final empty handed raising of the hands, the atmosphere changed to be a little more joyous as the priests came around sprinkling us with holy water. In a humorous moment, the little girl seated directly in front of me got a precisely aimed splash of holy water to the head, in order to get her attention, as she craned around to stare at me.
A Priest Dispenses Holy Water
The priests then dropped holy water into our cupped hands. After drinking three times, we wetted our hair with the final splash. After the holy water ritual, a silver plate of hard, uncooked white rice was offered around. A small amount is taken from the plate, and placed on the center of the forehead. This procedure seemed to clearly suss out the most uninitiated person at the party, as I couldn’t managed to get my rice to stick!
Though I didn’t expect to feel anything, to claim I didn’t would be a blatant lie. Regardless of my inexperience with Balinese Hinduism, the meditative nature of the ritual and ambience felt soothing and cleansing. I was particularly surprised at the gentle acceptance I felt, as an outsider, and that nobody approached me with any literature or handshakes, as often happens at religious services in the West. It was the most refreshing religious experience of my life! It felt entirely personal and intimate, without the showcasing of coming forward to confess or being singled out in any way. It felt like being part of something without being asked to abandon myself.
Inside the Main Temple
More open than before, we moved on to the main temple. As Heather entered in front of me she said: “Oh, Dee you’re going to love this one!” Shiny, colorful, plentiful bling, and a hypnotic visual feast were to be found inside the main temple. Heather pointed out the small, ornate palanquins to the side of me. Gede explained that all families coming to the temple carry the spirits of their ancestors in them, from their houses to the temple, to join them in worship. We had another six phased ceremony where I hope I improved on my posture and hand gestures. I could only ask Gede more about the meaning at a later stage:
Ancestors Palanquin
In the following days, and peppered with questions, Gede explained to me that the height of your hands is important. When worshipping the gods they need to be held above your forehead. When worshipping your ancestors they need to be placed above your nose. When paying respects to spirits and mortals, your hands should be placed by your chest.
In the five prayers done in the temple, each one is offered to a different God and has a distinct purpose. Firstly, you raise your empty hands to ask permission from the gods to speak. Then with a flower petal in hand you thank the sun for shining, the water for flowing, the unique spirit of the temple, and the supreme god of all things. Finally, you raise your empty hands again, end your prayers, and bid the gods farewell.
A Father and Son at the Lakeside Temple
Holy water from the priest is for emotional and spiritual cleansing. Rice to the Balinese is the source of life. Sticking rice to your forehead, or your third eye chakra, serves as proof that you have been at a ceremony, and as a reminder of what is important in your life as a Hindu.
Speaking to Gede, I realized that Hinduism, and the way it is practiced in Bali, is more than a lifetime commitment. It is a way of life, and of death. It is a journey beyond a lifetime.
To be continued…
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Tags: balinese hinduism, ceremony, dee, Songan