The majority of Balinese practice a form of the
Hindu religion which they call Agama Hindu Dharma ("Religion
of the Hindu doctrine"). Also called Agama Tirtha ("Religion
of the Holy Waters"), it represents a unique amalgamation
of foreign Hindu and Buddhist elements that were grafted onto
a base of preexisting, indigenous religious customs. Since independence
in 1945, the Balinese have become more self-conscious of their
religion and have strengthened their religious organization. Ibis
has resulted in the establishment of the Satya Hindu Dharma in
1956 and the Parisada Hindu Dharma Bali in 1959. The state philosophy,
Pancasila, is also having an impact on Balinese Hinduism as well.
Hinduism and Buddhism arrived in Bali via Java and direct from
India, between the 8th and 16th centuries. Elements of the two
religions have developed further and merged here. The Indian division
into four castes has also been adopted, and religious practices
are closely connected with social hierarchy. Balinese society
is separated into four main groups: brahmana, satriya, wesya and
anak jaba or sudra, which are in turn subdivided into many more.
Basic Principles
Balinese Hinduism encompasses a vast range of practices and doctrines,
dominated by Siwaitic characteristics. Siwa is the main god, manifesting
himself as Surya, the Sun. Buddhistic elements in the Balinese
Hindu Dharma derive from a Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism (the
Buddhism of the "Great Vehicle" - practiced in China,
Tibet, Korea and Japan). Only small groups of Balinese Buddhists
exist today, mainly brahmans living in the village of Budakling,
in Karangasem. However in Banjar, in northwest Bali, a Buddhist
monastery has been founded which is strongly influenced by Theravada
Buddhism (practiced today in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand).
The three basic principles of the Hindu religion are knowledge
of the epics (the Mahabharata, Ramayana and commentaries), knowledge
of philosophy and theology, and ritual worship (puja) connected
with devotion (bakti) and offerings (banten). The central questions
in Balinese Hindu philosophy are: where from and where to? Where
does man come from, how can he attain release? In which offspring
will he reincarnate? What is the origin of the cosmos and how
should one behave to guarantee the continuation of cosmic processes?
These questions and their answers can be expressed in visual symbols
like a mountain with a tree of life, a lotus pond, or a heavenly
nymph.
The stability of the cosmos is expressed by emphasizing the quadrants
of the compass and their colors, and the gods with their mounts
and attributes. Oppositions like creation-annihilation, good-bad,
heaven-earth, and fire-water are visualized in the nadir and the
zenith. The swastika, wheel of the sun, is the symbol for the
Hindu religion in general.
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