'Nyepi,' the right time for self-contemplation<\/p>\n
DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Unlike the Gregorian New Year celebrated
\nworldwide in a festive mood highlighted by glittering
\nfirecrackers, bustling sounds of trumpets and other musical
\ninstruments, the Balinese Hindu's Saka Lunar New Year, or Nyepi,
\nwhich falls next Sunday (March 25), will be marked by total
\nsilence and darkness.<\/p>\n
The reason for this modest and stoic celebration is based on
\nthe philosophy of sunia or somya, Balinese terms for silence,
\nserenity and emptiness.<\/p>\n
\"Sunia or somya is the sacred source of creative energy,\"
\nexplained the noted Balinese scholar Ketut Sumarta.<\/p>\n
Most Balinese people believe that without sunia or somya they
\ncannot create anything.<\/p>\n
Every holy man and prophet must go through a period of
\nsolitude as a form of struggle to attain the truth of life and
\nunderstand their real existence.<\/p>\n
After going through such a period, they are able to grasp
\ntheir inner creative energy and transform it into speeches,
\nactions and thoughts which can enlighten the hearts and minds of
\ntheir followers.<\/p>\n
\"The condition of silence-serenity-emptiness is the prelude to
\nall important things in this world,\" Sumarta added.<\/p>\n
In the realm of spirituality and holy books, God's revelations
\nwere given to a solitary person usually in the middle of the
\nnight or in some isolated location, he said.<\/p>\n
Sumarta went on to say that man is by nature enslaved by his
\nor her own lusts and desires. This bondage will only lead him to
\nhis own destruction. On a more personal level, Nyepi is a way to
\ntame all of those self-destructing lusts and desires.<\/p>\n
\"It is just like cloudy and dirty water which needs to be
\ncleaned,\" Sumarta said.<\/p>\n
Every year, the Balinese Hindus do their best to enliven their
\nsomya. During the Nyepi day, they will adhere to four basic
\nrestrictions which prevent them from lighting fire, working,
\ntraveling and engaging in any leisure activities.<\/p>\n
During Nyepi, Bali will look like a deserted island. All the
\nstreets will be empty, all public and private offices will be
\nclosed, and even the Ngurah Rai International Airport will be
\nclosed, only allowing transit and emergency flights.<\/p>\n
On that day, a Hindu follower will be given a chance to not
\nonly reexamine what he has done in the past, but to also
\nreconsider his aims and goals in the future.<\/p>\n
In modern days, people have almost no chance for self-
\ncontemplation, unable to avoid distractions and attractions.<\/p>\n
A day before Nyepi, the ritual Tawur, which means both
\n\"sacrifice\" and \"return\", will be held all over the island. Each
\nfamily will carry out their own rituals at their respective
\nhouses. The larger-scale ceremonies will take place at village,
\ndistrict, regency, and provincial levels.<\/p>\n
The ceremonies are the people's way of paying their debts to
\nnature and the universe.<\/p>\n
\"When you take something from nature you must give something
\nin return, or else the harmonious balance of nature might be
\ndisrupted,\" another scholar Nyoman Gede Sugiharta said.<\/p>\n
The Tawur is also a way to appease and ward off the violent
\nforces of nature, be it fire, wind, water or earth. Natural
\ncatastrophes such as floods, storms and earthquakes, according to
\nBalinese beliefs, are caused by the disruption in nature's
\nharmonious balance.<\/p>\n
\"Those violent forces are sometimes mistakenly viewed as evil
\nspirits. The truth is, it has nothing to do with evil or
\ngoodness. It is just a matter of whether or not we treat nature
\nin a proper and correct way,\" Sugiharta stressed.<\/p>\n
Several hours after the Tawur rituals finish, usually after
\nsunset, thousands of Balinese Hindu followers engage in the
\nNgerupuk ritual. Carrying bamboo torches in their hands, they
\nmarch along the streets of their respective villages. They will
\nyell, scream, clap their hands or play the gong as loud as
\npossible, creating a cacophony that will eliminate evil spirits.<\/p>\n
\"Philosophically, Tawur and Ngerupuk are ways to put
\neverything back into its original position, to return nature to a
\nstate of balance again, so it will be ready to enter the state of
\nsilence-serenity-emptiness the following morning,\" Sugiharta
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
And, when they finish all the rituals of Nyepi, hopefully,
\nSugiharta said, the Balinese people will be able to start their
\n\"new and enlightened\" lives with their revitalized inner energy.
\n(zen)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nyepi-the-right-time-for-self-contemplation-1447893297",
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