Cleansing ceremony at purifying Bali

Cleansing ceremony at purifying Bali

On Friday, Nov.15, thousands of Balinese and hundreds of
invitees, including the families of over 190 victims from around
the world, are scheduled to attend a special purification
ceremony, Tawur Agung Pemarisudha Kariphubaya, held to
spiritually cleanse the island of Bali from any bad and
disturbing influences which may have been caused by the tragic
bombing of Kuta on Oct. 12. This rare and elaborate ceremony is
expected to neutralize the negative aspects and to ward off evil
spirits from the universe caused by the tragedy and to return the
harmony into it. To understand the philosophical and religious
meaning of the ritual, and the impact of the ceremony on the
Balinese people, The Jakarta Post's Rita A. Widiadana talked to a
prominent Hindu High Priest, Ida Pedanda Gede Ketut Sebali
Tianyar Arimbawa on Thursday afternoon. The following article is
an excerpt from the interview:

Question: First, how do you and the average Balinese view the
recent tragic bombing of Kuta, which lies at the heart of Bali's
tourism industry?

Answer: I must say that we really felt very sad. Yet, I
understand that this tragedy was part of the Almighty's plan for
us. Naturally, any catastrophe must be viewed as a specific
incident that could happen at any time or place and it,
unfortunately, occurred in Kuta.

Such a tragedy was a great shock to many people in Bali, as
they were mentally unprepared for this barbaric action. This
tragedy can be seen as part of a process whereby a human being
seeks his or her self-identity. The process can take place
through violent or nonviolent action.

The Balinese could not believe and understand why the
terrorist bomb exploded in their spiritually blessed and safe
land. What is your opinion?

For the last few hundred years, Bali has always been adored as
the island of the gods, blessed with a beautiful and fertile
land. The majority of the local people have been buoyed up and
spoiled by the tourism-based economy. The blessing of God
actually spreads everywhere, not just Bali. Because of this
enchanting state of affairs, a lot of people here became too
self-confident and proud of their precious land and well-being.
Too much pride in our hearts and minds can lead to a chauvinistic
way of thinking, which is very, very dangerous. In reality, we
human beings, including the Balinese people, are limited in many
ways.

How great has been the impact of the tragedy on the spiritual
life of the people?

Once again, this was a very tragic moment, but we should not
fall onto an unending sadness and anger. Of course, this event
has had a very great influence on us -- both negative and
positive. We should think positively. Let's just view this as a
great lesson for us to be on the alert at any time, to be patient
in facing any problem.

On Friday (today), the Balinese people will hold a special
Tawur ceremony. What do people actually expect from any ritual in
accordance with Hindu belief?

The ceremony will be important for us. Caru Tawur is
undertaken and reserved for only the most important occasion.
This is crucial, for Bali is currently undergoing a period of
mourning because of the disastrous bombing. According to Hindus,
any ritual or religious ceremony is held in an effort to obtain a
blessing from the Creator, to obtain spiritual enlightenment that
may lead to a genuine solution to a problem. By undertaking the
upcoming ceremony, we hope that we will have carried out one of
our obligations to seek Divine help.

It is necessary that the entire community take part in the
ceremony because its purpose is to spiritually purify their land
and inner being.

Of course, a ceremony is just one of the basic religious
obligations for Hindu people because we understand that we have a
lot of shortcomings. We really cannot expect that after the
ceremony, the problems will be solved immediately and Bali will
be safe again.

The most important point is how we, the Balinese people,
behave and act after the ceremony. The Tawur Agung ceremony must
become a crucial milestone for all elements of society --
religious leaders, academics, government officials,
businesspeople and commoners, to physically and spiritually
improve Bali.

Your comments indicate that something unsuitable has occurred
in Bali that needs to be rectified.

Long before the bombing, Bali had been developing in an
unsuitable way. In my opinion, Bali is now under the power of
"greedy and unwise" people. This is manifest in the way Bali and
its people have turned out. Consumerism and materialism have
embraced almost all of our people. Public policies were created
to benefit none but the powerful. Social and economic
discrepancies are everywhere. Bali is a wealthy place only for
certain people. We really must eliminate the greed.

The police have currently detained a number of bombing
suspects, who unfortunately come from East Java and are Muslims.
Is there a possibility that this will cause social and religious
conflict between Balinese Hindus and the Muslim community here?

As Hindu believers, we should not be suspicious of or harbor
bad feeling toward others. If they really are the perpetrators,
let the police do their job. Since the very beginning, the
Parishada Hindu Bali (Hindu High Council), has stressed strongly
that the bombing is a criminal and terrorist action, not a
religious issue.

I really urge Balinese Hindus to restrain themselves from any
action that might cause conflict with other believers. We should
never seek a scapegoat.

What we should do now is strengthen our relations with our
brothers of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. As human
beings we have an obligation to change the bad into good, which,
for Hindus, is called Triguna. That is the essential aim of all
ceremonies and our faith.