Rituals hoped to bring back peace
Rituals hoped to bring back peace
Ananta Wijaya and Ketut Sumarta, Contributors, Kuta, Bali
After the Pamarisuddha Karipubhaya cleansing ritual is held on
Nov. 15, the people of Bali are hopeful that peace will once
again return to their island.
The special ritual is being held to cleanse the island of evil
influences, or niskala in the Balinese language, caused by the
Kuta bombing of Oct. 12.
But high priest Ida Pedanda Gede Putra Bajing said the ritual
would not guarantee the island would be immediately safe.
"Balinese should be on the alert. Everybody here, no matter
their social status, should start rethinking (security) and doing
some introspection," he said.
The priest suggested the Balinese improve their own lives and
that Bali should be redesigned to create a more spiritually
harmonious place in which to live.
He said no one knew whether the bombing was a pralina, the
total destruction of Bali, or just the first sign of a more
disastrous catastrophe.
"That's the secret of the Almighty One. But we don't expect
another disaster to take place on our island. It depends on
ourselves, whether we want change," he said.
The bombing shows Bali is not immune to outside influences,
including ideology, politics, economics, cultural and social
influences. The bombing can also be viewed as the climax of local
and national problems.
AA Ngurah Made Arwatha, a city planning expert, suggested that
Bali undergo comprehensive changes, covering all policies related
to culture, tradition, education, population, the city master
plan, economy, politics and the environment.
"But we have to do this gradually," he said.
Discussing the present situation in Bali, noted scholar L.K.
Suryani, professor of psychiatry at the University of Udayana,
said the Balinese had forgotten the concept of Tri Hita Karana,
which spiritually safeguards the island and its people.
The concept teaches the Balinese how to live in harmony with
their surroundings. It teaches the Balinese how to enjoy
harmonious relationships with their Creator, their brothers and
sisters, and the environment.
"The Balinese people tend to forget their roots. There are a
lot of sacred places that have been transformed into hotels and
tourist sites. They sold their ancestors' land to outsiders for
the sake of money," the professor said.
Kuta, she said, was a bad place where people sold drugs,
marijuana and alcohol.
"I tend to consider the tragedy as punishment. It was not just
a slight warning from our gods, our ancestors, but a real
punishment because of our own mistakes," Suryani said.
After the bombing, the Balinese government as well as the
people have been expected to look inward and to work hard to
review existing policies, especially those governing customary
institutions.
"We Balinese are not spoiled people. The tragedy should become
an important milestone to upgrade our living situation and to
defend our land," Suryani said.