the beauty of spiritualism

When looking at this picture, I cannot help being overwhelmed by the beauty of it.

There is a female person, in refined temple-dress, colorful and detailed. She once was young, her gentle face still reflects her beauty as a young girl, and she still feels young at heart. She's devoting her time for offerings to the spirits. Nothing much, but with a devoted expression on her face that shows, in a calm and at the same time ecstatic way, how happy she is to be able to be in contact with the spiritual world.  She and her offerings are one.

There is an unspeakable beauty in this unity, in the graciousness of her moving her hand and planting the stick, in the smile on her face, in the refinement of her clothing. Added to the detailed surroundings, the colorful decoration of the shrine, the elaborated art of the "pura", it is a perfect experience.

We live in a world where some are afraid of the "clash of religions". She's not. She feels connected to the higher world.

I am so privileged to have witnessed her presence and her offerings.

Bali: the influence of tourism on the religious experience

Last visit, W. confided to me that his spiritual experience was much less deep and less impressive in an easily reachable crowded temple and much more impressive and moving in a hard-to-reach temple with only few people. I absolutely believe him.

Some temples in Bali are overflown with tourists, busload after busload. They don't come to feel the spirituality of the place, they babble and giggle and stare at the hindu-believers like visitors at a zoo staring at the animals. It's a horrible experience for me, and I feel ashamed for them.

And then money comes in. Balinese Hindus know that a lot of tourists come to Bali just because of the fact that it's a Hindu island surrounded by Muslim mainland. Tourism is a very important source of income for Bali. Banning the tourists from all Hindu temples is financially not a good idea.

So, when I read this evening about efforts to keep at least the inner sanctorum of the temples tourist-free, I can only applaud this idea. The article is from 2013, but already in many temples in Bali (1), the jeroan are not accessible by tourists. I totally agree.

Hindu alliance supports move to limit tourist access to temples

BY NI KOMANG ERVIANI ON 2013-11-15

Youths grouped under the Hindu Alliance Caring for Bali (Aliansi Hindu Peduli Bali) declared their support for the plan to limit tourist access to temples throughout Bali. The statement was conveyed by the group at the Bali Legislative Council office on Thursday.

“We understand that temples have been part of the tourist attraction for years. To keep the sanctity of temples on the island, we demanded a firm policy to limit access to temples for tourists. We demand a policy to prohibit tourists entering the utama mandala, the main part of temple,” I Ketut Bagus Arjana Wira Putra, chairman of the alliance, said.

Hindu temples are architecturally and philosophically divided into three zones — the jeroan or utama mandala (the inner and most sacred part of the temple), jaba tengah (the middle section) and jaba luar (temple yard).

The alliance, consisting of several groups and NGOs, such as Puskor Hindu Indonesia, the Hindu student forum of Udayana University, and others, declared that they fully supported the central government’s plan for the development of national strategic tourism zones (KSPN). However, they demanded the program was not implemented at temples.

“We are wondering why the program has been planned for implementation in an area around a sacred temple? Basically, we do not reject the KSPN program for Bali. But we strongly demand the program does not include sacred temples,” Ida Bagus Sujana, member of the alliance from Puskor Indonesia, said.

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry has included 11 areas in Bali as KSPN, including Besakih and Mt. Agung in Karangasem; Kintamani and Lake Batur in Bangli; Pemuteran and the Menjangan islands in Buleleng; as well as Sanur, Kuta and Nusa Dua resort areas. The 11 KSPN in Bali are part of 88 KSPN throughout Indonesia.

The issue to include Besakih became a hot topic in the island’s mass media, especially in Bali Post, which used the issue to portray Made Mangku Pastika as a governor willing to sell the temple to tourism investors, despite the fact the KSPN is an initiative designed and launched by the central government in Jakarta.

Believed to have been built in prehistoric times, Besakih is the mother temple and largest and most holy worship place for Balinese Hindus. It was built 1,000 meters up the slope of Mt. Agung, a mountain deemed holy by the Balinese.

Amid the strong rejection, Pastika has also proposed that all temples on the island be excluded as tourist destinations to limit, or even prevent, tourists visiting these places of worship. Pastika also proposed canceling all the KSPN on the island.

However, Pastika’s decision was criticized by the alliance, which said that his decision showed bad leadership. “He [Pastika] should not say that. We should conduct a study first to get the best solution,” Sujana said.

I Kadek Maryana from the Hindu student forum of Udayana University said that the group agreed to temples still being tourist attractions. “As long as we don’t allow tourists to enter the jeroan, I think it is alright,” he said.

Nyoman Parta, head of Commission I of the Bali Legislative Council, said that the council would invite all the Hindu and Balinese community to discuss the KSPN plan soon. He requested the public not to make assumptions about the plan. “The KSPN program is aimed at managing the destination. We assure you it will not damage the sacredness. You should not too worry about the plan,” Parta said.

Source: http://www.thebalidaily.com/2013-11-15/hindu-alliance-supports-move-limit-tourist-access-temples.html#

(1) The Sad Kahyangan, Sad Kahyangan Jagad or the "six temples of the world" are the six supremely holy temples in Bali. According to Balinese beliefs, they are the pivotal points of the island. They are:

• Pura Besakih in Karangasem, the "mother temple" of Bali,
• Pura Lempuyang Luhur in Karangasem,
• Pura Goa Lawah in Klungkung,
• Pura Luhur Uluwatu in Badung,
• Pura Batukaru in Tabanan, and
• Pura Pusering Jagat (Pura Puser Tasik) in Gianyar.

ongoing efforts to make Bali a Muslim island ?

A Veiled Threat to Balinese Culture

Protests Erupt when Bali Toll Road Workers Asked to Wear Arabic Dress During Ramadhan and Idul Fitri Period

(7/19/2014)

Beritabali.com reports that a policy introduced by PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol asking workers on theBali Mandara Toll Road to wear Arabic-style veils (for women) and black hats (for men) during the fasting month of Ramadhan and the coming Idul Fitri Holidays has evoked protests from a number of sources, including the Bali Alliance of Hindus.

Intended by the toll operators as a symbol of religious tolerance, the instruction is being roundly criticized by the Bali Alliance of Hindus – a grouping comprised of members ofCakrawahyu, Yayasan Satu Hati Ngrestiti Bali, Yayasan Jaringan Hindu Nusantara and the Pusat Kooordinasi Hindu Nusantara.
Protests have taken the form of demonstrations in front of the office ofPT Jasa Marga Toll demanding that the policy be withdrawn.

During those protests, representatives of the Bali Alliance of Hindus met with Hadi Prunama, operation managers of the Toll Authority, and Budi Susteyo, manager of PT Lingkarluar Jakarta – a subsidiary of the Jasa Marga Tol.
At that meeting an agreement was reached to withdraw the controversial policy and for PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol to publish an apology in both print and electronic media.

A Hindu leader in Bali, I Gusti Ngurah Harta, welcomed the good faith demonstrated by the toll operator’s willingness to nullify the policy and make a public apology. “We hope that efforts (in the future) at (religious) toleration that are undertaken by PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol do not adopt moves requiring the Balinese to wear Arabic dress,” said Ngurah Harta.

Ngurah Harta warned that such steps have the potential to become problematic in Bali, fostering feelings of suspicion, particularly when elements outside the Balinese system of beliefs are introduced. Adding: “We desire a Country that embraces unity in diversity and that this principle be safeguarded.”

A similar sentiment was expressed by the chairman of Cakrawahayu, Putu Dana, who declared the polemic at an end. “We are very appreciative of PT Jasa Margra Bali Tol’s intention (to resolve this matter). We do not want that tradition and culture are put under pressure – such measures bring pressure on us as Balinese,” he said.

In connection with the protests, the technical manager of PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol, I Gusti Lanang Bagus W, stated that no written policy exists requiring the use of Islamic dress, and that the suggestion for their use of the Islamic holidays was nothing more than a suggestion.

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com.

And, if I can translate well the post in "AntiLiberalNews", Hindus from Bali who refuse to follow Islamic dresscodes (such as the veil for female), are "intolerant":

AntiLiberalNews - Aliansi ormas Hindu intoleran Bali yang terdiri dari Cakrawahyu, Yayasan Satu Hati Ngrestiti Bali, Yayasan Jaringan Hindu Nusantara dan Pusat Kooordinasi Hindu Nusantara menggelar protes di di depan Kantor PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol. Mereka bertujuan mendesak agar PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol mencabut imbauan memakai peci dan hijab bagi para petugas jalan tol selama bulan suci Ramadhan, karena mereka menilai hal tersebut bertentangan dengan adat dan budaya mereka.

“Kita harapkan toleransi yang dilakukan PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol tidak dalam bentuk seperti itu yaitu menggunakan busana Arab bagi masyarakat Bali,” ujar Ngurah Artha pada Rabu (16/7) seperti dilansir Inilah.

Hal itu, menurut Ngurah, riskan menimbulkan polemik di Bali karena akan muncul rasa kecurigaan, terutama jika ada hal yang berbau di luar keyakinan masyarakat Bali pada umumnya.

“Kita ingin sebagai negara yang menganut kebhinekaan, hal tersebut memang harus tetap dipertahankan,” harapnya.

Tak tahan menghadapi tekanan dari segerombolan kaum intoleran tersebut, PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol akhirnya tunduk dan mencabut kebijakan itu. Mereka juga menyatakan akan meminta maaf kepada masyarakat Hindu intoleran Bali secara tertulis melalui media cetak maupun online.