The year is 1946.
Well, actually, it’s 2024, but in Bali, we’re also navigating through 1946. No, I haven’t time traveled 78 years, but Bali intricately weaves together the Gregorian calendar with the Saka, their lunar calendar, brimming with cultural depth. From what I’ve gathered, the Saka calendar significantly influences Balinese life, marking time with the moon’s phases and coloring every aspect of existence here.
Coming into Bali, my mind was a blank canvas, open and admittedly ignorant to the world I was stepping into. Without any preconceived notions, I was here to absorb, learn, and understand.
Backing up to this morning, my day began with Benik, my guide, picking me up for a temple and rice field tour. In Benik’s car, Bali’s layers started to unfold, from the Day of Silence, Nyepi, that marks their New Year, to learning it’s both 1946 and 2024 here.
Benik and I dove into conversations that ranged from Bali’s unique stance as a Hindu island in a predominantly Muslim nation to its distinctive practices, like dietary customs diverging from other Hindu and Muslim traditions. While I found the historical divergence of Balinese Hinduism fascinating, my focus remained on the personal stories and cultural insights Benik shared, rather than the broader historical context.
Raised in a family that’s tiny by Indonesian standards—just my parents and me—I couldn’t help but marvel at Benik’s description of living with a sprawling extended family. Imagining integrating into my husband’s family household, especially with the universal challenge of navigating mother-in-law dynamics, brought a quiet smile. It seems some truths span cultures universally.
Family life here sounded like something from another world. Benik’s “small” family of 8 living together is typical, with larger families encompassing over 30 people under one roof, yet not exactly together. Their homes are a collection of buildings, each serving different life functions – cooking, ceremonies, sleeping, and even a honeymoon suite for newlyweds.
This concept of the honeymoon building fascinated me – a space for the newest married couple until the next wedding. Benik, currently residing in it, humorously noted his impending eviction by his younger brother’s nuptials.
What an interesting culture, to say the least. My little American brain has trouble comprehending living with the family of my future husband (if there is one). I wonder how different America would be if we placed such a strong emphasis on family. I wonder how or if it would be better.
Then, the conversation turned to life and death, learning that the deceased remain at home until deemed auspicious for cremation by the lunar calendar. It could be a few days, or could be up to a few weeks before a body is removed from home and ready to be cremated, and its soul released to the next life. This practice, rooted in their belief in reincarnation, suggests a soul’s journey through forms based on karma, awaiting rebirth within the bloodline, potentially lingering in limbo until the time is right.
My college days brushed over reincarnation; your deeds determine your next form – human, animal, or plant. Yet, Benik introduced me to nuances I hadn’t considered, like the butterfly’s short lifespan offering a quicker reincarnation cycle.
Now back to the bloodline thing. When Benik’s son was born a few months ago, he took him to his local shaman and asked the man who his son was. The shaman informed him by name of the man his son was in his past life. He also shared other details about this past man that the Shaman would have no way of knowing, and Benik went home to look at his ancestry and found the name and the details to be true. How cool!
I asked if his son was technically the reincarnation of one of his ancestors from many years before, and why it took so long for him to come back to this earth. Essentially, I was told he had to wait. His soul was stuck in limbo waiting their turn to be reincarnated. Reincarnation is not always immediate.
Upon further thought on this now, I wonder if maybe the old ancestor had not the greatest karma, and he spent all of these years going through the cycle of birth and death either as a plant or an animal until finally, his karma was once again good enough to come back to human form.
I then learned of Tri Hita Karana – the Balinese philosophy for life. The literal translation is roughly the ‘three causes of well-being’ and it focuses on 3 relationships: Human to God, Human to Human, and Human to Nature.
We discussed how many people need religion to be good, but if you are already good, then you have religion in your heart and don’t need strict practice.
Religion has always been such an interesting topic to me, especially because I honestly don’t know what the f*ck is going on or what’s true.
I’ve never especially felt called to one religion, and I think to each their own, but I do believe we are all connected to each other and this earth more than we realize. I already recognized the human-to-human and human-to-nature relationships, but maybe I’m missing the human-to-God?
But what is God? Who is God? Is there just one, or are there infinite?
I won’t ever know the answer, and I have somehow always been at peace with that.
As I move through this one guaranteed life, I try my hardest to be good. I try to bring light to new situations. I treat others with respect (mostly – no one’s perfect… not even me!) and I am in constant awe of nature. Mother Earth is our truest mother and you can’t deny that!
Maybe there’s something bigger than us. Honestly, I hope there is. But while I semi-attempt to figure out life’s biggest question, I’ll patiently and respectfully move through this life with grace, gratitude, and appreciation for all.
Meeting Benik wasn’t just about sightseeing; it was a profound lesson in cultural immersion, spirituality, and the unexpected depths of human connection. As we navigated the dual years of 1946 and 2024, I was reminded of a simple yet profound truth: all I know is that I know nothing. And yet, I’m more excited than ever for the revelations and lessons that await on this journey.
Till we meet again, with an open heart and an eager mind, ready to embrace the vast unknown and the countless stories it holds.