Journey over the Earth
13.2
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The achievement of practical results, in the sense of striving towards a specific, preconceived goal in which you project yourself and from which you derive self-esteem, is totally foreign to the Balinese. For example, once they have earned enough money in one of the local hotels to be able to buy themselves a moped, they will simply quit their job.
Temple life
The greater arch on which life is strung here is not the ordinary world but the Temple life, with its daily sacrifices at home and the many commemorative festivities in the bigger temples in the neighborhood.
For example, at every crossroads in and around home – that is, wherever a door gives out into a corridor, a front door into a street, a street into a side-street - a small sacrifice of rice, flowers and perfumed water is offered, five times a day. These offerings not only beautify and bless the island, but also attract innumerable stray animals that scrape out a living between the offerings and the people.
On important holidays, everybody, including the men, is beautifully decked out in lace blouses, gilded sarongs and intricate headdresses. All look their very best with lipstick on and flowers in their hair. The children, too, who participate in all gatherings in the temples, get exquisitely dressed and get make-up on for their temple visit. They spin around smiling, so everybody will see and admire them. There is not a hint of the solemn spirit of austerity and forgiveness of sins that can often be felt in our Churches. Coffee is made and passed around, and everyone unwinds and brightens up.
Celebrations
The Temple life constitutes the real life of the Balinese. There are countless gods and goddesses and innumerable occasions to be celebrated and honored in the Temple. One can come whenever one sees fit, but nobody likes to be late and miss out on the colorful and mysterious events.
Fire-and-brimstone sermons are unknown, as is the obligation to sit still on hard wooden benches for long periods of time. People dance and make music, and how!
A multitude of hammers are coming down with great precision on brass gongs, bars and bells. It is as if Creation itself is exploding into an ancient, mesmerizing stream of sound, sweeping along the audience and washing away one’s thoughts one by one.