Bali Hinduism
Tonight the wifey couldn't sleep because she drank a can of coffee so here we are at 2am playing with our phones ( I slept earlier at 10am and got up around 1.30am to pee but with room light's on couldn't fall asleep so easily again, so reading Quora & Wikipedia!)
Interesting stuff Hinduism
The Hindu practices of Bali and Java are not part of a single, uniform sampradaya but are a unique blend of various Indian Hindu traditions, indigenous animist beliefs, and Buddhist elements.
- Shaivism: Balinese Hinduism is rooted in Shaivite traditions, which honor Shiva as the supreme being. In Balinese texts, this expands to the tripartite concept of "Siwa-Sadasiwa-Paramasiwa" to represent Shiva as the creator, maintainer, and destroyer.
- Smartism: Acknowledging one supreme being, Ida Sanghyang Widhi Wasa, and viewing other gods (including the Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) as his manifestations reflects the theology of Smartism.
- Buddhism: Centuries of co-existence with Buddhism in the region have led to a unique syncretism. Buddhist priests take part in Hindu festivals, and some Balinese texts reference Buddhist saints.
- Indigenous traditions: The practice is deeply intertwined with local animism, ancestor worship, and nature worship, including reverence for spirits known as hyang.
- Tri Hita Karana: A core philosophy that emphasizes harmony between humans, nature, and the divine. This principle influences daily life, from architecture to agriculture.
- Catur Marga: Recognizes the four Hindu paths to spiritual liberation: bhakti (devotion), jnana (knowledge), karma (action), and raja (meditation). Bhakti Marga is the most widely followed path in Bali.
- Agama vs. Nigama: Balinese Hinduism is described as being strictly Agama (Tantric and ritual-focused), while Indian Hinduism is a mixture of Agama, Vedic, and Puranic practices.
- Kejawèn: The syncretic Javanese spiritual tradition incorporates animistic, Hindu-Buddhist, and Islamic mystical (Sufi) elements. Many followers of Kejawèn identify as Muslim to comply with national laws but continue to practice pre-Islamic rituals.
- Tenggerese: The Tenggerese people of East Java are officially Hindu and follow a tradition dating back to the Majapahit Empire. Their faith, also called Hindu Dharma, is similar to Balinese Hinduism but does not have a caste system.
- Osing: The Osing community in Banyuwangi, East Java, also practices a form of Hindu Dharma similar to the Balinese, including observing ceremonies like Nyepi.
- Resurgence: In recent decades, there has been a resurgence of Hindu identity in some parts of Java, driven by a desire to reconnect with pre-Islamic Javanese heritage and political factors.
| Feature | Bali (Agama Hindu Dharma) | Java (Kejawèn/revivalist) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | The dominant religion for the majority of the population. | A minority faith, with elements incorporated into syncretic traditions like Kejawèn. |
| Influence | Combines Indian Hindu doctrines with strong indigenous animist beliefs and some Buddhist reverence. | Reflects Hindu-Buddhist influences from the Majapahit era, blended with local mysticism (Kebatinan) and Sufi Islam. |
| Rituals | Elaborate, vibrant, and integrated into daily life, with a strong emphasis on offerings (canang sari). | Practiced mostly by specific communities (Tenggerese, Osing) or revived by converts, with rituals often adapted locally. |
| Festivals | Distinct calendar of festivals (e.g., Nyepi, Galungan) tied to local traditions rather than Puranic Hindu festivals. | Observes some unique local customs, though some convert communities may adopt mainstream practices. |
- Historical background: Beginning around the 5th century CE, both Hindu (specifically Shaiva) and Buddhist tantric traditions were brought to Indonesia from India and flourished, particularly on the island of Java.
- Syncretic nature: Javanese tantricism was a syncretic belief system that blended imported Indian doctrines with indigenous Javanese animistic and spiritual practices.
- Key lineage: One of the most powerful and influential tantric schools in Java was the Kala Bhairava lineage, which sought to achieve enlightenment quickly through transgressive rituals.
- Legacy in mysticism: Even after the rise of Islam in Java, tantric motifs and practices survived in a modified form and influenced Javanese mysticism, or Kejawen.
Several good answers have been given. The principle difference is between Agama and Nigama. Agama is basically Tantra and Nigama Vedic. Indian Hinduism is an admixture of Agama (Tantra), Vedic and Puranic practices.
Hinduism in Bali is strictly Agama. In India the 2 major Agamas are Saivite and Vaishnava (The Sakta methodology is called simply Tantra).
The ancient sages that brought Hinduism to Indonesia developed a separate and unique Agama for the local people incorporating elements of their animism. So while philosophically the two systems (āgama and Nigama) are similar, in practice they differ. So in Bali the theory of Dharma, Karma, Varna, Purushartha, Moksha etc. is the same as India, the ritual practices and the festival calendar vary greatly. In ceremonies some common Vedic mantras are used like the Gayatri and Mrtyunjaya but most of the mantras are Tantric. Bearing in mind that India and Bali were not in frequent communication in those days many of the transformations and reformations that happened under Muslim and British rule did not affect Indonesia in general and Bali in particular.
The Mahabharata and Ramayana play a very important part in the sphere of the arts but there are a few variations in the stories.
I have found that the Balinese place emphasis on different aspects to the Indians. So for example there is a common sutra which says:–
“na devā na pitara khādanti na pibanti - dṛṣṭyeva tṛpyanti” Which means:– “the gods and the ancestors do not eat or drink any of the offerings we make - by seeing alone are they satisfied.”
In India people do not take this seriously and the presentation of offerings is usually very unaesthetic. The Balinese on the other hand take this to the utmost degree of excellence — the beauty of Balinese offerings cannot be surpassed anywhere in the world.
Another example is the doctrine of the Five Great Yajñas (Pancha Mahā Yajña) which is one of the core paradigms of ALL Hindu ritual practice.
In India there are divisions into sects with devotees following their personal deities (iṣṭha devatā) in Bali every temple contains shrines to Brahma, Siva and Vishnu (Siva usually taking center stage!) And every village has three temples to each of the trinity.
Buddhism has been subsumed into the general Agama. so Buddhist priests also take part in all Hindu festivals — which by the way, differ greatly from the Puranic festivals of India - in actual fact none of the Puranic festivals have been celebrated in Bali.
And the biggest difference of all is that Hinduism is taught as a compulsory subject in every Balinese school, the Balinese actually learn about their religion and culture and hence are extremely proud of it. Indian Hindus are generally not really up to scratch when it comes to knowing their religion and culture.
The best book ever written on Balinese Hinduism, Religion and Culture is — BALI Sekala and Niskala by Fred Eiseman Jr. : — Bali
I have seldom met any Indian Hindu that knows this paradigm let alone explain the five elements. Every single Hindu in Bali knows them and practices them daily!
in Bali is mainly what a Guru (Maharsi) from India teach us. He spread Hinduism from India to Java island to Bali then Lombok and Sumbawa island, that’s why don’t be surprised that there are similar practice even now in Java even though it is majority Islam adherent (see also Kejawen, a folk religion which influenced by Hinduism and Mystic of Islam).
What I can say about the main different is in how it is practiced not what to practice. Like when you go from your house to school or your office, there may be some route you can go to, but in the end you arrive at the destination. That’s how it is. We are going towards the same goals but how we achieve it may seem different.
In Hinduism, it is said that our life is our debt. Our debt to God the Supreme Being that give us life, debt to our parent and people that raise us and lastly our debt to our Guru, teacher that teach us knowledge. And to repay our debt, we do Yajna or called Five Great Yajna. The name maybe different but the essential is the same. Yajna mean sincere sacrifice/offering which are grouped into five namely Deva yajna (yajna to God), Pitra yajna (yajna to ancestor), Manusa yajna (yajna to fellow human being), Rsi yajna (yajna to teacher and saint), and last Bhuta yajna (yajna to nature including animal and plant).
What you practice in Hinduism every day is that Yajna instead of prayers. Respecting elder, follow the advice of parents, helping people in need, caring for animals and plants, preserving the environment, clean the temple and many other is the simple form of Yajna outside the ritual one. What is different between Hindu in India and Bali is how they practice the ritual one. Many other religion also face this issue, but how they view this is different. And Hinduism view that the difference in how to practice Hinduism is a natural thing, you should choose the path that is suitable to you.
While not directly interlinked, the Marapu religion of Sumba, Kejawen of Java, and Balinese Tantra share a historical basis in the indigenous animistic and dynamic beliefs of the Indonesian archipelago. The arrival of Hindu-Buddhist concepts introduced philosophical and ritualistic overlays to these local traditions, resulting in different forms of syncretism on each island.
Here is a breakdown of their connections and differences:
Marapu religion (Sumba)
Focus: A traditional Sumbanese animistic belief system centered on honoring and communicating with ancestral spirits, known as marapu. The spirits are believed to protect and guide their descendants and are venerated through ceremonies and rituals.
Key components: It is deeply tied to the Sumbanese way of life, including intricate textiles, architecture, and village layouts that reflect their beliefs. Rituals often occur during specific seasons or for life events.
Connection to others: Marapu is a distinct indigenous faith with minimal historical connections to the highly syncretic practices of Java or Bali, which were heavily Indianized. Its links are based on a shared foundation of ancient Southeast Asian animism, not later Hindu-Buddhist influences.
Kejawen (Java)
Focus: A Javanese cultural tradition and mystical practice (kebatinan) that is a syncretic blend of animism, Hindu-Buddhist concepts, and Islamic (especially Sufi) mysticism. It is a highly spiritual path aimed at finding one's "inner self" through meditation (laku) and ritual.
Key components: Kejawen does not have a single deity or dogma, and its rituals and philosophy are adapted from diverse influences over centuries. The ultimate goal is manunggaling kawula Gusti, or the unity of the servant and God.
Connection to others: Kejawen has a historical link to Balinese traditions through the Majapahit Kingdom, which spread Javanese Hindu-Buddhist culture. However, it evolved on a different path, blending with Sufi Islam rather than preserving a more direct Tantric lineage like Bali. Javanese mysticism absorbed Tantric ideas but was reshaped by later Islamic influences.
Balinese Tantra (Bali)
Focus: A specific branch of Balinese Hinduism (Agama Hindu Dharma) with strong Tantric roots. Unlike Indian Hinduism, Balinese Hinduism is highly influenced by local animistic rituals and practices. Recent scholarship confirms that Balinese rituals, including the daily practices of high priests (pedanda), are informed by the metaphysical and cosmological concepts of Tantric Shaivism.
Key components: Balinese rituals incorporate classic Tantric philosophies, symbols, and practices. It is a fusion of Indian spiritual ideas, epics, and scriptures (like the Vedas) with the veneration of local and ancestral spirits (hyangs).
Connection to others: Balinese Tantra and Kejawen share historical roots in the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of ancient Java, notably Majapahit. However, Bali developed its own distinct version of Tantric Shaivism, which was less exposed to the Islamic mystical influences that shaped Kejawen. There is no direct link between Balinese Tantra and Marapu beyond the shared underlying animistic foundation present throughout the archipelago before the arrival of major world religions.
Summary of relationships
Feature Marapu (Sumba) Kejawen (Java) Balinese Tantra (Bali)
Origins Indigenous animistic and ancestral beliefs. Syncretic blend of animism, Hindu-Buddhism, and Sufi Islam. Indian Hinduism (with Tantric influence) blended with local animism.
Core focus Veneration of ancestral spirits (marapu). Mystical self-realization (kebatinan) and unity with the divine. Rituals and worship of Hindu deities and local spirits (hyangs).
Interlinking No direct link to either Kejawen or Balinese Tantra beyond shared ancient animistic roots. Shares a historical Hindu-Buddhist past with Bali (Majapahit), but evolved distinctly due to Islamic influence. Shares a historical Hindu-Buddhist past with Java, but maintained a distinct Tantric path.
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