HINDUISM IN BALI
The Hinduism present in Bali is a clear example to show the presence of Indianisation in SEA. Though almost every other state and city in Indonesia is predominantly Islamic, majority of the Balinese, 83% of the population, have adopted Hinduism practices. Balinese Hinduism also further proves one of the widely-accepted theories of indianisation, as the concept of ‘diffusion’, or syncretism. Despite centuries of borrowing ideas, SEAsians were never passive beneficiaries and rarely became exact copies of the cultures influencing them. They were selective in the different aspects of religion they chose from, and managed to adapt based on existing cultures in that specific area, with the fusion of practices from other religions too.
The main difference between Indian Hinduism and Balinese Hinduism is the caste system. The caste system is the process of placing people into different groups, each with their own hereditary occupation. This system shows what type of occupation that a person in the level of the caste system may have, or the different social interactions that the person is allowed to have, based on caste.
In Indian Hinduism: The caste system is rather complex, where there is a strict set of rules and regulations to follow based on the caste, and there are about 3000 castes in total, and over 25000 subcastes.
The main difference between Indian Hinduism and Balinese Hinduism is the caste system. The caste system is the process of placing people into different groups, each with their own hereditary occupation. This system shows what type of occupation that a person in the level of the caste system may have, or the different social interactions that the person is allowed to have, based on caste.
In Indian Hinduism: The caste system is rather complex, where there is a strict set of rules and regulations to follow based on the caste, and there are about 3000 castes in total, and over 25000 subcastes.
In Balinese Hinduism: The locals only adopted a small portion of the caste system into their culture, thus only having 4 levels of the caste system. The Brahmins, or the caste of merchants and administrative officials, the Kshatriyas, which was the warrior caste, that also include some nobility and kings, the Vaisyas, which was the caste of merchants and administrative officials and the Shudras, which was the low-class peasants that make up close to 93% of Bali’s population.
The similarity in both caste systems is that the four castes in Balinese Hinduism are similar to the four varnas in Indian Hinduism (shudra, vaishya, kshatriya, brahmin). Both caste systems and hinduism cultural practices are generally revolved around the same concepts of Dharma, Artha, Karma, Moksha, which basically describe life cycle and reincarnation, the philosophy behind harvesting goodness in one life, and reaping the benefits in the next.
The cateism/Varna system is extremely prevalent in Bali. One positive aspect of that is that the original message of Varna is still believed in, thus profession rather than lineage, and inter-caste marriages are unordinary there. The priests in Bali are also not only just Brahmins, but are from all major castes.
Apart from caste system, Balinese Hinduism also is influenced by a part of Buddhism, which was the predominant religion in Southeast Asia before the spread of hinduism. Most of them believe in Bodhisattvas and their images are inspired by that era, or the Hinayana form of Buddhism. Balinese Hinduism also incorporated animism and ancestor worship, and as it grew with flexibility in Bali, it featured a more diverse and fluid way of life, compared to the strict ways of life of those who practice Indian Hinduism.
The cateism/Varna system is extremely prevalent in Bali. One positive aspect of that is that the original message of Varna is still believed in, thus profession rather than lineage, and inter-caste marriages are unordinary there. The priests in Bali are also not only just Brahmins, but are from all major castes.
Apart from caste system, Balinese Hinduism also is influenced by a part of Buddhism, which was the predominant religion in Southeast Asia before the spread of hinduism. Most of them believe in Bodhisattvas and their images are inspired by that era, or the Hinayana form of Buddhism. Balinese Hinduism also incorporated animism and ancestor worship, and as it grew with flexibility in Bali, it featured a more diverse and fluid way of life, compared to the strict ways of life of those who practice Indian Hinduism.