Klub Kokos

News:
4. Cleansing Ceremony

December 2002 Newsletter

Bali Copes
Bomb Site in Kuta
Tribute to Peace & Unity Weekend in Ubud
Cleansing Ceremony in Kuta

In the aftermath of the bombing on October 12th, the Badung Regency of the government in Bali held a special Tawur Agung Pamarisudha Karipubhaya ceremony in mid-November, centred at Ground Zero and the beach at Kuta. This ceremony, in accordance with that written in the holy Hindu scriptures, was one that had never before been held in Bali, reflecting the terrible magnitude of the disaster that had happened. The principles of Tri Hita Karana - a harmony between heaven, humans and the earth, which is the basis of Balinese village life - had been acutely shaken, threatening harmony and the continuity of life. The negative effects from the bombing must be countered in various ways through ceremonies to restore harmony, for the sake of peaceful existence and prosperity.

The site of the bombing was filled with all of the temporary structures needed as a part of the Tawur Agung Pamarisudha Karipubhaya ceremony held to restore harmony once again in Bali

Huge efforts went in to prepare for this ceremony, where God was asked to:

• Forgive for carelessness in carrying out dharma ways (religious obligations)
• Bless victims' souls so they will find sincerity, holiness and peace to continue their journeys to eternity, according to their karma
• Bless wounded victims so they will quickly recover health and peace to continue their life
• Bless all criminals in the world, so they will find enlightenment and repent for all they have done and recognise the comfort of peace
• Bless all who escaped from the disaster with a peaceful life and existence, guidance and protection, and for Bali to achieve maximum, effective and efficient recovery from the situation and conditions after the bombing
• Bless and bring balance between the buana agung (the world) and buana alit (humanity), and to maintain the harmonious Tri Hita Karana as the basic concept of the life in Bali, for a peaceful and prosperous society

A small group representing relatives of those who had been killed sat cross-legged at the edge of the bomb crater, making special offerings and prayers during the ceremony to aid in the release of the lost souls

The pemangku pray & sprinkle holy water on offerings to God

The beach at Kuta was all but deserted apart from the crowd of people who had gone to the water's edge to perform some of the rituals that were a part of the Tawur Agung Pamarisudha Karipubhaya ceremony

Many thousands of people packed the main Legian Road in Kuta, either side of the bomb site. There were hundreds of pemangku (village priests) in attendance to help with the blessings of the many offerings as well as distributing holy water throughout the massive crowd during prayers.

A number of family members of foreign victims of the bombing were invited to attend the ceremony, as well as representatives of foreign embassies. A live telecast of the proceeding was shown throughout the island for those unable to attend.

Once the ceremony had been performed, holy water that had been collected from each of Bali's sacred sources and used for the ceremony was then distributed throughout the island, to be used in smaller cleansing ceremonies of every household in Bali. As a sign of the magnitude of this ceremony for all Balinese, the decorative penjor (bamboo pole) had been erected at the entrance to every household on the island the day before.

Hopefully this ceremony marks a turning point of people's grief here in Bali. A number of countries have now eased their travel warnings for Bali, yet it will take some time before the memory of such an horrific act fades in people's minds. One of our recent guests at KLUB KOKOS commented that once people give into a fear of travel because of terrorist acts, then the terrorists have won. We hope and pray that no further terrorist actions occur anywhere in the world to increase people’s fear of travel. Travel promotes tolerance and harmony between nations, as we discover and increase our understanding of cultures different from our own.

We hope these and the many other healing activities in Bali help direct people's grief into more positive directions, as well as spreading the news to the rest of the world that Bali is not a terrorist spot, but a place that has been terrorised, and that now - more than ever - Bali needs the support of the people who have such a fond regard for this beautiful and peace-loving island.

[end December 2002 Newsletter
- make a selection below]

This page was last updated on December 28, 2002