By Ketut Suardana

For The Bali Times

UBUD ~ The principles we need to adhere to in our daily lives are called Dharma. It is the realization of a moral code of life and contains within it the power to change the nature of things.

Animals are governed by basic instincts to feed, procreate and protect themselves and their young, whereas human beings have been given a choice and the right to choose for themselves, in the process creating a distinct life for themselves.

Woman’s duty as a sister, mother or wife is to educate the children and family as a Guru Rupaka (one of the Catur Gurus). The principle of Dharma is self-realization through spirituality, which remains the main aim of life - e.g. Artha/material world and Kama/desire, which are part of the Catur Purusha Artha through the stages of life (Catur Ashrama).

The Concept of Rwa Binedha

The Purusha and Pradana are the source of life between body and soul.

Rwa means two and Binedha different. This combination of Rwa Binedha has created black and white, day and night, big and small, right and wrong, Sekala and Nishkala (seen and unseen), male and female.

The Balinese family system is patriarchal according to the traditional law of Purusha. The man is head of the family, socially and religiously.

For example, when Balinese women get married, during the ceremony she accompanies her husband to her family compound to worship at her ancestors’ family temple. This ritual signifies that henceforth she will follow her husband’s clan.

Purusha denotes man and Pradana woman. There has been an ongoing controversy as to who is the stronger and more intelligent of the sexes. A Chinese proverb says it all, “A man thinks he knows, but a woman knows better.”

Vedas mention the fact that husband and wife should be together at all sacrifices, either religious or social.

In Bali, Besakih Temple, located in Karangasem, was built by our ancestors as a Purusha temple. This is where Balinese go to pray to reach a higher level of spirituality. And at Pura Batur in Batur, Kintamani, the Balinese consider this a Pradana temple where they pray for prosperity.

Dharma of the Women

A child is closer to its mother than father because the mother is an embodiment of affection through which the child fulfills all its needs.

The Bhakta/spiritual follower is closer to Mother Kali than Shiva as Shiva is absorbed in his meditation and the material world bears no attraction. Mother Kali is the supreme mother, the shakti (strength) of Shiva.

She cares for the world’s problems and guides the dedicated spiritual followers to God for their Moksah/last freedom. We depend upon Mother Kali from birth to death. She has promised all human beings that if they ever encounter problems and seek a solution, they should pray to her for guidance and help.

Woman in Indonesian is wanita, in Sanskrit vanita. The word van means beloved who could be a wife or girlfriend and ita, happiness. In Indonesian, woman is also perempuan. The root word of perempuan is empu.

In Hinduism, empu means a person who is magnificent, eminent and one who brings prosperity where ever they go. If empu is connected to perempuan or wanita, the person can become a nurturer of children and men as well.

To be born a human is a blessing as a human has the opportunity to do Cubha (good) or Acubha (bad). All bad deeds are countered by good deeds, which is the basis of Karma, according to the Sarasmuschaya Book.

Married Woman

A married woman needs the protection of her husband by way of trust and respect in order to build a sound base for a good family. This is the principle of Tatwamasi, a Balinese Hindu philosophy that talks of equality of sexes and the belief in Karma.

The Nitisastra Book says that birds have value because of their song and woman a good reputation as a result of her love and loyalty to her husband.

(Read the Ramayana wherein Sita prefers to leave the Ayodhya along with her husband Ram to live in exile in the jungles in spite of the fact that she could have remained in the palace.)

Woman as Housewife

The duty of the woman is to manage family life through a harmonious process of understanding the many aspects of worldly knowledge as well as spiritual beliefs. This makes it extremely difficult for her as this also involves taking care of the children, cleaning the home, making offerings and taking part in obligatory social and religious activities.

The Manusmerti Book says that the woman should be strong enough to control her thoughts, words and deeds so as not to ruin the honor of her husband as these efforts will enable her to be with her husband in heaven. The woman is considered a Budhiman, a person of high intelligence and sacrifice.

As a housewife, a woman has to adjust to her parents-in-law, in laws in general and her husband.

The Arthwa Veda says:

May not happen peril from friend, no peril from unfamiliar people.

No danger from familiar one, no danger from unfamiliar one.

In night no peril, no peril for us even in day.

May it happen that people from all walks of life become our friends.

Woman Continues Family Tree

According to the Balinese, woman is the seed that grows into a tree that bears fruit (children). It the tree does not bear fruit, how does one release one’s ancestors from hell who are hanging from bamboo trees as only the birth of descendants can release them?

Woman as Guide

Philosophy/Tattwa, Ethical/Susila and Ritual/Upacara are the basic knowledge that a woman gives to her children and various stages in their lives.

The Nisastra Book says:

When children are 5 years old, the family should treat them like kings

When they are 7 years old, the family must train them to be followers

When they are 16 years old, they must be treated like friends

And when they become adults, they need only to be guided by signs

Balinese women play a pivotal role in all rituals. The Manawadharmasastra Book says:

Women have to be respected and shown affection by their fathers, brothers, in-laws and husband.

Where women have been respected, it makes the deities happy. And when the women are not respected, all rituals performed in the home will be of no value.

According to the Bhagavid Gita (1-40), “The woman is the barometer of civilization and therefore man has an obligation to show her tolerance, loyalty, love and respect. If man does not do this, the ancient laws are destroyed and the family yields to lawlessness.”

Bhagavid Gita (1-41), “And when lawlessness prevails, O Varsneya (Krsna), the women of the family become corrupted and women are corrupted, confusion of the social structure arises.”

Semoga damai di bumi, damai di hati, damai di langit.

Peace on Earth, peace in your heart, peace in the sky.

JAKARTA ~ A group of Muslim activists have attacked the settlement of an Islamic sect in a village in Java, resulting in a clash that left four injured, police and reports said on Wednesday.

The Ahmadiyah sect believes that Mohammed was not the final prophet, contradicting a central tenet of mainstream Islam. The group has a few thousand members in Indonesia.

“The incident took place around noon yesterday (Tuesday) with more than 100 members of Kompak (the Muslim Coalition of Kuningan) attacking houses and places of worship belonging to Ahmadiyah members,” said a policeman in West Java’s Kuningan district.

The attack in Manis Lor village left 14 houses and two small Ahmadiyah mosques damaged, said the policeman, who gave his name as Haris.

Members of the sect responded by pelting with stones the attackers, four of whom were injured, Haris said.

“The police are still on site, as well as a company of men from Brimob,” the police paramilitary unit, he said, adding that the situation was under control.

No arrests had been made, he added.

Local media said that the attack was briefly stopped when Brimob troops tried to disband the attackers by firing tear gas, but they managed to break through the cordon to vandalize the houses.

Reports quoted a local leader, Maman Hermansyah, as saying that Ahmadiyah had agreed to no longer use their mosques.

“If they are still used, then the Islamic organizations are free to damage those houses of worship,” Hermansyah reportedly said.

The Indonesian Council of Ulemas, the highest official authority on Islamic matters here, declared Ahmadiyah a “deviant” sect in 2005 and banned its activities, sparking an upturn in harassment of members.

The government has not outlawed the group nationwide but local bans have been issued in several districts, including Kuningan in 2004, according to Yudhi, an official from the local administration.

“But as this concerns a religion, to act more firmly we need a legal base from the central government,” Yudhi added, explaining the ban’s weak enforcement.

Around 200 members of Ahmadiyah were forced to move to temporary shelters in Lombok after hardline Muslims attacked their homes and mosques early last year.

JAKARTA ~ A grammatical error in Indonesia’s new 2008 tourism campaign - splashed across airplanes and television advertisements - is to be fixed, a Culture and Tourism Ministry official said on Wednesday.

The new slogan of the “Visit Indonesia 2008″ campaign reads: “Celebrating 100 years of nation’s awakening.” “Nation’s,” in correct English, should read either “national” or be preceded by a definite article.

The awkward phrase is already plastered across the flagship carrier Garuda Indonesia’s A330 planes - which were inaugurated by the tourism minister Jero Wacik last week - and appears on websites and in a TV advertisement.

Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

But an emailed message asking about the mistake received this response from Khrisnamurti, the ministry website’s content administrator: “We have now been made fully aware of the English-language grammatical mistake in the VIY2008 logo and it will be rectified immediately.”

The 1908 event referred to in the slogan was the founding by medical students of “Boedi Oetomo”, or “Noble Endeavour,” the first nationalist group in the then Dutch-ruled colony - a fact few foreigners would know.

Indonesia declared independence in 1945, and boasts an array of attractions and varied cultures across its 17,000 islands, but the focal point of tourism remains Bali.

MANILA ~ The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said this week it will lend US$200 million to Indonesia to support government efforts at stamping out corruption.

The project is part of a series previously funded by the Philippines-based ADB as well as the World Bank and Japan, an ADB statement said.

It would “support wide-ranging reforms in three core areas - improving the investment climate, strengthening public financial management and anticorruption efforts, and improving public service delivery,” it added.

Loan terms were not disclosed.

Ten years after the Asian financial crisis, Indonesia had become more stable and resilient to internal and external shocks. The concern no longer centered on economic stabilization and recovery but on achieving and sustaining higher rates of economic growth to reduce unemployment and poverty, ADB said.

To achieve these objectives, the government is relying on a pro-growth agenda while pursuing broad structural and institutional reforms.

JAKARTA ~ The government and the UN children’s agency signed off on a new agreement this week aimed at raising the living standards of children throughout the archipelago, UNICEF’s Indonesia representative said.

The US$125-million agreement will encompass a range of projects to tackle mother and child health and education in 2008, Gianfranco Rotigliano said.

A focus of next year’s efforts would be promoting proper sanitation for children “which means advocacy and behavior change for children to wash their hands and putting taps into schools,” Rotigliano said.

The annual work plan is to also include construction of 130 new schools in Aceh province, the area worst hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, he said.

UNICEF also secured Indonesian government agreement for HIV/AIDS prevention and education, particularly in the eastern Papua region, where the disease is most widespread, UNICEF spokeswoman Kendartanti Subroto said.

Indonesia has had mixed progress in recent years in improving the lives of its children.

While infant mortality has dropped significantly to 30 deaths per 1,000 live births, there has been little or no improvement in rates of malnutrition, maternal mortality or access to safe water, UNICEF said in a statement.

Janet De Neefe

For the Bali Times

Now that we are in the festive season and have entered that escalading countdown to Christmas (only four more sleeps), I figured it is time to talk about Balinese ceremonial food. Imagine Christmas lunch with your loved ones, sitting down to a grinning table spread with all the trimmings, for example, of a Balinese tooth-filing ceremony! Goodness, I hear you say! But I promise, it would be a feast fit for a king. And let’s face it, no Balinese feast is complete without Bali’s “national” dish, Babi Guling or Suckling Pig. Every major ceremony in our home has born witness to a roasted piglet that has been carved and shared around most of North Ubud.

But what is it that makes Suckling Pig so delectable? In fact, I recently had lunch with a friend from Australia who said he dreams about Ibu Oka’s Suckling Pig when he is away from Bali. Imagine that. Here we are, sitting in my restaurant, Casa Luna, and eating takeaway Suckling Pig, drooling over its many virtues. There’s something dreadfully wrong with that picture.

Ibu Oka needs no introduction in Ubud and has become an Indonesian household name, selling ever-so-tender suckling pig behind the Wantilan on Jl. Suweta. She is a bit like the Colonel Saunders of the tropics without the franchises (and whiskers). But it was actually Ibu Oka’s mother-in-law, Gung Niang Guling, who set the trend, spit-roasting these fat-bellied piglets at the family compound daily in Tegal Sari, Ubud. She was one of those table-carrying D.I.Y. foodstalls on legs, selling Babi Guling in the same location. The space was shared with a few other Balinese mums, nestled under the shade of the Banyan tree. This is where it all began.

Nowadays, in the busy season, up to eight suckling pig are roasted and carried down to the warung ready for a day of frenzied trading. In fact, Ibu Oka’s is almost as popular as the Monkey Forest, with bus loads of tourists pouring in to this crowded space to sample this celebrated treat. You can have the regular-sized portion, or for gluttons like me, you can load up on the deluxe serve, topped with a huge slab of crispy pork crackling. If you are going to indulge, you might as well do it properly.

Between you and me, I seldom ate pork until I came to Bali. Rumors that Australian pig is fed on jellybeans and antibiotics turned me off; but in Bali, these cute little “Babes” are fed on a rather nice vegetarian diet of cooked banana trunk and sweet potato leaves. And you can taste the difference.

But Suckling Pig is a multi-levelled taste sensation. First you have the tender mother-loved meat and then comes the spices. Enter coconut oil. When I was watching a pig being roasted the other day, a tiny grandma wandered in from the mountains carrying a jerry-can of fresh coconut oil. She looked like she had walked from the Himalayas with her tired, sun-beaten looks, faded sarong and worn-out jumper. “We order our coconut oil from this old woman,” said one of the roasters. “She makes the finest we can find.”

As you know, I am a big fan of coconut oil and truly believe this oil makes a huge difference when cooking Balinese food. Without it, the spices would not sing, or rather hum like Annie Lennox, because it is the oil base that kick-starts the wild fragrance of all those earth-bound ingredients into something heavenly. Beyond the fresh oil and the spices are cassava leaves that are tucked into the tummy, an organic stuffing loaded with flavor. While the pig is slowly turning, a mix of coconut oil and turmeric is used to baste the skin, adding a golden glow and a crispy finish. And it doesn’t stop there. At Ibu Oka’s, the suckling pig is roasted over tender coffee wood and coconut husks to add extra flavor and aroma. That’s what I call dedication.

Of course, there are other wonderful Balinese specialties you can make for Christmas or the New Year. Smoked duck is a perennial favorite and roast chicken rubbed with Balinese spices and served with sambal matah is a winner. Or how about roast turkey stuffed with yellow rice or roast lamb rubbed with kecap manis, cracked pepper and seed mustard. But does it really matter what you make?

The foods that promote life, vitality, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness,

which are sweet, soft, nourishing and agreeable are favored by the pure

Bhagavad Gita 17-8

So getting back to the joy of celebration. The eloquent Krishna proffered this quote to his ever-faithful fan Arjuna about the virtues of good food. Because we all know that food embodies something far greater than just a taste sensation and feasting with friends and family is more than just bringing pleasure to the table. A gathering such as this enters our snug inner sanctum that keeps our heart and soul in love: in love with a world that provides and nurtures and in love with humanity. I have often said that the saddest people on the planet are those with eating disorders because they choose to shun a part of life that can lead to such great happiness.

So take my advice and cook up Christmas lunch for family and friends. Spare no expense. In fact, treat it like a Balinese ceremony and make it a happy, busy, noisy affair with loads of laughter and merriment. Because, as they say, what goes around comes around. And even if you can’t offer the finest meal, it will still taste sublime because the spirit of the event will turn it into something unforgettable.

And here’s a little Christmas present to serve with your Christmas feast.

SAMBAL MATAH

Raw chilli seasoning

This is a deliciously crisp, crunchy sambal, with lashings of kaffir lime, lemongrass and ginger adding to that culinary wow factor. It’s a great accompaniment to roast chicken, summer salads and just about anything char-grilled.

INGREDIENTS:

5 shallots                                                        3 tbs oil

1 large red chilli, seeds removed               1 tsp grated ginger

5 small chillies, seeds removed                 5 kaffir lime leaves

1 tsp torch ginger bud, chopped                sea salt to taste

½ tsp shrimp paste, roasted                    1 lemongrass stalk

1 tsp torch ginger shoot, chopped

Slice the shallots finely. Mix robustly with a teaspoon of salt to extract any bitterness.

You don’t need to wash out the salt.

Chop the ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves and chilli very finely.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, making sure the shrimp paste is blended in. Check seasonings.

Note: Wash hands thoroughly after handling these ingredients. If chilli burns your skin, rub oil on the spot.

Coconut oil is the preferred oil for this sambal.

Selamat Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I wish you all a feast of love, good health and happiness.

Cheers, and I will see you in the New Year.

Matur Suksme

By Paulo Coelho

For The Bali Times

A medieval legend tells us that in the country we know today as Austria, the Burkhard family – a man, a woman and a child – used to amuse people at Christmas parties by reciting poetry, singing ancient troubadour ballads and juggling. Of course, there was never any money left over to buy presents, but the man always told his son:

“Do you know why Santa Claus’ bag never gets empty, although there are so many children in the world? Because it may be full of toys, but sometimes there are more important things to be delivered, what we call “invisible gifts.” In a broken home, he tries to bring harmony and peace on the holiest night in Christianity. Where love is lacking, he deposits a seed of faith in children’s hearts. Where the future seems black and uncertain, he brings hope. In our case, the day after Father Christmas comes to visit us, we are happy to be still alive and doing our work, which is to make people happy. Never forget that.”

Time passed, the boy grew up, and one day the family passed in front of the impressive Melk Abbey, which had just been built.

“Father, do you remember many years ago you told me the story of Santa Claus and his invisible gifts? I think that I received one of those gifts once: the vocation to become a priest. Would you mind if now I took my first step towards what I have always dreamed of?”

Although they really needed their son’s company, the family understood and respected the boy’s wish. They knocked at the door of the monastery and were given a loving, generous welcome by the monks, who accepted the young Buckhard as a novice.

Christmas Eve came around. And precisely on that day, a special miracle happened in Melk: Our Lady, carrying the baby Jesus in her arms, decided to descend to Earth to visit the monastery.

All the priests lined up and each of them stood proudly before the Virgin, trying to pay homage to the Madonna and her Son. One of them displayed the beautiful paintings that decorated the place, another showed a copy of a Bible that had taken 100 years to be written and illustrated, while a third recited the names of all the saints.

At the very end of the line, young Buckhard anxiously waited his turn. His parents were simple people, and all that they had taught him was to toss balls up in the air and do some juggling.

When it came his turn, the other priests wanted to put an end to all the homage that had been paid, since the ex-juggler had nothing important to add and might even mar the image of the abbey.

Nevertheless, deep in his heart he also felt a great need to give something of himself to Jesus and the Virgin. Feeling very ashamed before the reproachful gaze of his brothers, he took some oranges from his pocket and began to toss them in the air and catch them in his hands, creating a beautiful circle in the air just as he used to do when he and his family traveled to all the fairs in the region.

At that instant, the baby Jesus, lying in Our Lady’s lap, began to clap his hands with joy. And it was to young Buckhard that the Virgin held out her arms to let him hold the smiling child for a few moments.

The legend ends by saying that on account of this miracle, every 200 years a new Buckhard knocks on the door of Melk Abbey, is welcomed in and for the whole time he remains there, he warms the hearts of all who meet him.

© Translated by James Mulholland

www.paulocoelhoblog.com