Cremation
CREMATION IN BALI
A Glimpse beyond the Flames
Bali’s cremation ceremonies are especially spectacular and famous and this on a small island where spectacles are an every-day occurrence. If he is lucky enough to see one, the visitor is treated to a sight to be found nowhere else in the world.To appreciate and understand Balinese cremation fully a visitor must comprehend two things. First of all, that which he sees is but the tip of the iceberg. Weeks, sometimes months, some no less spectacular than the cremation itself. And, second, one must have at least a brief introduction to the Balinese concept of life and its place in the universe. About 95 percent of the 2.5 million Balinese follow as their religion a form of Hinduism that is related but not identical to that practiced in India. Balinese Hinduism conceives of the universe as the macrocosm, Bhuana Agung, with one God. Ida Sanghyang Widi Wasa, as its soul.
This one God pervades the entire macrocosm, but he has many manifestations, depending upon which of his aspects is being considered. These manifestations are often personified and given separate names. But, one must always remember that they are only separate identities for one entity. With exactly the same structure as the macrocosm, but on a vastly smaller scale, one finds the human body. In turn pervaded by its soul. Atma, or Atman. This structure is the microcosm, Bhuana Alit. The material body originated from the macrocosm and is only temporarily loaned to the soul. It consists of five elements of the macrocosm: air, earth, fire, water and space collectively called the Panca Maha Butha. The soul or spirit is immortal, but impure. Hinduism embraces the principle of reincarnation, Samsara, or Numitis, in which the soul experiences cycle of birth into a new body, release at death, purification and punishment for misdeeds in a kind of hell, Neraka, a joyous period of residence in heaven, Suarga, and then re-birth into a new body. This cycle continues until the soul is sufficiently pure to attain Moksa, a state wherein it becomes one with God, in a place of perpetual peace, Nirvana, and no longer experiences reincarnation.
But, when someone dies his soul cannot immediately leave the body completely and return to the world of God. Instead, the Atma hovers near the body, sometimes as a ghost that bothers the family. Only after the body’s five elements have been returned by burning to the macrocosm whence they came can the soul completely detach itself from the body. The whole series of ceremonies that are involved with the return of the Panca Maha Butha to the Bhuana Agung are called Pengabenan that the foreigner calls “cremation”. Pengabenan is for the realize of the given elements of the material body and their return to the macrocosm. There must always follow a second and complementary, complex series of ceremonies, Nyekah, in which the soul is returned to God.
The nature of the Bhuana Alit, microcosm, into which a soul is reborn is completely governed by the very important Hindu doctrine of Karma-Pala, literally “deed-fruit”. According to this principle every act upon earth, karma, produces an inevitable reward or punishment, Pala. If one’s actions on earth are more bad than good, his soul, after cremation and Nyekah. Will go first to Suarga for a brief period to enjoy the fruits of his goods, and then to hell, Neraka for punishment for his bad deeds. From Neraka the soul is reincarnated into a worse or lower form than in the previous life. This might involve a lowering of caste Or, it might even result in a soul being reborn as an animal-which then has to work its way up the karma ladder to eventual Moksa.
Conversely, if one’s karma is mostly good, the soul goes briefly to Neraka after cremation, for a little punishment, and then for a longer period of reward in Suarga, from which it is reincarnated into a higher or better form than in its previous existence. Reincarnation of a spirit may occur in any form at all, even in a nonhuman form, depending entirely upon its karma.
An ultra-pure soul can reach Moksa directly upon death without Pengabenan or Nyekah, because its inner fire is sufficient to release it from its body-shell by a sort of self-incineration. But, only perhaps one out of a million people has soul this pure. It takes many cycle of purification and reincarnation to reach Nirvana.
REINCARNATION
Superimposed upon the principle of reincarnation, and very important in Bali’s religious culture, is the ancient, animistic belief that each soul maintains a separate identity, even though returned to heaven, and thus part if God. God manifests part of himself as the soul of a deceased ancestor. These deified ancestors are called Sanghyang Pitara, or Betara Hyang, and each family has a special family temple, called Sanggah (or Merajan for the higher castes) where special shrines are dedicated to the family’s deified ancestors and to which they are invited to descend upon the occasions of important religious festivals.
The stages in the life of each Balinese, from birth until death are marked by special religious ceremonies celebrating the rites of passage. The very last and most important rite of passage is that a family can and must perform for one or its members occurs at his death, for it is here that his soul must he released and returned to God. And it is here that the soul starts its process of purification so that it may become a deified ancestor and duly installed in the family temple.
DEATH RITES
Balinese Hindu death rites can be very simple and inexpensive. Certain basic offerings must be made. And a few important practices must be observed. A corpse can be cremated and its soul released quite quickly, cheaply and without much fuss still following the necessary basic and resulting in proper release of the soul. But and this is a very important “but” there is a pervasive belief that no expense must be spared in this final send-off of the soul. To skimp and save would be a sign of disrespect. And one must remember that this soul will shortly become a deified ancestor. As such, there is a feeling that it will know that the family could have provided a more elaborate series of death ceremonies had it wanted to. Thus, it might pester the family with bad fortune, sickness and the like.
And there is another aspect to this that must be considered. By providing a large, costly, and elaborate series of death rites, a family gains status and prestige in the village. And so, every family will do its best to provide as grand and glorious a cremation as it can afford-perhaps more than it can afford-in terms of both money and time. Now, even a medium-large cremation may cost the equivalent of thousands of U.S. dollars, severely taxing the family resources, and it may require the services of hundreds of people over a period of weeks or even month. Therefore it is very common amongst the poorer people merely to bury the corpse in the village cemetery, after a relatively simple and in expensive ceremony of symbolic preparation and cleansing. The family then waits until it can accumulate sufficient funds for a properly grand cremation.
Alternatively, if some other wealthier family in the village or a very important member of the community schedules a large and fine cremation at some future date, the poorer family may ask to join the big ceremony, with relatively little expense to itself, it is not unknown for dozens, even hundreds, of bodies to join in the shared glory of a particularly important, or rich, person’s cremation. For this reason some years may elapse between.
Cremation in Bali is a joyful even and the colorful procession head this spectaculars 11-tiered tower of Balinese royalty to the cremation grounds, it is accompanied by horseplay, shouting and laughter. the death of a person and his cremation, perhaps even a decade or more. During this time the soul never strays far from the body and may bother the family in various ways as it seeks total release toward God. Every family of every caste tries to cremate its dead as soon as possible, but this can only be accomplished if the family is wealthy.
For a priest, or for a descendant of a former ruler of a royal family, burial in the impure ground is considered inappropriate. The body is therefore preserved and kept lying in state in a pavilion in the family house compound. Fresh, elaborate offerings must be made daily. The services of a high priest, Pedanda, must be engaged. Guard must be present 24 hours a day. A great deal of music is required, guest entertained and fed, and even symbolic daily meals provided for the body. And that is not all. Not al days are suitable for cremations. So, an expert on such matters has to be consulted in order to set the day of the final rites.
PREPARATIONS
When the big day has been decided upon, an unbelievably complex, interlocking series of preparations are set into motion. Temporary structures for shrines, shelters and shade must be built and roped with coconut leaf mats. Offerings must be made daily. Each of the ceremonies preceding the cremation itself has its own required set of offerings, as well as those. for the final act itself. the purpose of them is many-fold. One is to provide symbolic pleasure to the deified ancestors who are invited to attend the ceremonies, to the soul that will be shortly released, and satisfaction to the hunger of the evil spirits, the Butas and Kalas, who stand greedily by, ready to interfere in man’s every activity. The most important purpose is that these offerings will help implore God to purify the spirit and return it to earth some day in a higher form.
Every reasonable large cremation will have at least one sarcophagus in the form of a life-size or large animal. The approved sarcophagus for those of higher caste is a bull or cow, depending on the sex of the deceased, called Lembu. The lower castes have other specified shapes – a lion, a deer, or a fish-elephant, the Gajah mina. The animal sarcophagus is cut from a solid tree trunk, hollowed out by hand, and built with a removable back section in which a corpse will be put. The figure is covered with paper and than with cloth – black for bulls, yellow for cows, and decorated with colored cotton wool, mirrors, colored paper cutouts, tinsel, and glitter. Each is mounted on a separate criss-cross platform of bamboo so that it can be carried by a large group of men
THE TOWER
There must also be constructed a cremation tower, called Wadah, or bade, the tower is a symbolic representation of the Balinese universe. Bedawang, the world turtle, is at the base, surrounded by the two dragon snakes, Naga Basuki and Naga Antaboga. These represent the physical needs of mortal man-the former symbolizing safety, the later perpetual food, clothing, and shelter. Every man microcosm has its two accompanying Nagas. Above this lower world, Bhur, on the cremation tower, is the world of man, Bwah, shown by leafy forests and mountains. On top is the world of heaven, Swah, built of successive tiers of little roofs, like those found on the pagoda-like towers, and called Meru, in some Balinese temples.
Between heaven and earth on the tower is a house-like structure, the the bale-balean. This has a protruding shelf on which the body of an unburied person is placed for transportation to the cemetery. If a body has already been buried, only a symbolic representation, or effigy, Adegan, of the body is carried in the tower, as it would be improper to put in an elevated and holy place the actual impure body that has been in contact with unclean earth. The effigy is a fan-shaped object, about 40 centimeters high, made of sandalwood, wrapped in white cloth, and elaborately decorated.
On the back of the tower is a big, grotesque mask, Bhoma, the some face, with great fangs, that stress down at one from the main gate of most Balinese temples, and whose function is to scare away evil spirits. Bhoma on the tower has huge, outstretched wings, often with a span of several meters. In addition, there may be a photograph or drawing of the deceased on the back of the tower. If the body to be cremated has been buried, it is dug up in the cemetery. Often very little remains-perhaps just a few bone fragments. These are wrapped in a white cloth and placed in a temporary shrine-shelter in the cemetery. A buried body. Having been in the impure earth, is not carried to the family home. Only its effigy is carried in the procession.
Holy water is one of the most important of the essentials of any Balinese ceremony. Sprinkled on offerings, shrines, and the body or effigy, it represents the blessings of God. A large coconut oil lamp, spherical in shape and covered with white cloth is hung on a tall bamboo pole outside the family house compound, together with a similarly constructed bird. The lamp is kept lit until the cremation day so as to guide the wandering soul back to its home. Usually a kind of life size doll the ukur, is made from old Chinese coins with center holes and from white thread. This represents the skeleton, nerves, and muscles, and it is cremated along with the body and effigy.
THE PROCESSION
In north Bali, a great procession, the Madeeng, is held on the day preceding the cremation. A special percussion orchestra plays for cremations. And for no other event, in Bali. On the day of the cremation, crowds of guests arrive early and must be fed and entertained. All members of the deceased’s neighborhood association, Banjar, are obliged to assemble, very informally dressed, in front of the house compound where the sarcophaguses and tower are lined up in the street. No weeping or sorrow is evident. After all, the person may have died years ago! Besides, it is a joyful event. The soul is about to be sent to that most desirable of all places, Suarga, and it is on its way toward deification. Also, weeping might disturb the spirit and make its departure difficult.
If the body has been kept in the family house compound it is boisterously snatched up and fought over as it is carried up the ramp and bound to the tower, amidst much pushing, shoving, and laughter. The body or effigy is then covered with the Rurub Kajeng, a white cloth on which are inscribed magic letters and symbols that will help ensure safe passage to heaven for the spirit. Then procession form. The empty sarcophaguses are snatched up by the shouting Banjar men and spun and whirled as they are carried in a crazy melee to the cemetery. The idea is to confuse the spirit and make it lose its way so that it cannot return and haunt the family.
After the sarcophaguses comes a long procession of beautifully dressed women carrying the many cremation offerings on their heads.
Next in the procession comes a very long white cloth, the Lancingan, that is attached to the tower and is stretched out ahead, carried on the heads of a long train of people, often with a long rope that also is attached to the tower. Since not all the family can actually carry the tower, carrying the cloth symbolizes this act. The tower and ramp are last in line, except for the Naga Banda that may accompany cremation procession of royal families. The procession to the cremation grounds, located near the Pura Dalem, or death temple, may take an hour or longer, depending on distance and the amount of horseplay. Cremation is generally done in a clearing in the cemetery, located at the sea-wards or most impure direction from the village-away from streets, and usually with one or more huge Kapuh trees providing shade. Upon arrival the sarcophaguses are placed in special pavilions under a white sheet roof that symbolizes the sky.
Next, family members open the backs of the sarcophaguses with a special sacred knife. If there is an actual body in the tower that has been kept in the family house compound it is roughly handed down or carried down the ramp, often fought over even to the extent of tearing the bundle apart, and than placed into the appropriate sarcophagus. In the more usual case of previously buried bodies, the sheet-wrapped bones that have been waiting in the cemetery are placed in the sarcophagus. Along with the effigy that has been carried in the tower. The family crowds around for the last look at whatever there is left of the body as it is exposed by cutting open the wraps. The Ukur, and other accessories and offerings are placed inside. Everything is then covered by the magic Rurub Kajeng cloth. Now the attending Pedanda or senior members of the family four jar of holy water on top of the contents and the empty clay jars are dashed to the ground and broken. The backs of the sarcophaguses are replaced. Assistant surround the base of the sarcophagus with green banana plant logs to prevent spreading of the fire, and firewood is loaded between the logs.
THE FIRE
When all is in readiness the fires are ignited. This may be done by a Pedanda, after he has blessed the torch, or it may be done by simply lighting a match. When the fires have died down, water is thrown on the ashes, and little boys scurry to collect the Chinese coins, as the family collects scraps of ash and bone from the bodies. some of the burned fragments are formed into a body-shaped pile in a special pavilion, the Bale Selulung, and wrapped in a white sheet. Other fragments are placed inside a yellow coconut that is than wrapped and decorated. Meanwhile the Pedanda platform and is ringing his bell and chanting mantras to help the release of the soul and its journey.
By now it is near sunset. There Pedanda chants his final mantras. Family members sit or kneel on the ground to pray, then rise and carry the containers of ashes on their heads in a procession to the sea. Now the five elements of the body have been returned to the macrocosm whence they came. And the spirit has been related to the sea where its impurities will fall as sediment, and from which its purer essence will be summoned for the next and final major series of ceremonies, the Nyekah, wherein the soul is returned to Suarga-Neraka, just as now the body’s elements have been returned to the Bhuana Agung.
The date of the Nyekah is set for an auspicious day far enough ahead so that there is time for all the necessary intermediate ceremonies to be completed. The crowds of women continue to make offerings. Now another large tower is built, the Bukur, this time decorated only in white and gold. Other temporary shelters and shrines are constructed by shelters and shrines are constructed by works gangs. More holy water is fetched. More invitations are sent. The kitchen and offering work goes on with unabated activity. Higher caste offerings experts are called in to prepare the effigies for the soul. A bamboo frame about 40 cm. High is constructed with a conical base. The base is covered with leaves from a sacred banyan tree, collected in a special separate ceremony. The leaves must be arranged concave side down for a male effigy, the opposite for a female. These leaves symbolize the fire that will release the Atma from the Sekah. The effigy is decorated with special dried flowers and a fan shaped background similar to the Adegan of a cremation. It is then wrapped in white, decorated with gold leaves, and placed in a special shrine on silver tray.
On the day of the Nyekah climax a whole series of important ceremonies leads up to the main event, which occurs well after midnight. Each Sekah is unwrapped and the valuable ornaments saved. The inner framework is placed upon a round clay pedestal and set afire. Family members encourage the flames with miniature woven bamboo fans. The ashes are ground up, each family member helping, and placed in a yellow coconut, which is, in turn, wrapped in white and decorated. This object, sometimes called Sekar, or Puspa, blossom, is then reverently carried on the head of a family members in a procession to various family shrines. Prayers are said, and the effigy is placed in the Bukur, tower, just at dawn. In mass Nyekahs there may be many effigies in one tower, or each effigy may have its own tower. The tower is then carried in solemn procession to the sea or nearby stream, prayers said, offerings dedicated and the effigies thrown into or carried out into the water, followed by the tower itself, which is not burned this time. The soul has finally been seen on its way to God.