Age-old Balinese philosophy holds key to conservation

Kurniawan Hari , The Jakarta Post -- Discover | Mon, 09/15/2008 2:56 PM | Education

The son of a Gianyar king, Anak Agung Gde Agung could have enjoyed the life and privileges of his birth. Instead, he decided to become a professional, earning a doctorate from Leiden University, and is active in the business, government and academic spheres. Aside from his recognition as a skillful businessman, he is also known for his passion and dedication to Balinese culture, and has founded the Sekar Manggis Foundation to promote the continuation of Balinese traditional arts. The Jakarta Post’s Kurniawan Hari spoke to Anak Agung Gde Agung about current issues in cultural conservation. The following is an excerpt.

Discover: What is the concept you apply to conservation?

A.A.G.A.: The concept is Tri Hita Karana, which loosely means “three sources of happiness”. It was my doctoral degree research at Leiden University, in the Netherlands. (The title of the dissertation is Bali: Endangered Paradise?)

It is special because I selected the concept through a quantitative methodology applied to thousands of ideas that exist in Bali. I proved it to be the best concept for conserving culture, environment, tradition and religion in Bali. It was the first time a (cultural) concept was approached using a quantitative method; usually, people use qualitative methods.

Tri Hita Karana has the potential to be applied universally. I view culture and environment as two sides of a coin: Environment and culture are inextricable; environmental conservation without cultural conservation will be meaningless. Tri Hita Karana is a concept developed thousands of years ago. It says that human beings are the link in the natural order of Prajapati (God), Praja (human) and Kamandalu (environment).

It forms the life philosophy that controls and regulates all views and actions of the Balinese people. People must pursue a life of balance and harmony with the three aspects: God (Parahyangan), human (pawongan) and environment (palemahan).

Human beings are at the center of this (order), and there is code of behavior to follow.

For example, one dictum in the relationship with God is bhakti. This means that humans must act and refl ect our actions toward God.

In the person-to-person relationship, the dictum is karmapala. It means a person must consider the impact that may come of his or her conduct. In the relationship with the environment, each person must consider both the macro and the micro worlds.

All of these dictums must be harmonious with each other, interconnected and reciprocal. If we look at these, we see they are the fundamental characteristics s of preservation and conservation. Balance means self-restraint.

What drove you to think about this concept?

I studied thousands of Balinese concepts on religion and philosophy. From these concepts, I believe Tri Hita Karana is the best. I proved it through the application of statistics and computerization.

Do you see cultural erosion happening in Bali?

That is a good question. Yes, there is a broad, multifaceted erosion occurring in the economy, culture and spirituality of Bali. I think this has happened because of the impact of globalization, modernization and other, powerful external factors.

So far, Bali has been able maintain its coherence because Bali has no commodities, like spices for example.

Second, Balinese people are self-sufficient. Third, the Balinese coastline is difficult for landing (ships). Bali was the last province to be conquered by the Dutch. Fourth, Balinese people are inward looking; they don’t look outside. For them, the ocean is something scary; (so) they always look inland.

From the Majapahit to the Dutch colonization and Japanese occupation eras, the culture of Bali was left undisturbed, and the culture was allowed to flourish.

However, today’s influx of tourism and television programs has brought with it multidimensional erosion.

Through a government regulation, Bali has been set up as the main tourism destination (of the country). This policy has, in a way, put Bali’s agriculture sector in danger.

Balinese culture is founded on agriculture and religion, which shape communal life. The defining characteristic of Balinese culture is their communal way of life. It determines Bali’s cultural and religious identity.

The influx of tourists has alienated people from their culture. Some private property, including temples or houses of worship, have been transformed into malls, villas and hotels.

Temples are at the center of the people’s spiritual life. (In removing them) Everything related to Balinese culture is eroded. It has happened on a massive scale, especially since the issuance of the government policy to turn Bali into a source of state income via tourism. That was in the 1980s.

Nearly 1,000 hectares of land are transformed into malls or hotels every year. This provokes a cultural transformation, the inundation and erosion of Balinese culture.

How would you apply Tri Hita Karana?

I think it must be applied by the Bali regional administration through banjar and subak, the community systems in Bali. A village is made up of many banjar. Each village must intensify the application of Tri Hita Karana.

The key thing is that human beings are inseparable from the environment. Humans have the same elements as the environment: fire, water, wind, earth and space. So, people must not chop down trees because this will hurt them also.

If this concept is applied, it will establish a sacred balance. Balance, interrelatedness, reciprocity and harmony all mean self-restraint and conservation.

Do you apply this concept through your organization?

I have a foundation that provides financial help for schools working on cultural and environmental conservation. We try to provide donations and explanations on Tri Hita Karana, but it must start from community awareness.

For example, if people want to organize an ngaben, or cremation, they must consider the dictum about the relationship between humans and the environment: They must not chop down trees indiscriminately.

If the Balinese take Tri Hita Karana as their life philosophy, I believe Balinese culture can be maintained despite the waves of globalization and modernization.

How have people responded?

Although it is a bit late, I think there has been positive response from the people.

In Bali, I think, the humanto-God relationship is solid. Human-to-human relations are so-so, but the human-to-environment relationship is bad.

There are 38 big beaches in Bali, but they face threat of erosion or environmental destruction at the rate of 125 square meters per beach per year, while dozens of hotels and villas are built along rivers.

This is the weakness of the administration in monitoring environmental conservation.

But people often say that they need money to live.

I believe all parties must struggle.

The agriculture sector is the most affected. People are moving away from agriculture; there is an ongoing transformation from farming to service (hotel, villas) and small industries. This has affected the spiritual life in Bali. Temples are also destroyed in the process.

I believe agriculture must be revitalized. Farmers must be given credit to revitalize this sector, and they must not only plant vegetables to fulfi ll their own needs.

The tourism industry brings in vegetables and spices from outside Bali. These vegetables must be planted in Bali so that there is no need to import them.

There must be stricter control over land use. They have to monitor land use, which is very weak and allows the transformation of agricultural lands.

There must also be efforts to urge decision-makers to provide opportunities to the people.

Are there any ongoing efforts in this area?

There is no major effort, but as mentioned, it must start from the grassroots, from the banjar and subak. Balinese culture and Tri Hita Karana must be explained. The people, young children as well as students at schools, must learn the culture, the dances and the arts. It must be a long-term project.

The government must provide assistance to the sector most affected, the agriculture sector…

Villas are erected everywhere, each villa one hectare. It uses the land of the people. The temples are destroyed. The construction of villas must be stopped.

How did you feel about the accolades you received for your doctoral dissertation?

My dissertation received two citations: summa cum laude and pioneer. Because it is a very rare achievement, I was given the honor to sign an almost 500 year-old plaque. Only a few outstanding fi gures have received this honor. They include Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.

I was the first Asian to sign it… The Queen (of the Netherlands) congratulated me; the prince even came to my hotel. I felt very honored.

Do you have a message for the younger generation?

First, I want the younger generation to learn Tri Hita Karana. It can be applied universally. It is about balance, harmony, reciprocity, self-restraint and conservation. It can be applied anywhere in the world.

Second, give variety to your life because you are a multifaceted person. You can contribute more to your environment.

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