Bali - Praying in a foreign Land Written and Photographed by Laci Chiodo
Having always felt the need to believe in a higher power, made
me think of myself as a spiritual person and practice my own form
of prayer. Organized religion seemed too rigid and closed-minded
for my taste. It has separated and caused wars between its believers.
It is the invisible barrier, never allowing people of different
beliefs to get too close.
Besides, it is too rigid, dictating what you do and how you do
it. Prayer is personal, why must it be on public display? Why
must there be a certain way to pray? Will God only hear your prayer
if it is performed in a certain manner? Furthermore, I could not
understand why people spent time and money building elaborate
structures used for worship. If one wants to talk to God, why
not just do it at home for free? These ideas regarding religion
were firmly rooted in my mind until a recent trip to Bali, where
many of my own barriers were broken down and I realized I was
just as closed-minded as I had accused everyone else of being.
Bali introduced me to the Hindu religion with its detailed prayer
process and numerous temples located in every corner and in every
home. I had never encountered a place where religion was practiced
so openly. Everything had a religious significance, from the mangy
cat on the side of the road to the pestering monkey trying to
invade my purse. Dodging tiny prayer baskets with every step,
I watched as religious ceremonies paraded through the streets
and vendors rubbed money all over their merchandise in hopes of
attracting good luck. At night I would pray in the solitude of
my room and I wondered if it would ever be possible to truly connect
with another culture so different from my own. What was the point
of all these religious rituals and did they really serve a purpose?
Did the people really believe in them or were they just going
through the motions because that is all they knew?
It became my goal to meet someone who could explain everything.
Putu took me to his village where he was gracious enough to enlighten
me as we ate a home cooked Indonesian meal with our hands. He
took me to his family’s temple, a humble platform with two
alters and two tiny stools located in his backyard. I watched
as he lit incense and placed little candies and crackers atop
the altar. As the incense wafted the food offering up to the Gods
he inhaled the smoke three times, each time placing a flower petal
behind his ear, one for each of the three Gods. These Gods come
from the Balinese belief called Tri Murti, known to the western
world as Trinity. They are Brahma- the cosmic creator, Wisnu-
the cosmic preservation and Shiwa- the destructor. It was a surreal
experience to be sitting there in that temple far up in the hills
of a foreign land. As I studied him throughout the process I noticed
how peaceful he looked and how much he believed in what he was
doing. He was not just sitting on his bed having a casual conversation
with God as I had done so many times before, only dropping to
my knees when gripped with fear or desperation.
This process of prayer was sacred to him and the temple built
by his own father was a place devoted to worship without distractions.
As I mimicked his actions and said my own prayer I understood
how meaningful the act of praying could be when performed in a
manner I opposed to. This may be common knowledge to those who
already practice a religion, but to me it was all new. I realized
that people go out of their way to perform rituals and build places
of worship in order to express just how much they care and respect
their God. I had always thought that just saying it was enough,
but spending a month in a place so seeped in faith caused me to
question myself. Was I being too casual about my relationship
with God? Did my lack of discipline in regards to worship mean
that I wasn’t taking my spirituality seriously? And, had
I really been praying all of this time or was I just thinking
out loud? All of these questions rolled through my mind and still
linger there today. Of course there is no wrong or right answer,
fore it is up to the individual to decide, but my exposure in
Bali has caused me to open my mind to all religions and how they
choose to express their gratitude, as well as to examine my own
spirituality and how I communicate it.
Laci Chiodo obtained
a degree in English-Creative Writing and is now working as
a freelance writer amongst other noble jobs to supplement
her travel funds. When she is not exploring the world she
is riding her moped through Maui, reading books, and floating
in the ocean.
