Balinese Hinduism
There are therefore no attempts at religious uniformity. Hinduism acknowledges Five pillars of faith, respectively: the belief in the One and Supreme God (Brahman or Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa), belief in the soul as the universal principle of life and consciousness (atma); belief in the fruition of one’s deeds (karma phala)’, belief in the process of birth and death (samsara)’, and belief in ultimate release (moksa). One of the consequences of the principles of karma and samsara is the existence of a caste system in Bali, according to which the individual inherits his status as a consequence of his deeds in the past life. The four nominal castes are the brahmana, who deal with religion and the holy texts; the Satria or rulers; the Wesia or merchants and the Sudras.
God as Super Being is called by a variety of names, Some are indigenous: Sang Hyang Embang: the Void. Others are of Indian origin: Sang Hyang ParamaKawi: the Ultimate Creator. But ultimately all gods are conceived as emanating from a single source or Sun (Siwa Raditya) of which the individual gods are but the rays (Dewa). To each shrine or each element of the world correspond yet another god or another appellation of the Ultimate One. God in this context is one, because he is multiple. He pervades the pervading (wyapiwyapaka). He is the Ultimate Void or Sunya expanding in an infinity of murti or manifestations, from which people select one as Istadewata or personal God.
Of the pantheon of Hindu gods, the principal ones are Brahma: the God of Creation; Wisnu, the God of Providence; and Siwa the God of Dissolution. These three gods of the Hindu Trimurti are the movers of the world through an unending process of birth, balance and destruction. Man, seen as a “small world”, is subjected to a similar process of birth, life and reincarnation until he/she achieves moksa, blending into the Cosmos and God (Brahman).
As in all Indianized cultures, cosmic conceptions play a prominent role in the religion of Bali. The world (Bhwana Agung) is viewed as the field of encounter, and yet, opposition of “earthly / demonic” and “ethereal godly” forces. This tripartite structure makes up the three worlds or Triloka (Bhur, Bhwah, Swah). The Cosmos and Its movement is symbolized by the swastika. As dweller of the middle ground, and since, according to karma, all conducts have cosmic consequences, Man as a microcosm (Bhwana Alit) should endeavor to maintain the harmony of the whole system (Bhwana Agung). Hence the role of rituals. Only by painstakingly adhering to the proper rules of behavior can he keep the proper balance between the two sets of godly and demonic forces and achieve for himself eternal release or moksa.