The Jakarta Post - Bali - Monday, April 21, 2008
.......... Ida Pandita Ratu Bagus reminded people to be grateful to God always.
"Life is beautiful but why are we always in sorrow?" he said. Because people often forget to be grateful, was his answer.
"Let us pray and say thanks to God by smiling. Smile in the morning, at noon, at night. Let us smile to ourselves and to other people," he said. ..............
Modern people's tendency to forget that God is part of His creation makes people neglect their surroundings and nature, according to an Indian spiritual leader.
"God is part of His creation. Honoring His creation means you honor the Creator," Indian spiritual guru His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar told an audience at Denpasar's Art Center on Saturday night.
The event, titled "Live in Love", was organized by his foundation, The Art of Living, and aimed to give spiritual enlightenment not only to Hindu devotees but also to people from other religions.
The Art of Living Foundation, which has been established in 140 countries, is offering self-development programs to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being.
Hundreds of people, including Balinese, Indians and Westerners -- who accounted for almost half the crowd -- flocked to the Art Center on Saturday hoping to find some enlightenment in their lives. The event was also attended by Com. Gen Made Mangku Pastika, Denpasar's city secretary I Nyoman Aryana and Balinese spiritual leader Ida Pandita Ratu Bagus.
Ravi Shankar said all recent natural disasters were the result of people's ignorance in honoring nature. "All ancient traditions honor nature. People used to ask permission through rituals before cutting the trees or exploiting other natural resources," he said.
He said it is unfortunate modern people often forgot to honor nature and most of the time exploited it instead. "It's modern traditions that destroy nature," he said, adding people need to revive an awareness of how to honor nature in modern life.
He also encouraged the Balinese administration to start banning the use of chemical products because they could harm nature.
Denpasar's city secretary I Nyoman Aryana, who represented Denpasar Regent A.A. Ngurah Puspayoga, said people should not exploit nature. "We should preserve the balance of nature," he said.
He said Tumpek Uduh, a Balinese ritual to honor plants, was one aspect of local wisdom in Bali that was still implemented. Besides Tumpek Uduh, the Balinese also celebrated Tumpek Kandang, a ritual to honor animals. "We believe we have to maintain the balance of Buana Agung (macro cosmos) and Buana Alit (micro cosmos)," he said.
Such balance can only be achieved when human beings live in harmony with God and nature. This harmonious relationship, known as Tri Hita Karana, is the key teaching of Balinese Hinduism.
Meanwhile, Ida Pandita Ratu Bagus reminded people to be grateful to God always. "Life is beautiful but why are we always in sorrow?" he said. Because people often forget to be grateful, was his answer. "Let us pray and say thanks to God by smiling. Smile in the morning, at noon, at night. Let us smile to ourselves and to other people," he said.
Ravi Shankar expressed a similar view to that of Ratu Bagus. "The highest form of gratitude is to smile and make everybody smile," he said.
article by Irawaty Wardany
