Understanding Reincarnation, The Balinese Way

People often say, Ancestors are “water” (yeh). And to incarnate is to come down as “titis”, or as “drops” of water from the “old country”, the ancestors’ abode high above the mountains. Souls normally incarnate again only once they are ready, i.e. after they fully have paid for their sins in “the field of sorrow” (tegal penyangsaran) or purgatory, where they have been tortured by Yama’s demons. Those which try to leave the purgatory before their due time unavoidably end up in an abortion or in a child’s death–and thus find themselves back to square one, in the field of sorrow they have just left. People say that those souls tried to cheat and have to be punished.

To have a child in proper condition is to pay proper attention to its soul’s incarnation. Balance is in the matter paramount, first of all at the level of the parents’ sexual behavior, which should be kept under tight control. This is symbolized in Kantor’s illustration, which shows the god of love Smara and his consort Ratih (the moon) overseeing the love scene below.
Another thing is that it is not just anyone that is incarnating. It has to be an ancestor’s soul –shown by the old man on the illustration. But in order to have the right soul coming down, all should be well prepared, including the right offerings and the right prayers. And one should address one’s request at the right place.

The most common is at the “Guru”, the three-door altar found in all Balinese family temples. If one’s prayers (nakti) there fail to fulfill their purpose, one may then go to a “specialized” altar , usually located in the middle of some preferably haunted (tenget) forest or the slope of some mountain. Most famous for the purpose are the Ratu Brayut shrines – the shrines of the ancestral figures of Father and Mother Brayut, known to have had many children.

Love making itself is not the issue, even though there are ways to make male or female children. I won’t tell you if you must push right or left! But it can work. Then, a sign (pawisik) will tell your wife that she is pregnant: this means the soul has found a place to come down through the meeting of the “white desire” (kama petak) with the “red desire” (kama bang). From that time on, the ancestor is there, waiting to come out in birth. When he/she does so, he/she is called as a “dewa” – an incarnating god.

Let us pass over the various ceremonies of birth and after-birth. The most interesting, and what makes people most anxious is: who is incarnating? No need to overly speculate. There are mediums (balian) whose job is to intercede with the “invisible” world (niskala). If you find a good one, he/she will find out for you, which is usually done on the 12th day after birth.