BALINESE ALTERNATIVE HEALING

BALINESE ALTERNATIVE HEALING
Balinese Life

Some Balinese Alternative Healings

Nature has been so kind to provide a variety of herbal ingredients. Their use offers another form of hope for recovery from illnesses beyond that offered by modern medical treatment. Similarly, through the heritage of hundreds of years, the Balinese have a rich tradition of healing. Both modern and traditional healings have, over time complemented each other.

Traditional healing is not intended to take over from the modern medical treatment. Balinese people consider that a medical problem should be resolved with medical solution, while the non-medical one should be treated with the alternative solution. When the patient does not recover by previous treatment and submits to his fate, he will be inclined to try any other possible treatments. In Bali, alternative healing is provided by traditional healer or balian.
This traditional healer has some specializations. Among them, there is one who specially offers healing service by referring to the traditional healing manuscripts like Taru Pramana (Soul of Plants), Usada Rare (Child Healthcare) and so forth. By and large, the healer recommends using herbs in the form of herbal drink (loloh), scrub (boreh) and simbuh or chewed ingredients that are then sprayed by mouth onto the aching point. This traditional manner has helped maintain people’s health and has been inherited from past generations.
Another specialization is balian apun or balian uwut (masseur). It provides a massage on the patient’s point of ache. With the help of self-prepared massage oil, the masseur will massage the muscle or set the broken bone. In most cases on the island, patients take medical treatment first and then resume with this traditional healing. In the case of fractures or broken bones, it’s proven that this combined treatment gives satisfying results.
If the problem seemingly is concerned with the unseen world, the Balinese regularly consult the balian tetakson or medium. With the help of sacred spirit (known as taksu) to empower him or her, the medium will look through his spiritual eyes. The result of this medium’s search may range from disturbance caused by spirits due to improper geomancy of the house or shrine, impurity at sanctum, help requested from the ancestral soul for any unpaid vow during his lifetime, to the conveyance of unseen material by others through the power of black magic. Having been told the result of the search, the medium will then inform the patient of the solution for the problem. It could be in the form of apologizing ritual, purificatory ritual or vow payment ritual and it is ended by providing holy water.
Meanwhile, there is also a healing practice run by balian paica or the healer using divinely endowed gift. Such gifts vary; they could be in the form of kris dagger, jewel, marine shells (lungsir) and so forth. The gifts are obtained through meditation at particular place or sanctum. However, they can also be delivered by an unknown person. Or the gift can also exist mysteriously on the shrine platform. For healing, the balian soaks the marine shell in blended palm oil; or soaks the jewel in clean water; or rubs the particular jewel on clay basin. This oil or water is intended for drinking.
Prior to beginning the healing practice, the balian always places the offering brought by the patient and informs his or her taksu about the intention and condition of existing patient. Hopefully, the patient could successfully find what it searches for. There is usually no fixed charge for this service.
Like modern medicine, Balinese healing also has something like ‘rules of conduct’ as mentioned in the book Usada Sari Sang Budakecapi. In essence, it carries two points, namely recommending diagnosing which patient may be healed and which one may not because the healer is suggested not to help the patient who is approaching their death. Violating this is considered to argue against his destiny. Secondly, it concerns sesari or voluntary money offering put on the oblation. Ideally, the healer should only take two thirds of the sesari and one third is given back to the patient after being presented to God. According to the book, infringement of these rules will cause the healer to lose his healing efficacy.
Alternative healings remain close to the heart of Balinese. Modern medical treatment takes priority and the traditional method follows. If they do not get satisfying results with the modern one, they will attempt to find some alternatives. Here, it does not the matter whether they ‘believe it or not’ but recovery should be continuously sought anywhere and in any way. (BTN/029)

Local Healing with a Global Reach

Balinese traditional healing relies not only on herbal medicine or oil scrubs but also pays close attention to environmental conditions, both visible and invisible. Environmental conditions here refers to the layout of house compounds as regulated on the local geomancy, asta kosala kosali, or it may be said to refer to Tri Hita Karana or three interdependent sources of bliss that consist of harmonious relationship between human beings, nature and God.

If this combination was described in a healthcare system, it would have something to do with the system of belief, genealogy, physical treatment and geomancy. The Balinese traditional healthcare system is performed by a balian. He or she works in accordance with Ayurveda, several lontar manuscripts that have been inherited from an indefinite and very long period, or divine inspiration. In addition, the balian sometimes also masters black magic, as it may be very beneficial in diagnosing and curing illnesses caused by such factors.
Just as in the modern medical profession, the Balinese traditional healing system also has ‘specialists’, giving patients a choice as to whom to consult for certain health problems. Firstly, there is balian usadha, a healer that performs a healing service based on the lontar (palm leaf manuscript). This expertise has been passed down through the ages.
Secondly, balian tetakson is a balian who obtained his expertise through divine inspiration (taksu). In many cases, a balian began his ‘career’ by peculiar accidents, like dreams, guidance of medium, or even near the end of life in critical illness. Such conditions then present him or her with only two choices, to live or die. As there is real interference from the third party or taksu, a balian of this kind is immediately popular even without promotion. As long as he obeys his ethics, particularly in charging sesari (a gift of money), his practice will continue to flourish.
Thirdly, the balian paica is a balian who performs a healing service by means of divinely bestowed gifts (paica). The paica can be in the form of various kinds of jewels, kris daggers, stones, perforated coins, oil or even undersea plants that are familiarly known as arungan articles. In practice, the balian will submerge certain paica in a glass of drinking water and the patient will quaff it.
Then there is also a balian manak. This balian gives a massage service for womb disorders, abortion (now illegal) and childbirth. In the decades before the 1970s, many balians of this kind were still in practice, more so in the hinterland. But, when the Puskesmas (Public Healthcare Centers) were introduced into the sub districts, the service gradually decreased and people received a new alternative. Governments realized that the introduction of this new medical service would not change people’s behaviors instantly. For this transition, many balian manaks got special training on childbirth treatments. So, they also supported the program of the government in providing a healthcare service and at the same time minimized the risk of their practice.
The fifth type ‘specialist’ is balian tenung. This balian has a supernatural power or magical insight to find lost items, environmental disorders or ancestral problems that can cause illness. The last two items are usually called kesisipan. For instance, when a patient suffers from intermittent stomach aches, when consulting this balian, it may be diagnosed as pemalinan due to disorder or impurity occurring in the house compound such as a hindrance at the entrance of the family temple or the lack of partitioning among certain shrines. If this happens, the family of the patient usually promises to tidy up such disorders if the patient recovers within 3 days. It will be followed up by putting offerings on the ‘suspected’ place and told to the invisible world (niskala). If it confirms, the patient usually recovers as soon as completing the offerings. And for this case, when consulting a medical doctor, the information will be that everything is all right. In the case of lost belongings or family members, people also take advantage of this service.
Balian tulang is the sixth type. He specializes in handling fractures or broken bones. Some balian tulangs nowadays also make use of x-rays to see the condition of fractures. Certainly, it is helpful information for them and makes it easier for them to perform treatment.
Seventh and lastly is balian sabuk. Sabuk literally means belt. This balian makes a belt or talisman and its variants that contain certain ingredients to generate magical powers. By applying this belt with certain terms and conditions, one may change one’s appearance to animals, bicycles, bade towers, or whatever for certain purposes. This power can also make someone ‘immune’ to sharp weapons or firearms. Sometimes, this is misused by certain people to carry out crime. As a matter of fact, this service is beneficial for killing fear and raising braveness, or protecting babies against the disturbance of black magic.
In these modern times where many sophisticated medical technologies have been invented and many more are being developed, there are still many Balinese who take advantage of the traditional healing performed by ‘specialists’ mentioned above. Why do many foreigners also consult a balian in Bali? It is believed that there is something akin to a ‘bad sector’ in the patient, like in computer terms, where it cannot be detected by modern science, as the problem is located in ‘virtual or invisible space’ and beyond their reach. So, traditional healing should take this portion to complement modern science and they should cooperate with each other.
Other products of traditional healing dedicated to beauty and wellness are now also offered in a spa package. Here, this traditional method (including the Oriental) mixes with Western methods. This treatment is available as amenities at most hotels in Bali. (BTN/*)