dc.description.abstract |
Man is made in the image of his creator, and in his turn
becomes the creator of his immediate environment, again in his own
image. Thus do the Balinese view their own existence and their
role in shaping the tiny morsel of the physical world allotted to
their care. Their success as caretakers will affect their crops,
their families1 safety and well-being, wealth, happiness, state of
mind, and their physical health. The guidelines and consequences
of alternative methods in manipulation of the living environment
are detailed in ancient texts in the classical Xtiwi language,
which have been preserved and recopied from the times of the Hindu
Javanese Kingdoms until the present. These texts allow us to see
the insights which the Balinese have into the interrelationships
between themselves as physical and spiritual beings, their surroundings,
and the physiology of the perceivable universe. |
en_US |