Dr. Ravinjay kuckreja

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Being “Hindu” Without Being Hinduized: The Indigenous Nuaulu in Maluku

Fearing discrimination from the Indonesian government, the Nuaulu tribe in Central Maluku have chosen to declare themselves as “Hindu”. Their ancestral customs are similar to mainstream Hindu beliefs and traditions. However, they lack the Hindu Gods, the Sanskrit mantras and the unifying scripture of the Vedas. What is left is a local indigenous religion. However, their bad experience with being categorized as an ancestral faith (aliran kepercayaan) has led them to be self-declared Hindus. In such a circumstance, Hinduism can either unconditionally accept them despite the lack of evident resemblance, or the Nuaulu tribe can alter their religion’s façade to duplicate crucial Hindu identifiers. This paper questions what it means to be a Hindu, what Hinduization is, and how discriminatory definitions torment indigenous religions.

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The Social Stratification System in Forming a Balinese Identity

This article defines the various layers and identity labels of the Balinese society. Much of their indigenous customs have been linked with Hinduism, and many would regard the two to be inseparable. This article, however, attempts to separate the indigenous elements of ancestral worship from the Vedic or Hindu understanding of societal divisions in order to properly study the two and how they influence one another. The history of the island has enforced the rigid caste system, but the application of Hindu philosophy serves an idealized definition of caste. In such a way, the Hindu or Vedic belief does provide much relief for Balinese society. However, they are still defined by their patrilineal heritage, and are bound to ancestral worship as per their indigenous religion. Fueled by the contemporary socio-political landscape of Bali, there is a need to properly define what Balinese identity actually is.

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The Hare Krishnas in Bali: Localized Religion and New Religious Movement

As the Balinese sought official religious acceptance in Indonesia, they formalized their ethnic customs and transformed them into a universal religion with an Abrahamic model called “Agama Hindu Dharma”. In aligning itself with Hinduism, the Balinese had to restructure their internalized indigenous faith and share it with Hindus beyond the island, including with others in the archipelago and the religious hearth of India. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as The Hare Krishna Movement, is a Hindu-based New Religious Movement. With their active presence in Bali, they provided an informative and devotional perspective for inquisitive Hindus. Preferring their local expression of Hinduism instead, ISKCON books and teachings were banned in 1984 for disrupting public order during the repressive era of President Suharto. The political reformation of 1998 allowed for the recognition of ISKCON, but the exclusivism of Hare Krishna members threatened many orthodox Balinese Hindus. This opposition culminated in 2020, resulting in a decree restricting all non-Balinese Hindu sects from practicing in the Hindu-majority province. This paper documents the formalization of the indigenous Balinese theology and its recent interaction with a multinational New Religious Movement.

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Darśana: Philosophical Schools of India

An introduction to Indian philosophy through the nine darśanas across Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. These classes explores their historical setting, major debates, and how each system understood reality, knowledge, and liberation within a shared intellectual world.

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Cultural insights into the mystical island of Bali, home of an ancient blend of local beliefs and a newly defined Hinduism. Step into the worldview of a local, the duty they must uphold and explore living in the kaleidoscope of Indonesia.This is #BeingBali.

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medi.nasi

Do you control your emotions — or do they control you? Most of us would like to think it's the former. But Buddhist psychology suggests the honest answer is more complicated. medi.nasi is an invitation to find out. Through a shared meal and a structured five-step practice, you'll learn to identify what you're actually feeling, examine it, and — one dish at a time — begin to understand it.

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Each week I share a teaching from the dharmic traditions. Not watered down, not repackaged as self-help. Just honest engagement with ideas that have guided people through the full complexity of being alive. Every month we go deep into one theme together — lessons, readings, practice, conversation.This isn't a course you consume and forget. It's a community of people actually trying to live this stuff, at every stage of the path, supporting each other along the way.If that sounds like what you've been looking for, I'd love to have you with us.