BALI, INDONESIA, January 7, 2016 (The Jakarta Post): One of Bali’s high priests, Ida Pedanda Gede Made Gunung, says while he cannot predict what 2016 holds, he can see the road to harmony for mankind. For more than three centuries the family of Ida Pedanda Gede Made Gunung has served the people of Blah Batu and Bali. As Hindu high priests, or pedanda, they have led religious rituals and offered spiritual guidance to their communities. “2016 is a very good year for studying the spiritual side of life, because its numbers total nine. So it really is a very good year for the study of the spiritual,” says the high priest who guides his community with humor and wisdom.
As the eighth generation of high priests dating back to the 17th century, Pedanda Gunung redraws esoteric philosophies into simple homilies that anyone can understand, making the wisdoms that have been handed down father to son accessible to all. Even former US president, George Bush took advice from Pedanda Gunung during his “war on terrorism” visit to Indonesia in 2003. “I told him all people want peace, but that is not realistic when weapons are fired,” says Pedanda Gunung seated on the veranda of his home in Blah Batu.
With the turning of the year, Pedanda Gunung says the road to harmony for Indonesia is achievable once people recognize differing beliefs all lead to the same destination. “If you imagine Jakarta as heaven, for example, you can get there by plane, or bus, or motor bike, or even walk. So why do people fight over how you arrive in Jakarta. People who argue over how you make the journey are not thinking, because that is about the vehicle only, not about the destination. That destination, heaven, is the same for all, no matter how you get there,” says Pedanda Gunung in the clear language he is famous for.