For those who have never been to Bali, you cannot travel around the Island very far without encountering some sort of Hindu prayer ritual…  Be it the daily prayers that occur around all Balinese homes, hotels, shops OR during the New Moon and Full Moon ceremonies when the local Hindu temples are bustling with activity OR during those auspicious annual holidays that arise over the course of  the 2 calendar systems the Balinese utliize, the Pawukon or Saka calendars. You will know you are witnessing a Balinese prayer ceremony when the person praying:

• Is wearing the traditional selendang belt around their waist.
• Has some sort of prayer offerings (Known as Banten) which are made  from banana or coconut leafs filled with flowers, fruits and burning incense.
• They are usually closing their eyes and waving their right hand in a prayer ritual.
• When a Balinese priest (Mangku) is present in a prayer ceremony, they are usually ringing a bell (Called a Genta) and sprinkling holy water at given intervals.

The Balinese Hindu’s pray in all sorts of ways and one of the more interesting ideas is to pray and ask for blessings so businesses may experience abundance.  There are a few temples on the Island dedicated to this activity and one of the more well-known is Pasar Agung on the Gunung Agung volcano. This temple (Pura as they are called in Bali) is associated with abundance both financially and otherwise. The temple is situated above Pura Besakih which is the Mother temple of Bali and is located halfway up the mountain. Pasar Agung is on a long winding road far up the mountain and from the parking lot you need to ascend 300 steps to get to the actual temple. One interpretation for the isolated location of this temple is that it is not always easy to achieve success so it requires a bit of time and effort to get to the temple to pray for success and abundance. Various staff and management from Teak Bali visited this holy temple a couple of years ago to offer and receive blessings for a Hawaii based project as the clients had done similar blessings on their land on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Recently, a respected Balinese associated with PT Teak Bali suggested that it was time for the company to initiate prayers for itself since we are based on the holy Island of Bali. All Teak Bali staff were invited to attend (At their discretion) whether they were Hindu or not. The day chosen was the 11^th full moon of the Balinese calendar. Coincidentally, this was the date of the Buddhist Wesak or Vesak full moon which is the holiest moon in the Buddhist calendar. A Balinese priest that works for PT Teak Bali (When he is not in the required to be in his temple) determined it would be proper to visit the Besakih mother Temple ‘first’ to show our respects. Hindu staff employed by Teak Bali prepared offerings that were to be used on the day. It was a powerful visit to Pasar Agung which is considered the market place of the gods. This Pura is spectacular, a  place of power and energy with the dominating presence of the Gunung Agung mountain ever present in the background (On a clear day). A peaceful and prayerful day was had by all present as prayers were fulfilled at both temples. In respect to all the individuals who participated in this temple hopping day, no full frontal images are shown of anyone praying.