IN this futuristic era filled with information technology, many foreign tourists visit Bali to enjoy the natural wonders and preserved culture.
One of the most popular destinations is the sacred area of Taman Langit Temple, where a large tree hundreds of years old stands and is believed by locals to be the abode of ancestral spirits. There is a legend of the sacred tree.
Tourists who come are usually greeted with an augmented reality-based guide application, which provides historical information, customary rules, and warnings to respect the sacred area. This system also includes sensors that monitor the humidity and health of the tree, and record human activity around it to ensure that no one acts carelessly. However, even though they have been warned, some visitors still ignore the rules.
One of the foreign guests, Mr. White, considered all the rules and prohibitions to be just myths that had nothing to do with reality. During the tour, without thinking twice, Mr. White went behind a large tree and urinated carelessly, even though the virtual guide had reminded him of the sacredness of the place. He chuckled and returned to his group, unaware that the tree was a symbol of holiness for locals.
The next morning, Mr. White woke up to an unexpected condition: His penis was swollen and felt hot. He immediately panicked and asked for help. After being taken to the doctor at the hotel clinic, the examination results found no signs of medical illness or infection. The doctor gave him paracetamol to reduce the fever, considering it a temporary problem.
However, for the next two days, the swelling did not go away. Therefore, he had to rest in his room. But had time to meet his tour guide at lobby before his group left for one-day tour. He told his local tour guide, a Balinese man named Nyoman. Nyoman noticed Mr. White’s anxiety and advised him to see a local shaman, considering that the swelling was unnatural and seemed to involve spiritual elements.
Mr. White finally agreed and visited a shaman named Mangku Sandi, a spiritual practitioner who was known to be wise in matters of natural energy. As having to accompany Mr. White, Nyoman handed over his task for guiding the group to his colleague.
Mangku Sandi looked at Mr. White for a moment before saying, “Sir, you have offended the spirit of the big tree. You are too careless. The tree is a sacred place, and you should not have acted carelessly there.”
Mangku Sandi asked Mr. White to apologize to the tree spirit. Then, Mangku Sandi gave him holy water that had been blessed, so that Mr. White could sprinkle it on the swollen part of his body while asking for forgiveness from the tree’s inhabitants. After the simple process, they returned to the Taman Langit Temple and offered offerings as a form of apology.
Instantly, a miracle happened. The swelling in Mr. White’s body began to recede, and the pain he felt slowly subsided. Mr. White, who was previously skeptical, now believed that sacred places do indeed have powers that cannot be understood by logic alone.
Mangku Sandi also shared a similar story about a wedding decorator who experienced such an incident. He also urinated at that place when set a wedding decoration nearby. The wedding venue was nearby as would like to be close to nature and have ocean view as the background.
With a sense of relief and respect, Mr. White returned to his home country with a valuable lesson that every culture has its own sacredness, and even the most sophisticated technology cannot explain everything. Especially about respect for nature and local traditions.
