Karma

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I thought I was the first to wake up here in this small guest house, deep in the heart of Banyuwangi, latter I found out an old woman already begin her day before the sun light knocking each shut windows. Ni Prawestri, that’s how neighbor called the lady with snow-white hairs. She seems occupied preparing sesajen or offering to God, consist of various flowers, pure water, fruits and some incense gathered within a small clay plate. Her hands move so fast clean up flowers, fruits then cut them to small pieces, and prepare all substances needed for the sesajen.

Living among the Javanese culture for years, make me so close with this kind of activity. Delivering sesajen is part of Javanese culture descended from Hinduism and Animism culture for centuries, and still reach as many people as it gets who still believe in this offering activity. Ni Prawestri and many other people living in this neighborhood still believe that no one should miss preparing sesajen every morning in the front gate of their house. And this small but tidy place where I spend my days while in Banyuwangi still follow this ritual within their rhythm of life.

The scent of fresh cut flowers spray the morning breeze with sweet fragrance, as all windows begin to widely open as mine. Ni Prawestri hasn’t stopped any motion since dawn, she already grabbed a whisk broom then start to sweep all dirt away from the soft dusty yard. It is amaze me for a nearly 80 years old women, Ni Prawestri looked so active and never want to stop a second until everything properly finished. I know, I won’t able talking to her before she finish all her supreme duty during the day break, hence I just wait and enjoy every activity she’s done from distant.

I wait more than an hour just to see her, little more relax enjoying a cup of hot tea at the veranda. She pour a hot black tea from clay tea pot into a small cup, how she enjoy the aroma of jasmine from that tea indeed amusing. Finally I could greet her without feeling guilty of doing nothing since morning unless keep my eyes on her activity. Then we jump in to a long conversation about way of living this short term of life. She always emphasize that life is truly short, and need to be fueled with good deed.

“It’s not only the matter of this presence life, but also what we’ll harvest when the cycle of rebirth capture our soul,” she said.

Rebirth? I don’t even remember this concepts ever cross on my mind, but I really want to know her thought about it. So, I listen to her story in more attention. She believe that human will always rebirth in another body after physical death, I know this concepts is related with few religions upon this earth. And Ni Prawestri is Hindu believer, in many ways this ancient religions still captivate many people on this planet.

“This moment is the right time to grow all good seed within this life, and the next day when this body already lost its duty our soul will flow to a better body. Everyday I will work as hard as I could, in hope someday I will find a better cover to benevolence soul that I’ve plant and watered everyday,” she added.

I nodded deep though couldn’t exactly understand what she said, but the main lesson is that she never waste anytime doing useless activity. She believe in karma as an absolute pattern of action an reaction, or even more like normal banking system related with debit-credit of good and bad. If someone save more good deed in their current account of life, she will be earned with certain amount of interest she’ll look up to. She know there’s nothing could evade from karma, cause everything we plant today we’ll just wait until the next day to harvest it.

For a moral lesson, I thought there’s nothing wrong with this concepts, and I admire every person who thought this way. And for me, who grow up with different concept of life, death and after death still able to accept this as a part of brighter side of humanism.