PALEMAHAN AND BALINESE HINDU ECOLOGICAL THEOLOGY: RELIGIOUS PRACTICES OF VILLAGE CREDIT INSTITUTIONS AS A FACTOR IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

The global ecological crisis has spurred the growth of "religion and ecology" studies, which emphasize the role of religious values ​​as an ethical foundation for sustainable development. However, the contribution of the Balinese Hindu tradition to this discourse remains relatively limited; the concept of palemahan within the Tri Hita Karana framework is often understood merely as local wisdom rather than as a construct of ecological theology. This study aims to address two issues: how palemahan can be understood as a form of ecological theology within the Balinese Hindu tradition, and how this value is actualized through religious practices at the Village Credit Institutions (Lembaga Perkreditan Desa or LPD), thereby supporting environmental sustainability. The study employs a qualitative approach utilizing a hermeneutic method to analyze Hindu scriptural sources—specifically the Vedas and Sarasamuccaya—combined with in-depth interviews with customary village heads (bendesa adat), temple priests (pemangku), Hindu academics, and LPD managers, alongside contextual data regarding the 1,308 LPDs in Bali. The theoretical framework integrates the concepts of Dharma and the cosmic law of Rta with "religion and ecology" theory and Gadamerian hermeneutics as the basis for textual interpretation. The findings indicate that palemahan constitutes a religious obligation rooted in cosmic order; it is internalized through religious rituals, customary norms, and LPD institutional governance, thereby shaping sustainable economic behavior and environmental conservation practices. The study asserts that religious practices within LPDs serve as an institutional mechanism that renders environmental sustainability not merely a product of regulation and economic governance, but the fruit of the spiritual consciousness of the Balinese Hindu community, while simultaneously enriching the "religion and ecology" discourse with the perspective of Indonesian Hindu ecological theology.

Keywords: palemahan; ecological theology; Tri Hita Karana; Village Credit Institution (LPD); environmental sustainability

Krisis ekologis global mendorong berkembangnya kajian agama dan lingkungan yang menempatkan nilai-nilai keagamaan sebagai landasan etis bagi pembangunan berkelanjutan. Meskipun demikian, kontribusi tradisi Hindu Bali terhadap diskursus religion and ecology masih relatif terbatas, sementara konsep palemahan dalam Tri Hita Karana lebih sering dipahami sebagai kearifan lokal daripada sebagai konstruksi teologi ekologis. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis palemahan sebagai bentuk environmental theology dalam tradisi Hindu Bali serta menjelaskan aktualisasinya dalam praktik kelembagaan Lembaga Perkreditan Desa (LPD). Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode hermeneutik terhadap sumber-sumber ajaran Hindu, terutama Veda dan Sarasamuccaya, yang dipadukan dengan wawancara mendalam terhadap bendesa adat, pemangku, akademisi Hindu, dan pengelola LPD. Analisis juga didukung oleh data empiris mengenai praktik keberlanjutan pada 1.308 LPD di Bali sebagai konteks implementasi nilai-nilai religius. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa palemahan tidak hanya merepresentasikan etika pelestarian lingkungan, tetapi merupakan kewajiban religius yang berakar pada konsep Dharma dan hukum kosmis (Rta), nilai tersebut diinternalisasikan melalui ritual keagamaan, norma adat, serta tata kelola kelembagaan yang membentuk perilaku ekonomi dan konservasi lingkungan secara berkelanjutan. Penelitian ini menegaskan bahwa Tri Hita Karana memperkaya kajian religion and ecology dengan menghadirkan perspektif teologi ekologis Hindu Bali yang mengintegrasikan dimensi spiritual, sosial, dan ekologis dalam membangun keberlanjutan berbasis komunitas adat.

Kata kunci: etika lingkungan Hindu; hermeneutik; kearifan lokal; religion and ecology; teologi ekologis