I was A2A. However I am not a Hindu in India, I’m a Hindu in the United States. But I’m overwhelmingly more familiar with Indian Hinduism than Balinese Hinduism - almost all my Hindu influence comes from India, my parents lived in India, my Guru is from India, all my Hindu teachers have been from India, I’ve spent time in India but never been to Bali, etc. So with that caveat, here is what I think of Balinese Hinduism.
My second caveat is one I share in common with the vast majority of Hindus in India: I have no firsthand knowledge of Balinese Hinduism. I’ve never been to Indonesia or even met a Balinese person. I know some people who have been there, and I’ve read about Balinese Hinduism and watched some videos out of curiosity.
I share Balinese Hinduism’s belief in One Supreme Being (which they refer to with Balinese names as the Inconceivable Unitary Divine Order, but It is the same as Brahman in Indian Hinduism) of which all the Gods are manifestations. Balinese Hinduism follows the Smarta tradition with significant Shaiva leanings/background, and follows the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata. They have the four goals of human life, Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. To reach Moksha, they recognize the Bhakti Marga, Gnyana Marga, Karma Marga, and Raja Marga, of which Bhakti Marga has the largest following. They worship a range of Gods, Goddesses, and spirits (Dewata and Hyang), mostly the Trimurti, and most of all Siwa (Shiva). Other popular deities include Ganesha, Dewi Sri (Lakshmi), and Saraswati. They hold a deep reverence for nature and a belief in the interconnectedness of all living beings, and most of their rituals are based on striving for harmony and balance. All of this is very familiar from Indian Hinduism.
In principle I highly approve of Balinese Hinduism’s incorporating local animism, and embracing the local and ancestral spirits of Bali. This is something I love and generally encourage in Hinduism. It’s something I greatly appreciate in local, rural traditions of Hinduism in parts of India where I’ve spent time. I also fully endorse Balinese Hindus’ worship of Indonesian Gods and Goddesses not found in India.
As I understand it, most of the details of Balinese Hindu rituals are based on indigenous elements and they differ in expression and presentation from Indian Hindu rituals.
Balinese Hinduism also draws a lot from enlightened Saints who lived in Indonesia over the past thousands of years; I know very little of these Indonesian Saints.
I also think that Balinese Hinduism’s reverence for Buddhist Bodhisattvas, there use of some Mahayana Buddhist writings, and their incorporation of some Buddhists in their priesthood are, at least in principle, valid and I’m fine with it. Again I’m used to this, I grew up with a fair amount of Bodhisattva reverence and such and I’ve also seen it in Nepali Hinduism.
Balinese Hinduism is legally forced to present itself as monotheistic and otherwise more acceptable to an Islamic view of religion due to the Indonesian government, which I think distorts it somewhat from its natural and traditional form. If Balinese Hindus were free to practice as they wish without Islamic government oppression, I think there would be some significant changes.
I think Balinese Hinduism remained a lot more free from some of the worst, oppressive corruptions of caste that occurred in many parts of Indian Hinduism.
I think Balinese Hinduism seems a bit heavy on the animal sacrifice for my tastes. Also, as I understand it they widely consume chicken and seafood; I prefer Indian Hinduism’s far higher prevalence of vegetarianism. But at least many Balinese Hindus avoid beef, that’s something.
Balinese Hinduism has many unique artistic traditions, like their dance performances, bell-based music, shadow puppets, etc., which I find fascinating and beautiful. I really admire the devotional care they put into the presentation of offerings.
Also Bali has over twenty thousand Hindu temples, and all those I have seen look exquisite.
I have read that there are no Ashrams in Bali for people to study at. If true I think this is a shortcoming of Balinese Hinduism.
I think Balinese cremations sound in some cases unnecessary expensive, I don’t think they need to be so elaborate.
I am particularly interested in the strong Balinese traditions of worship of the goddess Danu.
As I understand it, the Balinese observe almost completely different festivals from those of Indian Hinduism. However they are functionally similar: celebrations of the triumph of Dharma over adharma, battles in which good triumphed over evil, and days devoted to certain deities like Saraswati (during which books are worshipped) and so on.