This is a blessing ceremony and local government meeting at Bekandze Farm School, in Bali. To help hundreds of small holders switch to organic and resilient farming methods, please support our crowdfund: [ Ссылка ]
Voice over by Jem Bendell:
For most of us, food is the tasty, or tasteless, substance on our plate. Something we need to quell an ache from hunger, or to provide us a moment of pleasure. Some of us buy fresh ingredients and cook. But even then, food is still about consuming. Therefore our food stories aren't stories that involve a divine living world that is nurturing us within itself.
In reality, a vibrant Earth is feeding us, with the help of farmers both locally and around the world. That's why any farming activity in Bali involves a blessing by the priest from the local temple. The blessing at Bekandze Farm School was an opportunity for the local families to gather and celebrate the start of a new partnership with the land and its spirits.
Modern methods of farming use imports of agrochemicals and energy, so the food system is fragile and could collapse as global systems break. You already know the problems of threats to agriculture, with weather getting weirder and governments not helping. So you know the answer is we need to help each other to prepare.
The name of the farm is taken from the medicine Buddha mantra. It was widely recited in Bali during the early years of the 2020s, by people from multiple religions: "tayatha om bekandze bekandze maha bekandze radza samudgate soha." This ancient mantra invites us to heal our separations with each other, wider nature and the divine. “Maha bekandze” reminds us of the deeper dimensions to healing: we can lessen our attachments and experience ourselves within the flow of all life.
By working with local charities and farmers, the Bekandze Farm School is supporting small farms to switch to organic methods. Growing healing is our aim, between each other, nature and the divine.
If you feel moved to help us, please visit bekandze.net
