THK in Daily Life (2)
Departure from a Harmonic Totality

In the process of reaching a welfare life, humans should protect the harmonious relationship between their creator/God the Almighty (parhyangan), and human (pawongan), with the natural environment (palemahan) as one intact unity. This is the concept of tri hita karana (THK), which is transformed into several existence aspects of Balinese people (Hindu), by emphasizing ‘the compatibility or harmony’ as one intact totality of those three elements, which are parhyangan, pawongan, and palemahan.

That emphasizes supplying a condition of physical and spiritual prosperity of human existence that cannot be implemented if those three elements are not wholly, convincible, and harmoniously executed.
A protruded and recognized implementation of THK in the existence chart of Balinese people (Hindu) is in the area of space or settlement arrangement. Starting from the bedroom arrangement, house construction, house yard, banjar (sub village), village (desa adat (pakraman)), schools, government and private offices, markets, and other business places all point to the THK concept. This concept is the basic role in the existence arrangement of professional organization, for examples: subak (a traditional irrigation organization), subak abian (traditional organization of dry soil, ex: plantation), bendega (fisherman community or traditional organization of beach people), etc.
For example, in the structure of a traditional Balinese house, space division is divided into three by using the concept of tri mandala — tri = three, mandala = space/territorial. So, tri mandala is three-division levels of space/territorial based on value grade of each (district).
1. Utama mandala (the main space) is allocated for shrine/holy place/religious sites as a supporting medium and infrastructure of parhyangan implementation. So explicitly here is the shrine/holy place/religious site – for the core family in Bali, usually called Merajan Kamulan. Meanwhile, the building is called pelinggih – only as an implementation support of parhyangan, which is as a part of ritual activities such as religious ceremonies, but not an element of parhyangan. What is meant by parhyangan is the unrestricted God with His entire holy light, including Sang Atman or Dewa Pitara that sited in Merajan Kamulan.
2. Madya mandala (the center space that has a value of ‘antara’) is allocated for dwelling house construction. The middle space with its entire buildings – bale daja (northern part building), bale dangin (eastern part building), bale dauh (western part building), paon (kitchen) that is usually sited at the southern part or western side, so on. – is only as a medium and infrastructure of manifestation proponent of pawongan. And, what is meant by pawongan is human/the house occupant who motivates the whole activities within that house yard.
3. Nista mandala (outside space that profanely valuable) is allocated for the back yard, usually called telajakan or tebe. This outside space is also a transformation supporting medium of palemahan. And, palemahan itself means the entire physical/material sub-system that exists within yard territories, (land, physical building, plants, pets, etc).
A Professor of the Architecture Study Program of Technique Faculty Udayana University, Sulistyawati, in THK presentation subject as Local Genius (2000) describes, tri mandala, tri angga, luan-teben as a derivative of THK philosophy. The tri mandala concept as a reference of horizontal space arrangement, while tri angga – tri = three, angga = body – as the vertical reference. Tri angga describes three parts of body; head (the upper part/ utamaning angga), body (middle part/madyaning angga), feet (lower part/nistaning angga).
Apart from tri mandala and tri angga concept, the term luan-teben (sacred - profane), is very popular in Bali. This concept is applied is not only in arrangement patterns of the house yard, but of the entire space disposition including the bedroom arrangement as well. Religious site areas in core family house yards (Hindu) – usually called Merajan Kemulan – is always placed at the upper part (luan/Uranus) and plotted as ‘the head’ of the yard, which is used in THK concept as a medium and infrastructure of the transformation proponent of parhyangan. The territory of the dwelling house construction is ‘the body’ of pawongan implementation, and teben part for telajakan and tebe (back yard) is ‘the feet’ of the yard in THK concept is the transformation proponent of palemahan.
That concept wholly occurs in the arrangement patterns of traditional village (deesa adat/pakraman). The medium and infrastructure of the transformation proponent of parhyangan is several religious ritual activities at worshipping shrines of that related village, which is called Kahyangan Tiga: Pura Desa (Baleagung), Pura Puseh, Pura Dalem that’s sited on luan/uranus territory (utama mandala). The medium and infrastructure of the transformation proponent of pawongan is komune (group of people who live a side) in the village, banjar (sub village), dadia (relatives group) and other social groups that site on ‘antara’ territory (mandya mandala). The medium and infrastructure of the transformation proponent of palemahan sited on teben (nista mandala) consisting of a village/sub village cemetery, village/sub village hall, market, town square, farmland and agricultural, village/sub village granary, bathing spots, water spring, etc.
In the THK concept, the entire physical/material territorial or sub-system within traditional village (desa adat/pekraman) environments is as palemahan; the power that motivated the entire activities of Ipoleksosbudhankam (science and technology, social economy and culture, defense and security) on that village is as pawongan; and the soul (God the Almighty) is parhyangan. (BTN/Berata Ashrama)