Since in the beginning of the first century, Bali has been influenced by the Indian culture. This can be seen in daily life in social culture and in the economy and politics. Nevertheless, Bali had already its own local culture before the coming of the Indian or Indic culture, the well-known adat (customary law). The adat, or desa pakraman, is still alive at present and continues to be it was and what it is: local values used to anticipate any negative impact on Balinese culture. This indigenous culture can be seen more fully in the northern and eastern parts of Bali, particularly in the mountainous regions such as the villages of Tenganan and Trunyan.

Hinduism and also Buddhism have been practiced in Bali. These two influences have strongly characterized Balinese culture in the context of how the Balinese maintain their lives in the context of sustainablity. Further, Bali has also been influenced by Chinese culture, which has strengthened Balinese culture: as can be seen in a Hindu Temple in the village of Batur: a Chinese God is also worshiped there.

From prehistoric times until the beginning of the first century, it is wellknown that Bali was influenced by other cultures, mainly Indian and Chinese culture. Due to those foreign influences on the indigenous Balinese culture, Bali is often called a multicultural society, in which many influences have affected its culture. Although Bali is a multicultural society, by ethnicity, the residents of the island of Bali are mostly of the Balinese, approximately 80 percent of the population.

In later periods, particularly in the classical period of Balinese history, from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries, Bali was strongly influenced by other neighboring regions, such as Java, evidence of whose great traditions, Kediri and the Majapahit, can be found in the present day Bali. In classical Balinese history, we can see the persistence of indigenous Balinese culture, in such contexts as the Tri Hita Karana, in which the Balinese hold a balance between the material (sekala) and non-material (niskala) worlds. The notion of Tri Hita Karana is the three ways to get happiness, through the harmony and togetherness of the activities of people. The three elements of Tri Hita Karana consists of parhyangan, the harmonious relationship between farmer and God, implemented through rituals in rice fields; pawongan, meaning the harmonious relationship among farmers as members of a subak, with the implementation of the regulations (awig-awig) of a subak; and the third element is palemahan, presenting the harmonious relationship between farmer and environment, implemented through the maintenance of the rice field terrace. Currently, there is growing awareness among the Balinese of the adaptation of Balinese Hindu philosophy, not only in the Tri Hita Karana, but other Indian or Indic lessons as well, which are considered to be foundational for sustainable development. This can be seen in the traditional Balinese irrigation system, called the subak. Subak in Bali is a symbol of the implementation of the Tri Hita Karana philosophy, developing the cultural landscape of Bali Island. Due to the position of subak as the keeper of Balinese culture, the international world heritage institution, UNESCO, acknowledged subak as a world cultural heritage in 2012. Through the implementation of Tri Hita Karana philosophy in the subak, the subak system in Bali will be expected to be sustained nowadays and in development in the near future.

Through this description, we can see how the Balinese have successfully maintained their culture, although many influences have affected their daily lives. There are some crucial issues that currently have developed in how foreign influences in the context of religious teachings has affected Balinese daily life in terms of sustainability life. There are some necessary questions addressed in this paper: First, how can we define the concept of sustainability in the context of Balinese culture, which has been strongly influenced by the Indian culture? Second, how are the Balinese perceptions regarding the concept of spirituality and the sustainability of life, expressed in communities? Third, how do the Balinese anticipate the impact of globalization to be able to live a sustainable life, called ajeg Bali? Through this analysis, we create a better understanding of the importance of the role of religious teaching in sustainability in the context of Bali Hinduism.