About Us
The Story of the Bali Mandala
The Bali Mandala Resort was founded by Gisela von Keiser and was run by Rainer Grenkowitz in a very heartfelt and personal way until March 2024.
As friends and business partners it was a matter of heart to us to make the Bali Mandala Resort a very special place of wholeness. Its magic not only touches, nourishes and heals our own lives but also the lives of many people from different backgrounds and various nationalities.
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Therefore, it is a special privilege and inner calling for us to run the Bali Mandala Resort inspired by the spirit of the Contemplative Traditions as an invitation to “Come Home to Your Self”.
Gisela von Keiser passed away in August 2019 and Rainer Grenkowitz continues to run the Bali Mandala with his team in the spirit of “coming home to yourself”. Rainer Grenkowitz also died in March 2024 and the team around Maggie Elias is now continuing to lead it according to his wishes.
The story of the Bali Mandala Resort proves that magic does happen and dreams do come true if only we dare to leave the past behind and trust the unknown. It was not us who founded the Bali Mandala Resort as a sort of business concept in 2004 – indeed it felt as if this place had somewhat magically found us.
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Rainer Grenkowitz
If you’d like to know more about the story of the Bali Mandala please read the article “Geheimtipp Bali Mandala” (in German) by Gisela von Keiser which was published in the magazine “Esotera” during the early stages of the resort in 2004.
Team
Together with the lovely team of Balinese employees, Maggie Elias would like to ensure, as usual, a special kind of stay tailored to the guests’ different needs.
In spring 2021 the women of the Bali Mandala Team took part in the worldwide “Jerusalema Dance Competition” on Youtube, some of the male staff were involved in producing it. They interpreted the dance in their typical Balinese way. The video was shot in the spacious mediation hall, which has three large doors through which the fresh ocean wind blows – so you didn’t need mouth and nose protection.
Rainer Grenkowitz
Rainer Grenkowitz has been connected to the mindfulness and meditation tradition from Tibetan Buddhism for decades, without dogmas playing a role. For him, the answer to the question “What are you going for?” was not an end point but a loving path that everyone can embark on. We can learn to be good to ourselves over and over again.
He was also an actor with many years of experience in theater as well as in film and television productions. In keeping with the contemplative tradition, he also founded a center on Lake Constance in the 1980s with his then wife Gisela von Keiser .
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In 2004 they moved to Bali to devote themself to the Bali Mandala as a place of “coming home”. Rainer Grenkowitz describes in his book “Goldstein’s way into happiness – novel of an unwanted awakening”, among other things very haunting the experiences of joy, lightness and nowness to which the Bali Mandala would like to invite its visitors and guests.
Rainer Grenkowitz led the evening silent meditation until the end.
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Sustainability
Sustainability is of great importance to us. Thus, all of our team members come from the region of Bondalem.
More than it just being a long-term employment relationship, we are intimately involved with the culture and tradition of the village and actively take part in the spiritual and domestic aspects of Balinese life. Celebrating births and weddings as well as temple and cremation ceremonies are as important as the daily chores and duties we share together at the Bali Mandala Resort.
Just as the support of local farmers and vendors and the purchase of organic produce belong to our vision of sustainability, fair work contracts are equally important.
Environment Protection
Environment conservation and protection are equally important to us. We have always followed the mantra “Think globally, act locally” and have supported the realization of the first domestic waste collection service of Bondalem, took care of the cleaning of the village canals and rivers, and patiently advocated the importance of waste separation and recycling during these last years.
The Bali Mandala Resort utilizes organic sewer tanks instead of the common sewer system that simply releases waste water into the ocean.
“Yayasan Saraswati Mandala” School Project
We also founded the school project “Yayasan Saraswati Mandala” in 2009.
Just like our contributions towards sustainability this project was brought to life by life itself and didn’t follow any planned developmental plans.
