The missing values of harmony and plurality

The missing values of harmony and plurality

Politik Perhatian: Rasa Dalam Kebudayaan Jawa;
By Paul Stange;
LKiS, April 1998;
308 pp

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Traditional Javanese plays have taken an
important place on the stage of Indonesian politics.

Javanese spiritual values are often disseminated through
characters in wayang (shadow puppet) performances. The character
Semar, for example, is widely revered for being a god that has
been transformed into a prophet with the mission to improve life
in this world of conflict.

Another famous wayang character is Bathara (god) Narada, who
functions as a "liaison" between the gods and humanity. Intrigue
always follows him each time he descends to earth to convey a
message to mankind. He does not convey his message in a
straightforward way, making it possible for people to
misinterpret him. Hence, Bathara Narada is a symbol of rasa, or
feeling.

The wayang have given rise to a Javanese spiritual belief
called Kejawen. Kejawen believers have formed their own community
led by Sumarah, who is believed to have introduced a type of
Javanese mysticism focussing on rasa and morality rather than
rationality.

Although Politik Perhatian: Rasa Dalam Kebudayaan Jawa is by a
foreign writer, it has enriched the bibliography on Javanese
culture, especially for the traditional religion of Kejawen,
which has taken a spotlight since the 1970s. Paul Stange's book
is special in that it focuses on the political role of Javanese,
especially Kejawen believers, and how the Kejawen religious
belief was developed through the sharpening of rasa until it
became their spiritual guiding light.

The term "kejawen" started in Yogyakarta and Surakarta palace
circles. Initially, it took the form of traditional rituals
influenced by philosophy and wayang mythology originating from
India. Kejawen is better known as a traditional Javanese religion
that developed from Javanese culture. This is what makes it
different from Christianity or Islam, for instance.

The development of such beliefs often run contrary to Islam
and Christianity. Those embracing Kejawen and Islam at the same
time are referred to as abangan -- meaning that they do not have
a strong belief in Islam.

Stange argues that the Javanese have not lost their religious
commitment despite charges that Islam is not being followed in an
orthodox manner by many people. The root of the problem, he says,
is the common mistake in defining the word "religion". The
English word "religion", for example, will always be translated
into agama in Indonesian in any given context. This is not always
appropriate. In English, "religion" is used to refer to all
concepts concerning religion and belief, official or otherwise,
embraced by individuals or communities.

The definition of local terms like kejawen, kebatinan,
kepercayaan, kejiwaan and kerohanian in their religious context
have often prompted debates. For example, the Indonesian word
mistik and the English word "mysticism" sound alike, but in fact
they are different. "Mysticism" refers to what Moslems call ilmu
marifat, or the way of knowledge. While in Indonesian, mistik
means mystical or wonder. The two are similar but they have
different meanings (p. xi).

Stange offers an in-depth description of Kejawen. He divides
every section of his book into three chapters. First, he makes an
ethnographic analysis on the logic of rasa. He argues that rasa
is the improvement of awareness in the Kejawen system.

In the chapter Semangat Kesurupan (Possessed Spirits), he
deals with human experience as an uninterrupted continuity and
states that spirits have relations to human experience.

In the chapter Symbolism in Pewayangan, Stange analyzes how
Kejawen believers interpret symbols in wayang plays. The wayang
cosmology represents a map of one's consciousness, not only a
mythological description of history or a theory of the universe.

In the second section, the writer traces the development of
Kejawen since Indonesia's independence. He insists that Kejawen
should be accepted as a part of people's freedom to embrace the
religion of their choice and that it should not be attacked or
banned because all the state's recognized religions tolerate
plurality and promote harmony -- things that kejawen also
promotes.

In the third section, Stange criticizes Western theories on
how Javanese deal with change, saying the ideas were no longer
relevant. He offers a new paradigm with an anthropological
approach.

Concerning the vigorous "Islamization" of Indonesian politics,
the writer notes that Javanese tolerance has been overlooked by
many analysts. This is an important point because Moslem puritans
have often been intolerant of pluralism, such as separating Java
from Islam.

Like many foreign observers, Stange, who has been teaching at
Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta for many years, hopes
Kejawen will help develop greater tolerance and harmony in Java.

But modern times have pushed harmony to the periphery as
people move away from spiritualism to pursue material
possessions.

-- Muhammad Shaleh, Chairman of the Forum for Eastern
Indonesia Studies in Yogyakarta.