Induk Ilmu Kejawen: Wirid Hidayat Jati [The Mother of Kejawen Knowledge: Wirid Hidayat Jati]

Abstract

A book by Damar Shashangka, author of the best-selling novel Sabda Palon and a student of Javanese spirituality, presenting a translation of and commentary on the Serat Wirid Hidayat Jati, a Javanese mystical text composed by the Surakarta court poet Raden Ngabehi Ranggawarsita (1802–1873) and regarded as the mother text of kejawen (Javanese mystical) teachings. The Serat blends the teachings of Islamic Sufism, especially the doctrine of the seven grades of being (martabat tujuh, martabat pitu) rooted in the wahdatul wujud thought of Ibn Arabi and al-Burhanpuri, with the Javanese worldview: on the nature of God, the origin and perfection of human beings, sangkan paraning dumadi (the origin and destination of life), manunggaling kawula Gusti (the union of servant and Lord), as well as spiritual practice (laku), wirid, and methods of meditation. Damar explains the Old Javanese and Arabic terms in it and the historical context of its composition, so that the book serves as a gateway to understanding the encounter of Islam, Sufism, and Javanese culture, and can be compared with the wujudiyah tradition of Hamzah Fansuri in Aceh.