Traditional Javanese Spiritualism
Kebatinan-from the word Batin=inner, spiritual. Kebatinan=spiritualism. Elder Javanese practitioners of Kebatinan believe that all religions are good. As long as you believe in Gusti=God. Kebatinan and Kejawan is the personal search of an intuitive connection to God and a good way of life. To develop Good and Noble Character. Kebatinan consists of a whole way of thinking, art, culture, tradition, martial practice, etc. There is a code of ethics to follow, such as; to be honest, not to cheat, to help others, to be patient (sabar), to accept your fate and not envy other peoples success. Respect your elders, teachers, ancestors, etc.
There are 3 levels of Kejawan or Kebatinan development:
1. Level 1: is called Kanuragan, to protect yourself, become invulnerable.
2. Level 2: is called Kasepuhan, mainly used to cure sick people, healing.
3. Level 3: is called Kasunyatan, (True Reality) true spiritual knowledge.
A Kebatinan practitioner must have one foot in the spiritual world and one in the physical at all times. They must believe in God and have faith in God. They must develop the Rasa (intuition) through disciplined spiritual practice such as: Fasting from food and sleep, prayer, deep breathing meditations such as (Cipta Tunggal), and of course physical pencak silat training. A practitioner of Kebatinan seeks to cultivate the true self, achieve harmony and balance with everything and everyone in their life; the elements, the earth, the universe, family, friends, animals, and of course a strong connection with God.
The use of deep breathing exercises and visual meditations can lead a practitioner to attaining great physical and spiritual capabilities such as; healing, hypnosis, disabling an opponent from a distance with the (tenaga dalam) inner energy, and Identification with certain animals, or animal trance.
Many teachers and Pencak Silat systems tell their students that the Kebatinan is the final stage, but this is not true. The kebatinan should be practiced from the very beginning of Pencak Silat training. The student will need this time just to get in touch with their inner feelings and try to balance their personality traits. Over time as the physical comes to together so will the spiritual.
Here are some examples of breathing exercises and other practices to increase your Cipta (forefront to intuition, feeling):
1. In a completely dark, quiet room. Seat yourself in the middle of the room with your legs crossed. Have a white candle in front of you. Concentrate your cipta on the candle flame. Put all of your consciousness into it. You should have deep breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Set a number of breaths, such as 30 to start. Practice this exercise every night, preferably at midnight. Record your results in a journal specifically for your Kebatinan training. NOTE; (gamelan music and incense will help if your having a problem concentrating).
2. Same breathing and intent as number one but this is done during the day. Draw a black dot on the wall or a piece of paper, and do the same breathing as before. Concentrate your cipta on the black dot. This could be done outside or inside.
3. 24 hour Fasting from food and sleep, once or twice a week.
4. Eat more vegetables and fruit, less meat, drink plenty of cool water.
5. Pray to Gusti=God with total devotion.
Relax. When you perform any type of Kebatinan, you must slow down and relax. The deep breathing exercises also teaches patience. You must work slowly. Results will come with time. Practice in a quit place with no disturbances. Cleanse yourself physically and spiritually everyday. Keep your body and mind healthy. Build a strong relationship with God. Traditional Javanese say most of their prayers at night around midnight, before going to bed. Pray sincerely and whole heartedly. Do not feel ashamed to ask for forgiveness or help. Speak clearly and from the heart.
Moonlight. Javanese believe that during moonlight, the moon and the stars give a strong power to human beings to help develop spiritual strength. This is a good time to meditate and practice Kebatinan. Perform your breathing meditations under the light of the moon and the stars. Relax and feel. Say your prayers under the light of the moon and the stars. Try to feel an intuitive connection with God.
Remember that Kebatinan embraces all religions that believe in God. The way you worship God, or what you call God is up to you, it is a personal matter. Kebatinan is a system of spiritual practices and beliefs, which can be used for a human being to achieve peace, harmony and balance in their life.
