Rerajahan soul of the keris

A. G. Maisey · 3rd March 2019, 09:33 PM

Empu Pauzan Pusposukadgo (Alm.) produced some of the finest keris of the modern era.

After the passing of Empu Suparman Supowijoyo (Alm.), Empu Pauzan was recognised as the ranking Empu of the Karaton Surakarta, yet Empu Pauzan himself would never accept the title of "Empu". He preferred to be recognised as "Pande Seni Keris" : "A Skilled Craftsman in the art of the Keris".

Pauzan and I met in 1974, long before he took the decision to attempt to make keris. We became close friends and remained that until the time of his passing. I once asked Pauzan why he refused to be known as "Empu", when everybody referred to him as "Empu". His answer was interesting, and I believe it demonstrates quite clearly the division between Javanese indigenous belief, Javanese mystical belief created by Sufic mysticism, the Hindu-Buddhist beliefs of pre-Islamic Jawa, and the beliefs of those Javanese people who observe the tenets of conventional Islam.

Pauzan's response to my question was this:-

"An Empu is somebody who is believed to be able call life into a keris and imbue it with certain special powers. Now, I ask you Mas Alan, can any man create life? You and I know that only God can create life. Can a man presume to take the place of God? This is sinful belief, and even more sinful if a man were to attempt to bring life into something that man has made. I will never be a part of this sort of belief. I create art. Only art."

Pauzan's Islamic beliefs were very much of a conventional nature. He did not follow the mysticism of Kejawen, he identified as Santri, he unfailingly observed all the requirements expected of a devout Muslim.

For the devout Javanese Muslim, a keris must be no more than an item of dress that might also be an art work, and a way in which he can store wealth.

However, for a Javanese person who follows the indigenous belief systems of Ancestor Worship and Animism the nature of the keris is not the same as it must be for the devout Muslim, or for those Javanese people who identify as followers of Kejawen beliefs, the nature of the keris is again at variance with the nature of the keris for a man like Pande Seni Keris Pauzan Pusposukadgo.

In Hindu-Buddhist Jawa the nature of the keris was again very different to the nature of the keris that has developed since the domination of Jawa by Islam.

During the Central Jawa Period, prior to the migration of power to East Jawa, the keris was primarily a weapon, probably one that was also used in blood sacrifice.

In East Jawa the original form of the keris underwent some change, its nature also underwent change, but it did retain the essentially Hindu edged weapon characteristic of being an empty vessel that had been prepared for the visit of a Deity.

In East Jawa, probably during the Majapahit era, the development of Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and the incorporation of indigenous beliefs into the belief system that became Agama Jawa Hindu saw the identification of ancestors with Deities and since Mount Meru is the place where ancestors wait to become one with their own God, or to be reborn, the idea that an ancestor could also visit an earthly meru took root. Thus the keris had now assumed the nature of a meru:- a place to be held in readiness for the visit of a deity, and in the case of Javanese belief, for the visit of an ancestor.

Since a keris was not permanently occupied, that meant that it was empty, and being empty it was necessary to ensure that no evil or unwanted forces came into that keris.

During the period to the collapse of Majapahit, the keris would have been primarily an item that was reserved for the K'satriya, however, there was a constant population of traders who lived in enclaves along the north coast, most of these traders were Muslim, and they had a tendency to copy the style of the Court of Majapahit. These traders would have had not the vaguest idea of the true nature of the keris. They had probably heard that it had some esoteric characteristics, but to these outlanders, it was merely a personal weapon worn by men of the Court.

With the collapse of Majapahit the keris became a secular object and its new masters invented their own ideas of its nature based upon the vague idea of its esoteric nature.

If we wish to understand the nature of the keris we need to devote ourselves to study of the society of Jawa, its history and belief systems, and we need to cultivate the mental facilities that will enable us to comprehend Javanese values and belief systems.

It is a very facile approach to attempt to understand the nature of the keris in the absence of the necessary foundations that might permit this.

David · 3rd March 2019, 09:47 PM

Thanks for this summary Alan.

Pusaka · 4th March 2019, 12:25 AM

Below are quotes from the Magus of Java he basically says what I have said though being from a Chinese background he uses the word FU instead of Jimat/Rerajahan. He also clears up the misconception that an ISI is a created being. This mystic used his clairvoyant ability's to investigate the construction of the keris and the nature of the ISI contained in it

"When I first developed my power," John said, "l was curious
about the abilities of the keris. In an antiques shop I found a keris of
power that was rusting away the storekeeper could not sense that
the keris was charged you see. That weapon was five hundred years
old but he thought it was junk and treated it as such. l bought it for
a few dollars and took it home where I investigated its origins using
my own skills. In the very Center of the keris, buried in the layers of
metal, was a strip of paper* on which a charm was written in Sanskrit
letters. It was very similar to a Chinese talisman, a fu. At that point I
understood the technique of fabricating the keris"

*The author is mistaken here the Rerajahan is not drawn on paper for obvious reasons instead it is scribed on the metal with a stylus

"Samar (the name of the keris) is a created being isn't he?"
John looked at me with interest. "No, Kosta you are missing the
point. Nice try, but no cigar as they say. Samar is not a created
being at all he is the extension of a man who once was"

"A Fu comes from our own person John said. When we make a
Fu we extend our consciousness and our power into the charm and
that power can serve a specific purpose for example when I
speak to a keris it is actually the spirit of the keris maker whom I
am speaking to this man has, in the past extended a part of his own
life force and spirit into the fu in the heart of the keris."

A. G. Maisey · 4th March 2019, 12:53 AM

Ah yes, John Chang.

Belief can be very powerful.

Pusaka · 4th March 2019, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Ah yes, John Chang.

Belief can be very powerful.

What part of what he said above is false ?

David · 4th March 2019, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pusaka

What part of what he said above is false ?

I believe you are asking the wrong question.

A. G. Maisey · 4th March 2019, 06:26 PM

Darren, I neither stated nor implied that there was anything false in your quoted passage. I simply commented that belief can be powerful, and I feel that this is an accurate statement.

The thing is this:- you are trying to address the keris from one direction, I am addressing the keris from a different direction. Each of us has certain life experience and knowledge that helps to form our opinions. I have a very lengthy period of experience with people who possess similar perceived abilities to those of Mr. Chang, in fact, I live with one of these people, I have had others who were relatives. We do not all see the world in precisely the same way.

I have spent over 60 years in the study of all things that relate to Jawa. Since 1974 I have spent between one month and six months every year except three, living in Solo in Central Jawa. The perceived abilities of Mr. Chang do not amaze me, nor do they impress me. True, he does appear to possess certain abilities, but from my perspective those abilities have absolutely nothing at all to do with the keris.

I do not have any problem at all with the way in which you are pursuing knowledge of the keris, I believe that you are sincere in your beliefs, and I also believe that if you continue your pursuit of knowledge for long enough you will find that which you are seeking.

3rd March 2019, 09:33 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,049	Empu Pauzan Pusposukadgo (Alm.) produced some of the finest keris of the modern era. After the passing of Empu Suparman Supowijoyo (Alm.), Empu Pauzan was recognised as the ranking Empu of the Karaton Surakarta, yet Empu Pauzan himself would never accept the title of "Empu". He preferred to be recognised as "Pande Seni Keris" : "A Skilled Craftsman in the art of the Keris". Pauzan and I met in 1974, long before he took the decision to attempt to make keris. We became close friends and remained that until the time of his passing. I once asked Pauzan why he refused to be known as "Empu", when everybody referred to him as "Empu". His answer was interesting, and I believe it demonstrates quite clearly the division between Javanese indigenous belief, Javanese mystical belief created by Sufic mysticism, the Hindu-Buddhist beliefs of pre-Islamic Jawa, and the beliefs of those Javanese people who observe the tenets of conventional Islam. Pauzan's response to my question was this:- "An Empu is somebody who is believed to be able call life into a keris and imbue it with certain special powers. Now, I ask you Mas Alan, can any man create life? You and I know that only God can create life. Can a man presume to take the place of God? This is sinful belief, and even more sinful if a man were to attempt to bring life into something that man has made. I will never be a part of this sort of belief. I create art. Only art." Pauzan's Islamic beliefs were very much of a conventional nature. He did not follow the mysticism of Kejawen, he identified as Santri, he unfailingly observed all the requirements expected of a devout Muslim. For the devout Javanese Muslim, a keris must be no more than an item of dress that might also be an art work, and a way in which he can store wealth. However, for a Javanese person who follows the indigenous belief systems of Ancestor Worship and Animism the nature of the keris is not the same as it must be for the devout Muslim, or for those Javanese people who identify as followers of Kejawen beliefs, the nature of the keris is again at variance with the nature of the keris for a man like Pande Seni Keris Pauzan Pusposukadgo. In Hindu-Buddhist Jawa the nature of the keris was again very different to the nature of the keris that has developed since the domination of Jawa by Islam. During the Central Jawa Period, prior to the migration of power to East Jawa, the keris was primarily a weapon, probably one that was also used in blood sacrifice. In East Jawa the original form of the keris underwent some change, its nature also underwent change, but it did retain the essentially Hindu edged weapon characteristic of being an empty vessel that had been prepared for the visit of a Deity. In East Jawa, probably during the Majapahit era, the development of Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and the incorporation of indigenous beliefs into the belief system that became Agama Jawa Hindu saw the identification of ancestors with Deities and since Mount Meru is the place where ancestors wait to become one with their own God, or to be reborn, the idea that an ancestor could also visit an earthly meru took root. Thus the keris had now assumed the nature of a meru:- a place to be held in readiness for the visit of a deity, and in the case of Javanese belief, for the visit of an ancestor. Since a keris was not permanently occupied, that meant that it was empty, and being empty it was necessary to ensure that no evil or unwanted forces came into that keris. During the period to the collapse of Majapahit, the keris would have been primarily an item that was reserved for the K'satriya, however, there was a constant population of traders who lived in enclaves along the north coast, most of these traders were Muslim, and they had a tendency to copy the style of the Court of Majapahit. These traders would have had not the vaguest idea of the true nature of the keris. They had probably heard that it had some esoteric characteristics, but to these outlanders, it was merely a personal weapon worn by men of the Court. With the collapse of Majapahit the keris became a secular object and its new masters invented their own ideas of its nature based upon the vague idea of its esoteric nature. If we wish to understand the nature of the keris we need to devote ourselves to study of the society of Jawa, its history and belief systems, and we need to cultivate the mental facilities that will enable us to comprehend Javanese values and belief systems. It is a very facile approach to attempt to understand the nature of the keris in the absence of the necessary foundations that might permit this.

3rd March 2019, 09:47 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,231	Thanks for this summary Alan.

4th March 2019, 12:25 AM	#3
Pusaka Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 341	Below are quotes from the Magus of Java he basically says what I have said though being from a Chinese background he uses the word FU instead of Jimat/Rerajahan. He also clears up the misconception that an ISI is a created being. This mystic used his clairvoyant ability's to investigate the construction of the keris and the nature of the ISI contained in it "When I first developed my power," John said, "l was curious about the abilities of the keris. In an antiques shop I found a keris of power that was rusting away the storekeeper could not sense that the keris was charged you see. That weapon was five hundred years old but he thought it was junk and treated it as such. l bought it for a few dollars and took it home where I investigated its origins using my own skills. In the very Center of the keris, buried in the layers of metal, was a strip of paper* on which a charm was written in Sanskrit letters. It was very similar to a Chinese talisman, a fu. At that point I understood the technique of fabricating the keris" *The author is mistaken here the Rerajahan is not drawn on paper for obvious reasons instead it is scribed on the metal with a stylus "Samar (the name of the keris) is a created being isn't he?" John looked at me with interest. "No, Kosta you are missing the point. Nice try, but no cigar as they say. Samar is not a created being at all he is the extension of a man who once was" "A Fu comes from our own person John said. When we make a Fu we extend our consciousness and our power into the charm and that power can serve a specific purpose for example when I speak to a keris it is actually the spirit of the keris maker whom I am speaking to this man has, in the past extended a part of his own life force and spirit into the fu in the heart of the keris."

4th March 2019, 12:53 AM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,049	Ah yes, John Chang. Belief can be very powerful.

4th March 2019, 06:26 PM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,049	Darren, I neither stated nor implied that there was anything false in your quoted passage. I simply commented that belief can be powerful, and I feel that this is an accurate statement. The thing is this:- you are trying to address the keris from one direction, I am addressing the keris from a different direction. Each of us has certain life experience and knowledge that helps to form our opinions. I have a very lengthy period of experience with people who possess similar perceived abilities to those of Mr. Chang, in fact, I live with one of these people, I have had others who were relatives. We do not all see the world in precisely the same way. I have spent over 60 years in the study of all things that relate to Jawa. Since 1974 I have spent between one month and six months every year except three, living in Solo in Central Jawa. The perceived abilities of Mr. Chang do not amaze me, nor do they impress me. True, he does appear to possess certain abilities, but from my perspective those abilities have absolutely nothing at all to do with the keris. I do not have any problem at all with the way in which you are pursuing knowledge of the keris, I believe that you are sincere in your beliefs, and I also believe that if you continue your pursuit of knowledge for long enough you will find that which you are seeking.