The things we cannot see

jagabuwana · 25th July 2022, 08:25 AM

I'm from a Sundanese, Muslim family whose culture has experience and knowledge around matters of the unseen or esoteric. It is largely informed by:

Pre-Islamic Sundanese folk beliefs like ancestor or nature worship
Esoteric, syncretic Islam or "tasawwuf". I often avoid the words Sufic or Sufism as I find that this often connotes it being a separate sect outside orthodox Sunni Islam - which it is not.

From my observations and studies, an enduring keris culture with links to past traditions and beliefs doesn't seem to exist in Sundanese culture today. If it ever did, I am not confident that it can be found intact today. Nevertheless we can still find beliefs regarding the keris' unseen qualities which we have explored in this forum previously. For example:

The keris can act as a bridge between the seen and the unseen worlds
It can be used to call upon the custodian's ancestors
It can be a vessel for both good and bad entities

Interestingly, how the unseen is described will depend on who is asking. In public life, everyday speech or something published for lay audiences, it leans more Islamic. That is to say that the unseen world that humans often encounter or meddle with is made up of jinn. Jinn are a type of non-human entity that are distinct from humans and angels and we co-habit earth with them. They can be good or bad, but in this context is usually brought up with negative connotations. They are said to make their homes in nature - rocks, trees, mountains etc, but can be "called" into empty vessels like keris to harness whatever power they might have. Inasmuch as this is acknowledged to be possible, it is a deeply shunned practice if it is sought after or practiced deliberately.

However I have found that depending on the nature and depth of the conversation, and who is present in the conversation, discussion about the unseen turns into one that involves ancestors and spirits - both referred to as hyang/eyang. This can mean ancestors in your lineage or kinship group, but it also extends to any personage that has passed into the unseen world several generations ago and are treated with the same respect as the former. As for spirits, these are those that the Muslim stream of thought would call jinn, but are spoken about in a way that is much more neutral and less negative or taboo. The nature of these spirits varies - sometimes they are from nature; sometimes they are animals; ghosts, monsters or demons. Basically any non-human entity that is not adequately explained by Islam. It is within this intimate, private conversation and context that the "true" understanding of the unseen is approached.

25th July 2022, 08:25 AM	#11
jagabuwana Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 290	I'm from a Sundanese, Muslim family whose culture has experience and knowledge around matters of the unseen or esoteric. It is largely informed by: Pre-Islamic Sundanese folk beliefs like ancestor or nature worship Esoteric, syncretic Islam or "tasawwuf". I often avoid the words Sufic or Sufism as I find that this often connotes it being a separate sect outside orthodox Sunni Islam - which it is not. From my observations and studies, an enduring keris culture with links to past traditions and beliefs doesn't seem to exist in Sundanese culture today. If it ever did, I am not confident that it can be found intact today. Nevertheless we can still find beliefs regarding the keris' unseen qualities which we have explored in this forum previously. For example: The keris can act as a bridge between the seen and the unseen worlds It can be used to call upon the custodian's ancestors It can be a vessel for both good and bad entities Interestingly, how the unseen is described will depend on who is asking. In public life, everyday speech or something published for lay audiences, it leans more Islamic. That is to say that the unseen world that humans often encounter or meddle with is made up of jinn. Jinn are a type of non-human entity that are distinct from humans and angels and we co-habit earth with them. They can be good or bad, but in this context is usually brought up with negative connotations. They are said to make their homes in nature - rocks, trees, mountains etc, but can be "called" into empty vessels like keris to harness whatever power they might have. Inasmuch as this is acknowledged to be possible, it is a deeply shunned practice if it is sought after or practiced deliberately. However I have found that depending on the nature and depth of the conversation, and who is present in the conversation, discussion about the unseen turns into one that involves ancestors and spirits - both referred to as hyang/eyang. This can mean ancestors in your lineage or kinship group, but it also extends to any personage that has passed into the unseen world several generations ago and are treated with the same respect as the former. As for spirits, these are those that the Muslim stream of thought would call jinn, but are spoken about in a way that is much more neutral and less negative or taboo. The nature of these spirits varies - sometimes they are from nature; sometimes they are animals; ghosts, monsters or demons. Basically any non-human entity that is not adequately explained by Islam. It is within this intimate, private conversation and context that the "true" understanding of the unseen is approached.