(from su, ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ ᮝᮤᮝᮤᮒᮔ᮪, Sunda Wiwitan, aboriginal Pasundan) Sunda Wiwitan is a folk religion and ancient beliefs adhered to by the Sundanese (including

Baduy people Baduy people (sometimes spelled as Badui or Kanekes) are an indigenous Sundanese ethnic group native to the southeastern part of Banten specifically Lebak Regency on western hemisphere of Java island in Indonesia. Etymology The term is a sho ...

, Bantenese,

Cirebonese The Cirebon or Cirebonese (''Wong Cirebon''; ''Urang Cirebon'') are an indigenous ethnic group native to Cirebon in the northeastern region of West Java, Indonesia. With a population of approximately 1.9 million, Cirebonese population, they ...

) in the western part of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

. The followers of this belief system can be found in some villages in western Java, such as Kanekes,

Lebak Lebak, officially the Municipality of Lebak ( hil, Banwa sang Lebak; tl, Bayan ng Lebak; mdh, Inged nu Libak, Jawi: ايڠايد نو ليبق), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 20 ...

Banten Banten ( id, Banten; Sundanese: , romanized ''Banten'') is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java ...

; Ciptagelar Kasepuhan Banten Kidul, Cisolok, Sukabumi; Kampung Naga; and Cigugur,

Kuningan Regency Kuningan Regency is a regency ''(kabupaten)'' of West Java province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,194.09 km2, and it had a population of 1,035,589 at the 2010 census and 1,167,686 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 202 ...

. In Carita Parahyangan this faith is called ''Jatisunda''. Its practitioners assert that Sunda Wiwitan has been part of their way of life since ancient times, before the arrival of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

and Islam. The sacred book of Sunda Wiwitan is called Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian, it is a didactic text of religious and moral guidance, rules and lessons. The text is identified as Kropak 630 by

National Library of Indonesia The National Library of Indonesia ( id, Perpustakaan Nasional Republik Indonesia, Perpusnas) is the legal deposit library of Indonesia. It is located at Gambir, on the south side of Merdeka Square, Jakarta. It serves primarily as a humanities l ...

. According to a ''kokolot'' (elder) of Cikeusik village, the people of Kanekes are not adherents to Hindu or

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

faiths; they follow an animistic system of belief that venerates and worships the spirits of ancestors. However, over the course of time Sunda Wiwitan has been influenced by and incorporated Hindu, and to some extent, Islamic elements.

Ontology and belief system

The highest spiritual power in Sunda Wiwitan is ''Sang Hyang Kersa'' ("The Powerful") or ''Nu Ngersakeun'' ("He Who has the Will"). This supreme being is also referred to by several names or divine titles, such as ''Batara Tunggal'' ("The One"), ''Batara Jagat'' ("Ruler of Universe"), and ''Batara Seda Niskala'' ("The Unseen"). Sang Hyang Kersa resides in the highest and most sacred realm called ''Buana Nyungcung'' (Sundanese, lit: "Pointy Realm"). The

Hindu gods Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evol ...

(

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

, Indra,

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...

, and so on) are considered subordinates of Sang Hyang Kersa. According to Sunda Wiwitan

ontology In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities ...

, the

universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. A ...

consists of three realms: #Buana Nyungcung ("The Pointy Realm" or "Peak Realm"): the uppermost realm; the abode of the supreme highest Sang Hyang Kersa. #Buana Panca Tengah ("The Middle World"):

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

, the realm of human beings and animals, with five cardinal directions: east, west, north, south, and center/zenith. #Buana Larang ("The Forbidden World"): hell, the realm of demons and lowly spirits, the lowermost realm. Between ''Buana Nyungcung'' (the peak realm) and ''Buana Panca Tengah'' (earth), there are 18 layers of realms, arranged in decreasing order of sacredness from top to bottom. The uppermost of these heavenly realms is called ''Bumi Suci Alam Padang,'' or according to Kropak 630 (Sanghyang siksakanda ng karesian), ''Alam Kahyangan'' or ''Mandala Hyang''. This second-highest realm is the abode of Nyi Pohaci Sanghyang Asri and

Sunan Ambu Sunan Ambu or Batari Sunan Ambu ( Sundanese: ᮘᮒᮛᮤ ᮞᮥᮔᮔ᮪ ᮃᮙ᮪ᮘᮥ) is a goddess according to Sundanese beliefs, the mother goddess of the Sundanese, and resides in the Kahyangan. She is often portrayed as a mother who, ...

. Sang Hyang Kersa created seven bataras in Sasaka Pusaka Buana (The Sacred Place on Earth). The oldest of these bataras is called Batara Cikal and is considered to be the ancestor of the Kanekes people. Other bataras ruled various locations in Sunda lands.

Value system

The value system of Sunda Wiwitan is based on written and unwritten (internalized) norms. The written norms are rules and

taboos A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

that govern the way of life of adherents, while the unwritten norms are internal and individual understandings of the faith. Sunda Wiwitan's basic and principle concepts are based on two things: ''Cara Ciri Manusia'' and ''Cara Ciri Bangsa. These two principles are mentioned by Sunda Wiwitan elders, yet are not explicitly mentioned in the ''Siksa ''Kanda-ng Karesian,'' the sacred text of Sunda Wiwitan. ''Cara Ciri Manusia'' comprises the basic elements of human life. It consists of five fundamentals: * ''Welas asih'': love and compassion * ''Undak usuk'': social and family order * ''Tata krama'': behavior order and rules of conduct, such as politeness and courteousness * ''Budi bahasa dan budaya'': language and culture * ''Wiwaha yudha naradha'': "yudha," meaning war or battle. This principle refers to the essential human characteristic of always being wary or suspicious of foreign or unknown influences. This reflects an inherent conservatism and resistance to change in traditional village life. It implies that influences incompatible with tradition must be rejected. The second concept of ''Cara Ciri Bangsa'' states that people have universals or similarities in basic human traits, yet express diversity from one individual or community to another. These elements are the source of variety among human beings: * ''Rupa'': looks * ''Adat'': customs and rules * ''Bahasa'': language * ''Aksara'': letters * ''Budaya'': culture The philosophy and value system emphasizes the internal or spiritual elements of human life, indicating that humans need spiritual guidance and wisdom in their lives. Originally Sunda Wiwitan did not incorporate many taboos or prohibitions. The core rules of conduct consist of just two elements: * "Do not do something not to the taste of others" (something that others dislike), and do no harm to others * "Do not do something to harm yourself" However, to honor sacred places (''Kabuyutan'', ''Sasaka Pusaka Buana'' or ''Sasaka Domas'') and follow certain traditions in rice farming, Sunda Wiwitan elaborated on many restrictions and taboos. The most numerous taboos (called ''Buyut'' by Kanekes people) are applied to those living within the most sacred place on earth—the people of Baduy Dalam that inhabit ''Sasaka Pusaka Buana'' (Sacred Place on Earth).

Traditions and ceremonies

In Sunda Wiwitan tradition, prayer and ritual is performed through songs and chant of

pantun Sunda Pantun Sunda is a type of Sundanese oral narrative performance interspersed with songs and music played on a '' kacapi'', a kind of zither. A pantun is intended to be recited during an evening-length performance during which a single performer relat ...

and kidung dances. These ritual practices can be observed during the rice harvest ceremony and the annual new year festival called Seren Taun. These customary ceremonies are still performed annually by the more traditional Sundanese communities in Kanekes, Lebak,

; Ciptagelar Kasepuhan Banten Kidul, Cisolok, Sukabumi; Kampung Naga; and Cigugur,

Kuningan Kuningan ( su, ᮊᮥᮔᮤᮍᮔ᮪) is a town and district located in eastern West Java, Indonesia, between Cirebon and Tasikmalaya, about 200 km east of Jakarta. It is the administrative center of Kuningan Regency. The district is located ...

. Although modern Sundanese people may practice Christianity or adhere to other faiths, influences and value systems, certain elements of traditional customs, beliefs, and culture of Sunda Wiwitan still survive into contemporary times. In terms of influence on their social values and cultural mores.Rama Jati

Ontology and belief system

Value system

Traditions and ceremonies

See also

References

Further reading