Newscriticism: "Ajaran Kapitayan: Agama Orang Jawa Kuno Terdahulu yang Sulit Dipahami" [Kapitayan: Religion of the Ancient Javanese which is Difficult to Understand] (Kompasiana, 24th April, 2024)

[From Kompasiana's article. Based on translations from the Indonesian Original.]

SUMMARY

Kapitayan, an ancient Javanese religion, is often misunderstood due to its esoteric nature. Practiced before Hinduism and Buddhism influenced Java, Kapitayan is centered around the worship of a singular divine entity known as Sang Hyang Taya. This entity is conceptualized as a formless and abstract spiritual force. The religion emphasizes the importance of harmony with nature and reverence for ancestors. It also involves rituals and symbols that are unique and difficult to interpret without deep cultural knowledge.

The article argues that understanding Kapitayan today poses significant challenges due to the scarcity of written records and its oral transmission. Modern interpretations often rely on archaeological findings and ancient Javanese texts, which provide only fragmented insights. Additionally, the arrival of Hinduism, Buddhism, and later Islam, further obscured the original practices and beliefs of Kapitayan. Despite these challenges, scholars continue to explore this ancient belief system to preserve its legacy and understand its role in shaping Javanese spirituality and culture. The religion's complexity and the subtlety of its practices reflect a deep, ancient wisdom that is still being unraveled.

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NEWSCRITICISM

Kapitayan, or Javanese Monotheism, is a part of the identity-worldview of the Javanese Civilization other than Kejawen, or Javanese Polytheism. It is a form of Monotheism applied to the Javanese Worldview; thier monotheistic theology states is that He is Absolute and manifests himself in the world through his creations. Kapitayan in particular proves that the system of Indigenous Monotheism seperate from the Abrahamic, Dharmic, and Taoistic phylums is possible and is an original thought across many civilizations not of the disposition of the three aformentioned. Monotheism - one of the oldest theological worldviews in interpretation of the Immaterial (the Abstract-Unseen) - has been prevalent as a worldview in many cultures [one example is the Oromo Civilization's Waaqeffanna; see my essay about them here] and is as common as Polytheism across many societies and civilizations that exist in the world. Other than Waaqeffanna, such Monotheisms have spontaneously rose and fall, for the interpretation of a Civilization regarding its Immaterial Existence may change on the circumstance that its theological experience in existence may shift or change depending on the circumstances that forces it to change to another direction - one example is Mithraism (a form of esoteric monotheism), which was abandoned after the Romans turned Pontus into a Client State just before its dissolution by Emperor Nero, thus allowing it to flourish across the empire, which caused the (accelerated) spread of Mithraism and the construction of Mithraeums across the Roman Empire.

Kapitayan (a branch of Ancient Monotheism that split from Kejawen at some point in its early formative history, similar to Atenism [Ancient Egyptian Monotheism] which split off from Pesedjet/Heka [Ancient Egyptian Polytheism]; another name is Kemetism [usually refered to revivalist religions based on Pesedjet/Heka]) today, while still surviving in the modern Javanese Civilization, has been minoritized and had a few followers (even though Indonesia recognizes ancient beliefs as part of the official recognition lineup of offical religions under the ideology of Pancasila) across all of Java; it has been faced with the peril of becoming extinct in the near future - it must take steps to defend its own worldview in order to preserve and adopt to the new changes of our modern world for Kapitayan in the near future. Kapitayan must and should face the new challenges that will affect the religion in the long run in order to survive and preserve in the new modern world - its adherents must take the necessary steps of preserving the religion in the chaos of the modern world.

Joshua Kyle T. Rovero

Estado Rovero

May 18th 2024