People/paulstange/saptadarma.html
< People
=
Sapta Darma =
Entry in Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ed. J. Gordon Melton & Martin Baumann, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA.
The founder of Sapta Darma, literally meaning 'seven teachings', was originally named Hardjosapuro. He lived in Pare, in East Java, and began to experience direct contact with God in December 1952. This came in the form of automatic movements which became the basis for the spiritual practice. Particularly notable experiences continued for several years and included not only the movement he experienced physically, but also reception of teachings (some of which appeared on the wall of his home), changes in his name and finally of a name for the practice. His name changed first to Brahmono, then to Rodjopandito, and finally to Sri Gotama. Teachings continued to flow through Sri Gotama until his death in December 1964.
As the name of the group suggests, there are seven points to the central teaching; some of them ethical imperatives, others statements of ontological conviction. However in Sapta Darma focus is on spiritual practice rather than theory or philosophy. Practice in Sapta Darma is called 'sujud' (from Arabic), meaning 'surrender'. Members experience the same movements experienced spontaneously by the founder. Men sit cross legged, women with feet tucked under them; all report experiencing an awakening of inner energy originating near the base of the spine. This then moves up the spine leading to an automatic bow, until the forehead touches the floor.
Women wear a white headdress and robe similar to but not the same as those worn by Muslims. However the resonances of Sapta Darma names, practice, and theory with Islamic and Indic teachings is not seen as an indication of influence from them. Instead followers emphasize that their founder did not receive from, or even know about, other religious teachings. Sapto Darma holds that its theory of 'talirasa' (literally 'the rope of feeling') is original. It details the network of energy points in the body related to pathways of life energy and linked to practice of sujud.
Sapta Darma, almost alone among Javanese movements, has argued consistently that it ought to be acknowledged as a 'religion'. During the Suharto era that term was reserved for five 'world religions'. From the 1970s until her death in 1996 Sri Pawenang, who led the Yogyakarta based organization, was bolder than most Javanists in arguing for legitimacy of its practice. As a lawyer she was able to maintain her argument actively in contexts where others had capitulated. Sapta Darma has been prominent as one of the largest Javanese mystical organizations. It once claimed a membership of around 100,000. It has a stronger village following than most Javanist movements and is also exceptional among for having attracted a strong ethnic Balinese following.
References
Hadiwijono, Harun. Man in the Present Javanese Mysticism. Bosch & Keuning N.V. –Baarn 1967
Pawenang, Sri. Wewarah Sapta Darma. Yogyakarta, n.d.
New: 25 October, 2021 | Now: 25 October, 2021
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally hosted at freotopia.org/people/paulstange/saptadarma.html. The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.