Melbourne - The martial art of Pencak Silat arrived on Sumatra`s shores from India thousands of years ago and over time evolved into its uniquely Indonesian form.
In the same way as its earliest Indian teachers carried Pencak Silat to Indonesia, Indonesians are now carrying the martial art southward and, today, this richly Asian art is practiced in Anglo Saxon-dominated Australia.
Pencak Silat, a combination of yoga and meditation, is attracting Australians from all walks of life, according to Pencak Silat teacher Ronnie Takdare of Melbourne, who has several "blonde, blue-eyed Aussies," in his class, discovering the benefits of Pencak Silat.
Ronnie teaches Pencak Silat through his Dharma Nusantara organization, which aims to foster relationships between Indonesia and Australia through arts and culture.
One student, Summer Buckland of Melbourne, began learning several years ago, and says practicing this ancient martial art has changed her outlook on life and opened doors to other cultures and ways of living.
"Pencak Silat is an amazing art that is more art than sport. By learning Silat I have discovered much about myself and also Indonesia, specifically Central Java, its music and culture," Buckland said.
She added that Silat had also taught her humility and "that balance of mind" that allowed her to face life`s difficulties calmly.
Buckland has also seen these changes in other Silat students, whom she calls brothers and sisters.
"I have seen Silat change their lives. It has helped them through major problems in their lives. Learning Silat has also given us a great respect for the Indonesian people and culture, a respect we hope to pass along to the many generations (of Silat students) that come after us," Buckland said.
Ronnie said these changes were due to a shift in personal expectations, a stepping away from the material world that breeds competition rather than sharing.
That sharing is expressed by both students and teachers of Pencak Silat in Australia through the group`s funding of distressed families in Indonesia. Both students and teachers pay a weekly fee of AUD$5 (US$4.12).
"One family we helped had separated and was heading for divorce. With funds from our group we were able to help the children. In time the father found work and the family was able to come back together once the financial stress on them was eased. That makes paying the $5 fee very worthwhile," Ronnie said, adding that even students who went on holiday found a way to keep paying.
That act of sharing and taking care of others in need is one of the ways practitioners of Pencak Silat in western societies can move away from the "I`m all right Jack" philosophy that competitive societies engender, Ronnie said.
"Pencak Silat holds an intensely Asian philosophy at its core, a way of seeing human achievement in the round that calls for engagement with others, rather than the linear thinking of the west that is by nature competitive," he said, adding that he taught one of the most esoteric forms of the art called Silat Keluarga or family Silat that is developed within families and only taught to family members."I learned from my grandmother in Central Java before moving to Australia. I began teaching here (Australia) in 1996, but to teach my students I had to take them on as family, which is why we are all brothers and sisters," Ronnie said.
He added that he never advertised for students, seeing them in his meditations long before they arrived at his door and this might be one of the keys to his students` mind-sets; people already seeking a different way to live and a tonic for the stresses of western life.
Ronnie says this aspect of his students is a reflection of Australian society that is, he says, still open to cultural perspectives that differ from the competitive culture inherent in Anglo Saxon thinking.
"Asian thinking is circular. This manifests in its arts-and-rituals-based culture, whereas the West tends to be linear in its thinking, which is expressed in science and technology. But I see that I can teach Silat in Australia because there is no fixed culture here.
"It is a nation in flux with more than 60 percent of its population new migrants or first generation Australians. There is still room for new traditions and cultures to be absorbed into this society," said Ronnie of how Silat can enter the Australian viewpoint, bringing with it thousands of years of philosophy and culture.
What is Pencak Silat?
Pencak Silat is a martial art that was first practiced in Sumatra after arriving in Indonesia with Indian and Chinese travelers more than 1000 years ago. Today there are hundreds of different forms of Pencak Silat practiced across Indonesia with the various forms jealously protected by the intimates.
One of the newest forms of Pencak Silat is Pencak Silat Nusantara, developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Mohamad Djoko Wasposo, Mohamad Hadimulyo and Rachmadi Djok Suwignjo, who sought to open up the esoteric martial art so it would not be lost to younger generations. Pencak Silat is now recognized as a competitive sport within national sports games.
According to Melbourne-based Pencak Silat teacher Ronnie Takdare, the name comes from pencak (the physical) and silat (the movements of the mind); a combination of yoga and meditation that "trains the five senses". He says there are three main forms of Pencak Silat:
Ilmu Beladiri or the standard form of Pencak Silat that can be taught to anyone
Seni Beladiri that is specific to a region, such as Sundanese Silat from West Java or the Balinese form of Silat
Silat Keluarga that is developed within families and only taught to family members
Like many martial arts, Pencak Silat movements are based on animal movements, such as the movement of a tiger in attack.
One Pencak Silat legend says the martial art was developed by a woman who watched tigers fighting. Absorbed by the fight, she was late home and her husband attacked her. Using what she had learned from the tigers the woman was able to deflect her husband`s blows, defeating him in the fight. Her husband was so impressed by his wife`s newfound skills that the couple teamed up and developed Pencak Silat, teaching it to their children and community.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (7 September 2007)
