Budaya
Encyclopedia
Budaya is the plural form of the word Budi. Budi is synonymous to akal budi or kebudayaan. This original Indonesian word is very philosophical, since it has been explained, interpreted, re-interpreted, and made a philosophical discourse in Indonesian philosophers' circle up to this time. Indonesian philosophy
world is not considered as complete without mentioning this discourse. Its derivatives, such as Budayawan, Budiman, and Budi daya, are now also discussed among Indonesian philosophers, especially those who are called Philosophers of Kebudayaan.
Philosophers of the various schools of philosophy define the word Budi (plural, Budaya) with different definitions, suited to their school interests. The oldest definition of the word is found in the 18th century Ancient Javanese
manuscript Serat Centhini. According to the text, Budi is suprahuman, spiritual entity which mediates between God's being and human's being. It is a purely spiritual substance originated from God
. Here is the excerpt:
English translation:
It is the Budi with this meaning that is used by Dr. Wahidin Soedirohusodo to name his and his fellows' first native political society Budi Utomo
in the Dutch East Indies
of the early 19th century.
The Budi in this meaning is also similar to the Sufi concept
of Nur Muhammad or the Platonic
concept of The Universal Soul or the Islamic philosophical concept of Al-'Aql Al-Awwal.
-Spanish
Catholics and the Dutch
Protestants to Indonesian native educational institutions in the 20th century influenced the definition of the word Budi. In this intellectual period, Budi is re-defined and re-interpreted not as spiritual as understood before, but as human entity. In 1961, for example, Nicolas Drijarkara defined Budi as ethical reason
or moral reason as understood by the moralist Immanuel Kant
.. Poedjawijatna, another philosopher, defined Budi as Indonesian translation of the English word reason or reasoning and Filsafat Budi as of the English word Logics.. Ki Hajar Dewantara
, a preeminent Javanese thinker, in the early 1970s defined Budi as the matured human soul.. Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana
, a great Indonesian thinker of the century, defined Budi as psychological pattern contained in it basic life needs, instincts, feelings, thought
, passions
and fantasies. Here is the excerpt:
, an American-trained anhtropologist, then continued using the meaning in his famous book, Manusia dan Kebudayaan di Indonesia.. Sidi Gazalba, another philosopher of Kebudayaan, defined Budi or Kebudayaan as a way of life owned and held by any cultural unity.. Today's Indonesian thinkers, like Sutan Syahrir, Soedjatmoko, Dick Hartoko, Abdurrahman Wahid
, Mochtar Kusumaatmaja, Mochtar Lubis
, Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo, Y.B. Mangunwijaya, Nurcholish Madjid
, Darmanto Jatman, and other modernists, hold this cultural-anthropological meaning of Budi. It can even be said that this meaning has been dominating the philosophical discourse of today. All philosophers holding this meaning has been acknowledged nationally as Philosophers of Kebudayaan.
Indonesian philosophy
Indonesian philosophy is a generic designation for the tradition of abstract speculation held by the people who inhabit the region now known as Indonesia...
world is not considered as complete without mentioning this discourse. Its derivatives, such as Budayawan, Budiman, and Budi daya, are now also discussed among Indonesian philosophers, especially those who are called Philosophers of Kebudayaan.
Philosophers of the various schools of philosophy define the word Budi (plural, Budaya) with different definitions, suited to their school interests. The oldest definition of the word is found in the 18th century Ancient Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
manuscript Serat Centhini. According to the text, Budi is suprahuman, spiritual entity which mediates between God's being and human's being. It is a purely spiritual substance originated from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. Here is the excerpt:
- Wujud tanpa kahanan puniki.Ing dalem kak sajati lantaran. Inggih budi lantarané. Sarupa wujud ing hu. Pan jumeneng Muhammad latip. Mustakik ing Hyang Suksma. Kenyatanipun. Budi wujud ing Hyang Suksma. Inggih budi inggih Hyang kang Mahasuci. Budi tatabonira
English translation:
- This being without existence is between the true reality. It has a mediation which is called Budi. Budi is similar to God's being. Budi is also called the spiritual MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. It is a manifestation of the Spirit. Budi is the being of the Spirit and it is the All-Pure. Budi is its peaceful place.
It is the Budi with this meaning that is used by Dr. Wahidin Soedirohusodo to name his and his fellows' first native political society Budi Utomo
Budi Utomo
Budi Utomo , founded on May 20, 1908, was the first native political society in the Dutch East Indies...
in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
of the early 19th century.
The Budi in this meaning is also similar to the Sufi concept
Concept
The word concept is used in ordinary language as well as in almost all academic disciplines. Particularly in philosophy, psychology and cognitive sciences the term is much used and much discussed. WordNet defines concept: "conception, construct ". However, the meaning of the term concept is much...
of Nur Muhammad or the Platonic
Platonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In a narrower sense the term might indicate the doctrine of Platonic realism...
concept of The Universal Soul or the Islamic philosophical concept of Al-'Aql Al-Awwal.
Modern Definition (19 Century onwards)
Modern European learning introduced by the PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
-Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Catholics and the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Protestants to Indonesian native educational institutions in the 20th century influenced the definition of the word Budi. In this intellectual period, Budi is re-defined and re-interpreted not as spiritual as understood before, but as human entity. In 1961, for example, Nicolas Drijarkara defined Budi as ethical reason
Reason
Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions, and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, ...
or moral reason as understood by the moralist Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
.. Poedjawijatna, another philosopher, defined Budi as Indonesian translation of the English word reason or reasoning and Filsafat Budi as of the English word Logics.. Ki Hajar Dewantara
Ki Hajar Dewantara
Ki Hajar Dewantara , born Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat into a noble Javanese family of Yogyakarta, was a pioneer in the field of education in Indonesia...
, a preeminent Javanese thinker, in the early 1970s defined Budi as the matured human soul.. Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana
Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana
Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana , was born in Natal, North Sumatra. His family came from Minangkabau who migration in 19th century. He was a founder and editor of Pujangga Baru. He became one of Indonesian literature's guiding lights in its formative years, particularly in the time around independence...
, a great Indonesian thinker of the century, defined Budi as psychological pattern contained in it basic life needs, instincts, feelings, thought
Thought
"Thought" generally refers to any mental or intellectual activity involving an individual's subjective consciousness. It can refer either to the act of thinking or the resulting ideas or arrangements of ideas. Similar concepts include cognition, sentience, consciousness, and imagination...
, passions
Passion (emotion)
Passion is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something....
and fantasies. Here is the excerpt:
- Adalah pola kejiwaan yang di dalamnya terkandung dorongan-dorongan hidup yang dasar, inseting (instink), perasaan, dengan pikiran, kemauan dan fantasi yang kita namakan budi. Budi itu adalah dasar segala kehidupan kebudayaan manusia..
Budi as Culture
The philosopher in Indonesian history of philosophy who firstly understood Budi (or more frequently, Kebudayaan) as culture is Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (1908–1994).KoentjaraningratKoentjaraningrat
Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Prof. Dr. Koentjaraningrat was an Indonesian anthropologist. He is sometimes referred to as "the father of Indonesian anthropology".-Biography:...
, an American-trained anhtropologist, then continued using the meaning in his famous book, Manusia dan Kebudayaan di Indonesia.. Sidi Gazalba, another philosopher of Kebudayaan, defined Budi or Kebudayaan as a way of life owned and held by any cultural unity.. Today's Indonesian thinkers, like Sutan Syahrir, Soedjatmoko, Dick Hartoko, Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid, born Abdurrahman Addakhil , colloquially known as , was an Indonesian Muslim religious and political leader who served as the President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001...
, Mochtar Kusumaatmaja, Mochtar Lubis
Mochtar Lubis
Mochtar Lubis was an Indonesian Batak journalist and novelist who co-founded Indonesia Raya. His novel Senja di Jakarta was the first Indonesian novel to be translated into English. He was a critic of Sukarno and was imprisoned by him...
, Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo, Y.B. Mangunwijaya, Nurcholish Madjid
Nurcholish Madjid
Dr. Nurcholish Madjid , in his homeland affectionately known as Cak Nur, was a prominent Indonesian Muslim intellectual. Early in his academic career, Nurcholish was a leader in various student organizations. He soon became well known as a proponent for modernization within Islam...
, Darmanto Jatman, and other modernists, hold this cultural-anthropological meaning of Budi. It can even be said that this meaning has been dominating the philosophical discourse of today. All philosophers holding this meaning has been acknowledged nationally as Philosophers of Kebudayaan.