Acintya

Acintya, Tunggal
Sanghyang Widhi Wasa

Depiction of Acintya as radiating sun god, on the back of an empty throne, Jimbaran, Bali
Affiliation Supreme God

Acintya, also Atintya (Sanskrit: "the unthinkable", "the inconceivable", "he who cannot be imagined"), also Tunggal (Balinese: "Unity")[1][2] is the supreme god of Hinduism as practiced in Indonesia (formally known as Agama Hindu Dharma), and most of all in the island of Bali, equivalent to the concept of Brahman. He is also the Supreme God in the traditional wayang theater of shadow puppets.[3] He is also known to most modern Balinese as Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, also Sanghyang Widi Wasa (the "All-In-One God"), a term invented in the 1930s by Christian missionaries to describe the Christian god to the Balinese.[4]

Contents

Role

Acintya corresponds to a rather recent trend towards monotheism in Bali, according to which there is one supreme god, and that the other gods are only manifestations of him.[5][6] Acinthya is emptiness, and considered as the origin of the Universe, all other divinities emanating from him.[7]

He is often associated to the sun god,[8] and depicted in human form with flames around him.[9] His nakedness expresses that "his consciousness is no longer carried away by his sense-faculties".[10]

Prayers and offering are not made directly to Acintya, but only to the other manifestations of the deity.[11]

Acintya is often not even represented, in which case he is only evoked by an empty throne on top of a pillar (the "Padmasana", lit. "Lotus Throne"), inside Balinese temples.[12]

The introduction of the Padmasana as an altar to the Supreme God, was the result of a 16th century Hindu reformation mouvement, led by Dang Hyang Nirartha, the priest of the Gelgel King Batu Renggong (also Waturenggong), at the time when Islam was spreading from the west through Java.[13] Dang Hyang Nirartha built temples in Bali, and added the Padmasana shrines to the temples he visited.[14]

Modern characterization

Since the end of World War II and the Indonesian War of Independence, the Republic of Indonesia has adopted political rules called Pancasila (lit. "The five principles") which allow for freedom of religion within Indonesia, provided the religion in question is monotheistic, i.e. based upon the belief in a one, all-powerful God. Under these rules, five religions are recognized: Islam, Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Hinduism.[15] Balinese Hindus have thus felt the need to reinforce the monotheistic component of Bali Hunduism, and looked for a more obvious name than that of Acintya. They selected the expression Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa ("God almighty"), which, although forged in the 1930s by Protestant missionaries to describe the Christian God, was thought to be well-adapted to describe the Hindu supreme deity.[16] This is thus the name which is now more commonly used by modern Balinese.[17]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Healing performances of Bali Angela Hobart p.151
  2. ^ Dancing shadows of Bali Angela Hobart p.48
  3. ^ Dancing shadows of Bali Angela Hobart p.48
  4. ^ Bali, a traveller's companion, p.45
  5. ^ Bali, a traveller's companion, p.45
  6. ^ Bali & Lombok Lesley Reader, Lucy Ridout, p.97
  7. ^ Visible and invisible realms Margaret J. Wiener p.51
  8. ^ Bali, a traveller's companion, p.45
  9. ^ Bali, a traveller's companion, p.46
  10. ^ Healing performances of Bali Angela Hobart p.151
  11. ^ Bali, a traveller's companion, p.46
  12. ^ Bali and Lombok, p.26
  13. ^ Bali and Lombok, p.46-47
  14. ^ Eiseman, p.266
  15. ^ Eiseman, p.38-39
  16. ^ Eiseman, p.38-39
  17. ^ Bali, a traveller's companion, p.45

References