Gamelan Stories: Tantrism, Islam, and Aesthetics in Central Java

Gamelan Stories: Tantrism, Islam, and Aesthetics in Central Java
by Judith Becker visit online:
Gamelan Stories: Tantrism, Islam, and Aesthetics in Central Java

Gamelan Stories begins with an introduction to Tantrism, a somewhat diffuse body of ideas stressing "correlations between the universe and the human body", the centrality of female creative force (sakti), and the union of male and female. It also provides a brief history of Javanese religion, focused on the influence of Tantric Buddhism and Saivism (worship of Shiva), derived from India and Tibet, and of Sufi Islamic mysticism.

By now completely intertwined, Tantric and Sufi mysticism are still a strong force in contemporary Javanese society. Although persisting without a label, Tantric ideas continue to inform not only kebatinan [mystical sect] practices, but also their reflexes and reflections in the stories told about the performing arts.

An appendix provides more detail about Saivite orders and Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism in medieval Java, but Gamelan Stories offers no general introduction to Islam in Java.