Teachings Of Mystical

This is the Book of Mystical Teachings Telling What the Eight Saints Taught. Published by the Administration of (the newspaper) Jawi Kandha in Surakarta and Printed by the Press of N.V. Mij. t/v d/z ALBERT RUSCHE & CO., Surakarta,1908.

BOOK OF MYSTICAL TEACHINGS

Introduction

These are the teachings called Hidayat Jati (True Divine Revelations) explaining the levels of makrifat (gnosis) and based on the history of the Javanese saints (or friends of God, wali). After the death of Sunan Ampel, each saint taught his own mystical doctrine, which served as the seed of mystical teachings for personal development in the direction of inner perfection. Like all mystical teachings (wirid), theirs were derived from the Quran, the Hadith (traditions of the Prophet), the unanimously accepted decisions of religious scholars (ijmak), as well as analogy (qiyas), and they occupied the following levels:

The first generation, at the start of the Kingdom of Demak, was made up of only eight persons:

1. Sunan Giri Kadhaton taught secrets about the glory of the Divine Essence (dzat).

2. Sunan Tandês taught how the Divine Essence is transmitted.

3. Sunan Majagung taught where the Divine Essence is located.

4. Sunan Benang taught about the opening of the Baitul Makmur (the Crowded House).

5. Sunan Wuryapada taught about the opening of the Baitul Muharram (the House of Forbidden Things).

6. Sunan Kalinyamat taught the way to strengthen one's faith.

7. Sunan Gunungjati taught about the Baitul Muharram (the House of Forbidden Things).

8. Sunan Kajênar taught about things witnessed.

The second, another generation between the end of the Kingdom of Dêmak and the start of the Kingdom of Pajang, was made up of only eight saints willing to teach:

1. Sunan Giri Parapen taught secrets about the Divine Essence and its nature.
2. Sunan Darajat explained how the Divine Essence was transmitted.

3. Sunan Ngatasangin taught where the Divine Essence was located.

4. Sunan Kalijaga taught about the structure of the Baitul Makmur (the Crowded House) followed by all that is concerned with incorporating the divine Essence into one's nature, but without clear instructions as to the order in which they were to be carried out.