THE BodILy EXPERIENCE in Tarekat Practice

Aceh is an area located at the western tip of the island of Sumatra, renowned for its religious community. The perception of Aceh as a religious area is well-founded, as it is often referred to as the Veranda of Mecca. In the past, before transportation systems were as sophisticated as they are now, Aceh served as a transit point for prospective Hajj pilgrims before their journey to the holy land of Mecca. This nickname aptly reflects the religiosity of the Acehnese people in general. In daily life, the people of Aceh heavily rely on religious beliefs and Islamic discourse.

This is reinforced by stories from parents that the structure of ancient Acehnese houses typically included a balee (hall) at the front of the house. The balee was often used for worship, recitation of the Quran, and relaxation. The daily life of the Acehnese people is closely intertwined with prayer and praising the name of the Almighty, whether sitting in the balee or while swinging a child. Prayers are most commonly observed, especially when a woman is pregnant.

Another fact is that Aceh is the only region in Indonesia that applies Sharia law. The implementation of Sharia law in Aceh seems to aim to legitimize Aceh's strong Islamic character. This impression can be seen in how Islam in Aceh tends to be practised at a Sharia level. However, many groups of Acehnese people still practice religion at the congregational level, and even at a more essential level.

Tariqah is a series of Sufi sciences, which means a way or method of getting closer to the Almighty through the recitation and praising of His great names. From another perspective, tariqah can also be interpreted as a way of intimately communicating with the Creator. It is one of the methods and paths used by Sufis to repent sincerely, purify the soul, engage in self-therapy, and meditative practices, acquire profound knowledge, and communicate with and get closer to the Divine through chanting and praising the great names of Allah.

Dhikr, or dhikr, is a practice often carried out by the people of Aceh both individually and in congregation by chanting the names of Allah. In its essence, dhikr means mentioning, pronouncing, or praising the great names of Allah. Usually, the most common form of dhikr is done aloud, such as after fulfilling worship obligations or during tahlilan.

Within tarekat circles, dhikr is divided into two methods: dhikr with an audible voice and dhikr using the heart without making any sound. In the world of tarekat, dhikr using the heart without sound is considered one of the highest stages. Beginners are typically instructed to avoid initially engaging in silent dhikr, as it is feared that if one's heart is not prepared, it may result in negative effects, such as burning of the heart. This is a common warning given by murshids (tarekat teachers).

Tariqah, as a spiritual practice, primarily consists of bodily practices. From this perspective, much of Aceh's art originates from tariqah practices, such as Rapa'i art, Saman dance, Seudati, and others. However, these tariqah practices are gradually being overshadowed by the prevailing wave of Sharia in Aceh.

In religious practice, tariqah is essentially in line with the world of dance, which places the body at the centre. This observation highlights the fact that the people of Aceh used to predominantly engage in tariqah practices. Body practice in religious activities is not merely a method or way of getting closer to the Almighty, but rather a means of understanding and connecting with the Almighty and His creatures through the body.

For me, tarekat activities are not rituals but practices. Rituals, in my opinion, would be considered something extreme, possibly even associated with a certain cult. For example, if we were to view the congregation from a ritual perspective, then none of the elements in the ritual could be omitted or left out. This is very different from my religious practice. Every individual may choose to carry out practices such as bathing in repentance, but it's also acceptable if one chooses not to. In this context, I believe the connotation of "ritual" is inappropriate to use.

The congregation practice I have been involved in is the Qadiriyah congregation within one of the groups (majelis) in Aceh. I have been part of this religious congregation since the 2nd grade of Senior High School (SMA) until now, spanning approximately 12 years. The congregation has quite a large following, with around 1,000 people, including both women and men of various ages and from different regions.

However, the number of attendees usually ranges from 70 to 100 people who only practice the congregation on Friday nights, and this practice is limited to men only. The beginning of my involvement in the tariqah practices was prompted by the stark differences I noticed compared to the Islamic religious practices I was familiar with. These practices were characterized by impressions far beyond the limits of human reasoning. Each tariqah practice always took place on Friday nights after evening prayers, lasting until the morning call to prayer. The congregation's location was quite distant from residential areas, approximately 4-5 km away.

During dhikr, individuals assumed various positions such as bowing their heads while nodding, some shaking their heads, standing, sitting, or cross-legged while murmuring Allah's names. These positions were often unconventional, including standing and jumping like at a rock concert, or movements resembling trance states while still nodding and shaking the head. These practices could last for hours, even overnight.

The impact of such dhikr practices was not only physical freshness but also provided calmness to the soul and revitalized spiritual energy, despite initially inducing extreme bodily fatigue. I believe that besides requiring physical strength, the body also needs spiritual nourishment. This balance is crucial to prevent imbalance between body and soul.

Other tariqah practices I participated in included fasting, repentance bathing, prostration, walking in figure-eight and circular patterns, cutting taro tree trunks, visiting the graves of scholars, and practising silat (traditional martial arts)

One of the most unique practices was solitary dhikr (khalwah or sulok), where one is isolated in darkness. This practice enhanced comfort and inner peace, facilitating intimate communication with the Creator. According to Mursyid, "the 'khalut/sulok' method can bring solemnity (super focus) to the heart when doing dhikr and can feel the creature's closeness to God.

I consider khalwah/suluk to be a meditative practice in tariqah. It's not uncommon to experience moments of profound silence, possibly reaching a theta bra

Among the various practices, one that invoked fear was dhikr uruk (dhikr in a hole), where the congregation gathered in a hole resembling a grave. This practice was meant to simulate the experience of being in a grave, fostering a deeper connection with worship

 When this practice is carried out, many unreasonable events occur, for example being bitten by many ants, snakes entangling their thighs, the body feeling hot or cold, and some people even crying while the practice process is taking place. In fact, before entering the grave hole, the congregation and I always check whether there is something like an animal in it or not. The practice of dhikr uruk is actually carried out so that the congregation can remember and feel what it was like to be in the grave without anyone accompanying them other than the act of worship.

After individual practices, the congregation engaged in group dhikr using the Rapa'i, a traditional Acehnese musical instrument. The congregation was divided into four groups, each marked by a coloured turban representing the elements: yellow (fire), black (earth), white (wind), and green (water). This group dhikr typically lasted 1-2 hours before dawn.

In addition to religious practices, I took short breaks when exhausted, even falling asleep during loud dhikr, which sometimes felt like lullabies. Interestingly, laughter was not uncommon during religious gatherings, as there was no sense of shame. Various facial expressions demonstrated the honesty of participants, even if others found it amusing.

In another context, the congregation was tasked with refraining from speaking for 44 days. Initially challenging, communication was maintained through written notes to reduce unnecessary speech, gossip, and slander

Another homework was when we did religious practice next to the beach with our bodies covered in sea sand from our feet to our necks. At this moment, a feeling of pleasure arises as the body is hit by the sea waves. Strangely, the body did not feel cold or shivering, even though this practice was carried out at 12 o'clock at night. At that time, memories seemed to return to the Tsunami incident that had hit Aceh.

Another interesting context for discussing the tarekat is that there is a gift that is not actually a patron of the tarekat, namely qasyaf. In general definition, qasyaf is the permanent opening of one's inner eye so that one can see future conditions and events. However, it is very difficult to get qasyaf. Qasyaf is often present when someone least expects it. Regarding qasyaf, I felt curious and asked myself, "Do Sufi people see the future on a screen like in films, or by looking up at the sky". But of course that's just my silly curiosity.

Even though technological developments are currently very rapid, in reality, there is still a lot of information regarding practical mechanisms that have not yet been discovered. Even if there is, it still cannot satisfy those who are accustomed to exact scientific descriptions (Sutanto, Jusuf, 2013: 83). Of all the experiences of religious practices that I have had, there are actually still some religious practices that are very difficult for me to describe or explain in detail in this article. My knowledge is still limited regarding the essence of the aims and objectives of Sufistic practices.

If we look further, the practice of tarekat is a medium of treatment or a medium for healing from spiritual wounds. Even when the pandemic occurred, I considered the COVID-19 virus as a creature owned and created by the Almighty. Everything that happens on earth, on a large or small scale, is all due to the will of the Almighty.

In this research, I also observed and studied the daily body behaviour of Acehnese people, such as how they walk, sit, eat, drink, act and attitude. The domination of the Acehnese people is running fast, like the way people go when they want to accept tariqah. However, in the Acehnese coffee culture, I saw that coffee shops were dominated by older people aged 45 and over, sitting while chatting, their bodies moving left, right, front and back. This movement is very similar to the movement of people when doing dhikr. I suspect that the bodily practices of the congregation are actually present in the midst of the daily life of the Acehnese people without realizing it. 

For me, tarekat practice is a very choreographic practice. With a background as a dancer and choreographer, I tried to trace the similarities between the two. Choreographic practice and tarekat practice have subjects and objects, both have patterns, both movement patterns and floor patterns. It has body, tempo, dynamics, graphics, duration, feel, music and performative aspects. It's just that the significant difference between the two is in the 'goal'. For me, tarekat aims to get closer to the Almighty, while exploring choreography is the reflective practice of my body's experiences during the tarekat.

Apart from personal experience, the most fundamental thing about the birth of this research is that the practice of the congregation that I carry out is a practice that has been lost or has never been carried out again by the people of Aceh for 50 years. I suspect that this practice disappeared during the DI/TII conflict and the GAM (Free Aceh Movement) and RI (Republic of Indonesia) conflict.

In fact, during the war against the Dutch colonialists, one of the Acehnese clerics, Teungku Chiek Tanoeh Abee, used the practice of slashing taro tree trunks and the Dutch died in Lambaroe Kafee (one of the areas in Aceh). This story is familiar to the people of Aceh to this day. Many tarekat practices were carried out to kill without touching during the colonial era.

Moreover, I feel that the current state of society's mindset considers the practice of tarekat to be a very taboo, and strange practice, and some even consider it a heresy in Islamic religious practice. Looking at other cases, it is very unfortunate that one of the tarekat's practices, namely dhikr, seems to have become a political stage for the authorities. It can be seen from the phenomenon that when regional elections are about to be held, almost all regions carry out a grand dhikr which is actually carried out by political parties.

Coupled with the current world phenomenon, religion is very easy to buy and sell like goods, resulting in the emergence of phobias between religious communities. If Acehnese says "Yum Agama Lage Yum Kerupuk" (The price of Religion is the same as the price of crackers nowadays). Religious conflicts often occur not only in Indonesia but also in Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine and even in the Western world.

Through observation, reflection, and bodily experiences in practising the congregation, I then tried to combine them in an artistic framework. I believe that the practice of the congregation offers a wider perspective that can be discussed, especially on matters of the body.

The studio's work on this research first began in 2019. At that time I was interested in finding body balance by standing and lifting one leg for a certain duration. When I feel unbalanced, I raise one hand to achieve the balance I desire. After doing that exploration I discovered that the more I sought balance, the more unbalanced I felt.

Through these findings, I explored again the stage of looking for a correlation between the movement patterns of the congregation's practices and Acehnese traditional dance. I tried to deepen the symbols and essence of both movement patterns. My tracking also boils down to Acehnese traditional dance habits, which generally have slow, medium, fast and silent tempos. The tempo was then rummaged through in order to find the right formula for the Body Tarekat's work graphs, both graphs of individual parts of the work and graphs of the entire work performance.

Reading in depth the relationship of movement in the body practices of the tarekat, the Rapa'i Geleng dance movements, the saman dance, and the Acehnese cultural body, I finally found a pattern of movement methods, namely "grounding". I named this moving method based on the behaviour of the method, namely, standing at one point by emphasizing the body from top to bottom. At first glance, “grounding” is very similar to a body that is vibrating. However, in the grounded movement method, I focus my support on the soles of my feet, with the help of the rise and fall of my chest and knees.

The shoulders, back of the neck, chest, back of the torso and stomach are a series that cannot be separated from "grounding", so that balance in long and stable movement intensity means the body does not get tired easily and can manage breathing patterns more regularly. In essence, the body's behaviour from head to toe moves according to the rhythm of the breath and the rise and fall of the body, as well as the position of the body in a relaxed state (not locking the torso, muscles and hinge joints). 

Most of the "grounded" energy is centred in the crown and some is located in the chest and is then expelled as the body is pushed down. In this experience, a wave of energy will be felt at the very tips of the fingers. In a deeper stage (super focus), we can feel the sound from the back of the neck muscles and the touch of the upper and lower teeth.

In the course of research that has been running for 5 years, I have become increasingly aware that everything in this world is alive and connected through energy vibrations or energy waves. In fact, the human body is also connected to these vibrations. Connect with plants, animals and the universe. For me, ultimately this religious practice is actually also a spiritual practice. The explorations that I do are not only limited to creating a work, but these explorations have become a spiritual practice for me. Body Tarekat is my spiritual practice in understanding the body, archiving the body and tracing the body design of Acehnese culture.