A little article about my Cimande Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin

(Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin refining Sifu Alex Kozma)

Traditional Pencak Silat Cimande Girang Walisongo

Introduction

With over 1.800 different styles of Pencak Silat throughout the islands of Indonesia, you can imagine that no two styles of Pencak Silat look exactly alike, however all these share common fundamental laws and principles. Each style depicts the area of origin and its' ethnic group with their own characteristics The word pencak is originally from Java and it refers to the martial arts of that area. Penca, without the k is the original spelling of the Sunda language. In fact, the old masters from Tari Kolot Cimande call their art "Penca", "Ameng" or "Ulin", "Penca (Aliran) Cimande", "Ameng Cimande", or "Ulin Cimande" Pencak with the k , comes from Bahasa Indonesia, the national language of Indonesia and refers to the movement or beauty of the martial arts. The word Silat comes from the areas of Sumatra, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and others. Silat refers to the actual fighting and its origins with the famed walisongo mystical teachings S = syariat I= ibadah L= laku A= aqidah T= tariqat. Or commonly known as silat The (composed) term "Pencak Silat" is of quite recent origin, it was officialised in 1973 by the IPSI, and had been growing in use since about the late 1940ies..As there are numerous styles of silat here in the west being propagated by their western disciples , whom have kindly imparted their opinions and interpretations of this obscure martial arts majority of the time leading to confusion due to lack of appreciation of the cultural dimensions of the art and much personal ego! Therefore it gives me great pleasure to introduce a true native master of real traditional silat cimande whom hails from the island of java a native in particular of west java (sunda), which has a very rich martial heritage termed as pusaka / karahun by the sundanese. The beautiful rice fields, tea plantations and rubber tree crops are the result the rich earth that is surrounded by volcanoes making West Java beautiful and colorful in the scenery, culture and the arts. The West Javanese people, otherwise known as the Sunda people, are easy going and happy and very martial by nature having a rich martial tradition. In West Java you can see Pencak Silat routinely performed in village ceremonies. It is commonly seen at weddings, celebrations of the rice harvest and circumcisions. It is especially important to perform Pencak Silat at circumcisions because it is believed when a boy is circumcised he changes from a boy to a man. Pencak Silat was a reflection of his manhood and it also helped divert his concentration from the pain of the procedure. In Indonesia, Pencak Silat was originally taught as a secretive art to the family and to members of the village. Now there is a modern version of Pencak Silat which caters to the public. It is taught in the school systems starting in elementary schools and continuing throughout the colleges and universities.

There are very few teachers here in the west that can transmit true and real traditional pencak silat in its entirety and pure original form with an emphasis on a holistic approach of training mind body and soul in harmonious way into a balanced entity. Which brings us to the introduction of Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin whom is a renowned and infamous master teacher of the highest caliber from the Cimande silat tradition. He was born and raised within the heartlands of west java in the port city of Banten.in Java their was 2 main historical spots for Cimande "Banten area" and "Tari Kalot area".In Banten, Cimande is a very famous style, a lot of people is practising it. Banten is also famous for alot of 'ilmu batin' (ilmu means science, knowledge) and the performances of this silat is traditionally called debus which is basically a show of invincibility and invulnerability. People walk on fire, climb ladders of sharp swords and so on. Historically debus was used by the Wali's to get people attracted to Islam by demonstrating the magical powers of the spirit most of the traditional Schools from Banten the Debus are connected to the Pencak Silat schools some are doing Debus some not but they are going together during demonstrations, celebrations...Once the capital of the empire Banten now Banten is a small town at the north western coast of Java. At this point the Dutch and the English first landed on Java and were held struggles and trade. There are still many places in Banten which remind to the colonial time.The main site in Banten is the Mesjid Agung. This mosque was built in 1559 by the son of Sultan Hassanudin and is the major sight in Banten. In opposite of the mosque are the remains of the royal palace Surosowan which was built by the Dutch Muslim Hendrik Lucas Cardil and destroyed by the son of the son of the sultan. Later the Sultan Agung rebuilt the kraton but it was destroyed again by the Dutch in 1832.On the road to Serang close to the Surosowan is the Kaibon Palace which is now partly restored. North West of the mosque are the ruins of the fort Speelwijk. This fort was built by the Dutch in 1682 and overlooks the see. Close to the fort is the old Chinese temple Klenteng. This 200 years old temple is now completely renovated and still in use.

Sunan Gunungjati (walisongo) was the founder of Cirebon. He married the sister of Sultan Trenggono of Demak, and led military expeditions for Demak against Banten As "Fatahillah" he defeated the Portuguese when they tried to take Sunda Kelapa (now Jakarta) in 1527.Some stories have Sunan Gunungjati active around the 1470s and 1480s, under the name "Hidayatullah", other stories have him active around the 1520s, and associate him with the name "Fatahillah". In the 1480s he would have been the grandson of the king of Pajajaran; in the late 1520s he would have fought the Portuguese near what is today Jakarta. he passed away in 1568, by which time he would have been as old as 120 years Banten's founder and first ruler, posthumously known as Maulana Makhdum or Sunan Gunung Jati, is considered as one of the nine saints of Java; he and his first three successors, Hasanuddin, Yusup and Muhammad, are given the religious-sounding title of Maulana (commonly used for very learned or saintly ulama) before their names. This seems to indicate that these early rulers were saints or had the possession of (esoteric) Islamic knowledge and powers (ngèlmu) and are associated with the martial arts and the world of the jawara, the strongmen dominating much of rural Banten. Debus, the cultivation of invulnerability to fire and sharp metal objects, is the most conspicuous representative of these techniques. Their techniques are an eclectic blend of Muslim spirituality and mysticism, their sacred formulas including Islamic Arabic invocations alongside Javanese and Sundanese formulas (jampé for healing purposes, jangjawokan for martial prowess, invulnerability. The central element in debus, "playing" with pointed iron skewers that are violently thrust against the body, There is one striking difference between debus Banten and of the Middle East and India: in Banten the skewers, however violently thrust or hammered, do not pierce the skin, whereas elsewhere the miracle consists in their passing through the body without causing any harm. The emphasis in Banten (as elsewhere in Indonesia where similar techniques exist) is on invulnerability, not on indifference to pain, and this is explicitly related to warfare and the martial arts. (An accomplished debus practitioner is also believed to be bullet-proof). Debus techniques were part and parcel of the martial arts arsenal of the jawara, along with other magical (or psychological) techniques for such purposes as invisibility, hitting an adversary from a distance. Tarekat-related techniques are only one part of debus, and debus teachers are not necessarily, also tarekat shaikhs. Some of them lead tarekat-type communal devotions but none is an authenticated tarekat khalîfa. Others are primarily martial arts teachers and are not acquainted with dhikrs and râtibs at all. Even the Islamic formulas used, in order to be effective, have to be "filled" or "bought" by fasting, bathing with water of sacred springs such as the Sumur Tujuh on the slopes of Mt Karang, and various other ascetic exercises. Identical results may, incidentally, be achieved by different means: one may recite a formula (that has been "bought" in advance), wear an amulet (that has similarly been "filled"), or temporarily "borrow" some of his master's powers (that are transferred by means of a jiad, a "blessing formula").

Maulana Sultan Hassanudin Walisongo

Sunan Gunung Jati, took his son, Maulana Hasanuddin, on a miraculous journey to Mecca to perform the hajj. After performing the rites of the pilgrimage they go on to Medina to pay their respects to the Prophet's shrine, and it is here that Maulana Hasanuddin receives an initiation in the Naqshbandiyya tarekat.Sultan Hasanuddin before controlling this Banten area did tapa in places that uptil now it was considered as the cosmic centre in Banten, namely the Pulosari Mountain, the Coral Mountain and the Panaitan Island before him departed for Mekkah to do the pilgrim's religious duties. Sultan Hasanuddin was taught the Knowledge of the Sufis, Perfect Knowledge. He made the vow of allegiance to his shaikh (bai`at), was given the silsila and the litanies (wird) of the Naqshbandiyya, received formal instruction (talqîn) in its dhikr and other spiritual exercises (sughul, Arabic shughl, "work"), and finally received the Sufi cloak (khirqa), symbolising his embarking upon the Sufi path. one can only receive instruction in these practices (talqîn) from an authorised teacher of the tarekat, and only after pledging a vow of obedience (bai`at) to this shaikh. The shaikh gives his disciples permission (ijâza) to practice the tarekat; he may also authorise one or more of them to teach it to others, i.e. appoint them as his khalîfa. In this way a hierarchically ordered network of teachers may emerge. Each shaikh can show a chain of authorities for the tarekat he teaches, his silsila or spiritual genealogy. Usually the silsila reaches back from one's own teacher up to the Prophet, with whom all tarekats claim to have originated although there have been modifications along the way. A Sufi's silsila is his badge of identity and source of legitimation; it provides him with a list of illustrious predecessors and shows how he is related to other Sufis.The Naqshbandiyya was known, and enjoyed prestige, in Banten court circles. The association with Medina rather than Mecca is correct, and gives a cue as to when the Naqshbandiyya became known in Banten. In the 17th century, Medina was a major centre for this brotherhood. Maulana Hasanuddin's affiliation with it is therefore honorable, serving to strengthen the religious foundation of his dynasty. The tarekat appears here as a form of secret mystical Knowledge (and probably a source of power, kasektèn) possessed, by the ruling dynasty.

Bantenese and tari kolot tradition, , maintains and considers Maulana Hasanuddin, not his father Sunan Gunung Jati, as Banten's first Muslim ruler and founder of Pencak Silat Cimande Girang.. Present practitioners of the invulnerability technique debus, , also claim that their secret knowledge derives from Maulana Hasanuddin,the founder of not only Pencak Silat Cimande and Debus but also Banten's Royal dynasty. Debus is just one instance of tarekat-related techniques being transposed to a different context of meaning and put to a different set of purposes; one may find numerous other instances in Indonesia The fame of Banten's spirituality has made some of the debus teachers and practitioners also popular as healers, called upon to set broken bones or to massage away physical pain but especially to cure diseases or other complaints believed to be caused by magic or evil spirits.

Guru Besar Haji Dumyati(past) and Guru Besar Haji Aos Suganda(present) Grandmasters

Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin his family has a sound lineage/genealogy and a healthy appreciation practice and mastery of original walisongo silat and traditional healing arts which he chose over debus practice . his grandparents having being respected masters and veterans of the oldest silat of west java the most honored and reputed pencak silat cimande tari kolot girang pusaka karahun walisongo , his grandmother specialized in the rare gynecological healing aspects of silat cimande , whom was highly respected for her high level of skill and very much adored for her compassion. This rich tradition of practice and mastery of silat and its related healing arts and esoteric mystical traditions within his family inspired and motivated Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin at that time in his youth with the advise and blessings of his family to seek out the then Guru besar in Tari kolot in Cimande village to further refine his studies and broaden his horizons and acquire a true understanding of his family pusaka karahun heritage. As for the meaning of "Tari Kolot": The word "tari" in Sundanese has a different meaning than in Bahasa Indonesia - in Sundanese it means something like " (vanished) garden", "a place where once a garden was" , the actual meaning of "Tari Kolot" is something like "old (vanished) garden". Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin was very blessed and extremely fortunate to have met and been accepted as a closed door disciple of the late Guru Besar (grandmaster) and cimande village elder Haji Dumyati he studied assiduously everyday while leaving with his guru daily for just under a decade until his demise into the devine presence! He then continued and completed his studies of original silat cimande under the current de facto Guru besar Haji Aos Suganda the late grandmasters son as per the late grandmasters wish this humble attitude and sincere practice Resulted in him a profound realizations and complete holistic understanding and comprehension of the truths inherent in true silat cimande and the refinement of both the combative and healing / spiritual dimensions and other aspects of this noble art, and attained his khatam in the art after almost nearly 3 decades of learning , this highlights the fact to readers and prospective students to remain cautious of others whom state otherwise that in essence learning true silat can take a lifetime and not just a matter of weeks or months as some have stated and claimed regardless of there talent or quick learning abilities of those whom claim to have done so it would seem logically and practically impossible and improbable.!

The names of the Pencak Silat styles come from various sources such as the name of the village it originated from or the name of the founder or creator of the system. Most villages in West Java start with "Ci" Ci means pointing to a particular village or Chi which can mean water. This is why many of the rivers start with Ci.Cimande is the name of a village, a river and a style of Pencak Silat in West Java and mande is a agricultural tool for collecting and raising water.also Cimande has simple but very effective jurus and applications. The Cimande style is found in three different aliran (streams) CimThe word Cimande (not Chi-Mande, also tjimande is an old Spell, now we use Cimande) comes from Ci and Mande. Ci comes from word "cai" (cai is Sundanese, means water... because West Java is rich of water source and river) and mande is tiger. Cimande means water that tiger always come to drink. In Sundanese, it is normal named a place after a water ("cai"), like cikalong, ("kalong" = bat) which means the water where in the three round the river have many bat. Cimanuk, ("manuk" = bird) which means a river that has many birds, etc.ande Girang, Cimande Tengah consisting of 50% spiritual and 50% physical training and considered a mid mountain system and Cimande Hilir with emphasis on ilmu gerak badan which is completely physical considered a lower basin / mountain system, which is mostly mixed with other sundanese silatl. British martial artist are fortunate That the Cimande syllabus taught by Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin is the rare Girang upper mountain system which is the mother system with its emphasis mostly on the spiritual , Mountain referred to is the one joined and over looking the sacred cimande river , this particular and very unique style also takes its inspiration from the observation of nature, ritual prayer and from the sacred river( It is considered sacred because of the fact that a prominent spiritual saint visited and resided within the area for quite some time whom is considered to be the actual founder of cimande silat his body is buried in a tomb in banten) with its constant flow of currents resembling the flow of water in religious ablutions and the flow of water within the human body which is composed of 70 % water , this rare and ancient system remains true to its holy origins being the original pure and unadulterated form as handed down from Sultan hassanudin the famous saint and founder of the style , it is known as the infamous Girang style. As it is a misnomer that the founder of Cimande was Abah Kahir as some ignorant practioners with incomplete training and knowledge have claimed so . To those who truly know and have been privy to its history will tell you that abah kahir was only one of its later teachers that popularized the sacred system Not its founder. This Silat Cimande is unlike any existing styles of Silat of today. The workout of this Silat involving a spiritual and inner meditative respitory practice will assist in overcoming any exhaustion. This is termed as ‘Isim Silat’. It is important to practice and experience these breathing and meditative techniques in the natural surrounding, preferably in the jungle, where, there are gorges, cliffs, rivers or waterfalls so that you can sit somewhere on rock and meditate. This meditation is to initiate your inner-self with Mother Nature; to listen to the water flows; the chanting of birds, sound of insects and whispers of the wind. Full concentration and total involvement with this surroundings will assist the Silat exponent to feel himself as part of Mother Nature; and hence to develop his total perception. Words can hardly express adequately the philosophy of this martial art as its origins are shrouded in mystery. Cimande elements seem to have mixed into almost every Javanese style.

Originally, Cimande was using long distance fighting techniques, i.e. the fighter would stand within a distance of a few feet from the opponent, which will make it possible for the fighter to dodge opponent's attack. The distance also makes it dominant for counter attacks. In launching attacks, every fighter (pesilat) should always pay close attention to position of feet or stance and keep a certain distance from the opponent. The use of Kuda-kuda pipih can easily be adjusted/increased in speed or frequency, as one can expect an opponent to strike with a fast punch or kick within a distance. Therefore one need to adjust one's own speed in order to level with the opponent. The girang cimande system is one of the most feared and respected styles of silat. In this system the adept hunts for the arms and limbs and will first attack the attacking limb to disable the opponent and to make the attackers offensive tactics obsolete. An attack to the arms means breaking anything from his fingers to his shoulders. Developing the arms takes and requires years of patient practice in complex but sophisticated cimande 2 man hand/arms drills along with secret massage and application of herbal treatment called balur to toughen the limbs. Cimande has been the most influential alrian in west java and is not only considered to be of pure sundanese endeavor without any external influences but also the eldest /original silat of the sunda people. Its influence is extensive, the majority of perguruan found today trace some link be it technical, philosophical or historical to silat cimande. As in tarikolot cimande in its pure original form and taught the way since its inception , uninfluenced by modern innovations and as such that we are most blessed and fortunate as the public to have such a positve esoteric martial art disseminated and propagated into the uk public for its general welfare courtesy of Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin a true gentleman a master teacher and his closed door disciples loyal and hardworking senior experienced martial artists , the famed martial arts extraordinaire and walking encyclopedia of the martial arts and founder of the British Silat Federation British born uk chief instructor Mr Nicholoas Blanchette and the infamous Mr Simon Das .

Silat is a traditional Malay martial art born of a variety of influences, generally accepted to be five: physical genetics, spiritual genetics, nutrition, natural environment and social education (customary or religious). In order to understand what a particular silat IS, you will have to look into the varying degrees to which these elements have played a role in its development. A teacher who is a liar will never create a silat that will fall in line with Islam. But because silat was once known for being a vehicle to inculcate Islamic values, it has created a consensus amongst masters that silat is inherently Islamic. Therefore, a silat based on kufur cannot be called silat. But if you mean that in Islam, martial arts are tolerated and promoted as a method of preserving the kulliyat of Islam, then, I would say that silat is the answer for this aspect of religion. The "Islam is not silat but Silat is Islam" statement is close to this in meaning, but confuses, especially those who have no background in Islamic studies. Maybe it is better to say that Islam is not silat, but promotes its study to achieve a higher goal. silat is about finding the good in oneself and his relationships with himself, his environment, his circles and with Allah and straying from the bad of these.

As is true in the law of opposites, the wayang must indeed act in accordance to will of his Dalang, for only the will and power of the dalang exist. All else is his knowledge cast into shadow. Pesilat practicing there forms often try and reflect on the meaning of form in its greater context. Of course we all know 'Kick', 'punch' 'block' etc within our forms just like every one of our sentences that we speak. All sentences are made up of familiar words. Similarly when one reads poetry, many of the words are clear and obvious, yet the meaning is often hidden in that which is most obvious. Every move that we make is a word, for every action has a name. This world being the realm of action, must indeed by like a book. In this Causal world every effect must have its cause. Letters and words do not exist by themselves; everything is in relationship with another. If every reaction is linked to its action and all words make sentences, then all that a persilat sees before him must be poetry or a story being narrated to him. Harmony is the balance of the yin and yang, that which connects and balances the two opposite forces. Only through harmony can opposing forces be balanced. it is the unity of the opposing forces that bring the balance, for one cannot exist without the other. One can only understand the meaning of the words, when one reads the sentence as a whole. And every sentence must have its point. Balance is much like unity, in its opposing poles; it finds a common point to unite. That point is unique, as balance cannot be shared by 2 points, and it can only be balanced if it accepts the whole as one. We are the authors of every sentence that we write and move that we make, yet the world all around us is a book written of which we are contained within. Every chapter stands alone and in opposition in its disunity, yet as the yin and yang it is accepted as a whole in its unity. Everything has a name, so everything is a word. Words are used to write books. So if the world is a book then who is its author? When a pesilatan moves in his form, all he can do is try and understand the poem of his master. All his success or failings is within his will and power. It is his knowledge that give him harmony.

It is almost mandatory for other schools to pay some kind of symbolic homage to this particular aliran girang silat cimande. The gurus of the girang system have a healthy appreciation of the other two alirans stating with pride that all 3 aliran have the same roots , however they are far more selective in choosing prospective students , even more difficult is actually acquiring a master / guru of this rare and much sort after system.. Then it is much harder to keep then to get as the highest caliber of moral conduct and self discipline is obligatory at all times. If accepted as a student S/he is not only instilled with offensive and defensive capabilities of the highest level of mastery and bringing about a state of balance to harmonize with their surroundings and nature but also as Inevitably silat cimande girang is related to Malay herbal/ spiritual medicine , correct body alignment through proper breathing techniques meditation and spiritual quest in a mystical and religious sense, an art of essence, esoteric, artistry and healthy appreciation love and respect for mother nature! The way this ancient art is transmitted also is a blessing and fascination for its adepts! The aspirants reflect the attributes of the sacred river cimande itself as it is hereditary in which it shows the notion of life and the livening as its forever flowing, it helps the adepts to maintain calm yet sharp and alive in analyzing difficult situations. It is important for the disciple to harmonize with Mother Nature, as the girang system being the mystical art being holy and pure, is made purposefully for ones life and for nature itself. The disciples are further taught to assess the negative characteristics they may possess! They assist the adept to recognize the artificial self (ego) that he has acquired.It is important itself that in Cimande Silat, strong emphasis on spiritual training is of great importance a discipline to control, develop and improving one’s spirit and character. Now, returning to the previously mentioned ‘Isim Silat’, it is claimed that through the subtle knowledge which underlies Silat movements known as the force of ‘Kebatinan’ are harmonized not only in the nervous and circulatory systems but in the finer system of the mind and soul. Breathing techniques, which is fundamental to the proper functioning of the body movement is said to benefit the vital energy, the nervous system, the blood circulation, thereby, creating a balance physical and psychological state of mind. This follows with the notion that Silat is to fulfill the herbal medicine belief for the natural healing source of curing and maintaining healthy body-alignment

Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin Cimande Girang Walisongo

Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin the wondering dervish Cimande teacher from West Java recently resident in the UK is renowned and highly respected the world over as a miraculous healer of extraordinary abilities , having healed all forms of ailments and diseases from peoples off all walks of life from your average laypersons to aristocrats and heads of states, devoting his whole life to healing and serving others in his own unique and humble way may Allah sanctify his secret. He does shin and forearm conditioning using balur. He prays and hits worthy and successful students to the bone (traditionally with black sugarcane) and bruises you all along the shin and forearm then rubs in the balur (which means stuff to spread over and rub in not necessarily the Cimande ointment) and after several very painful sessions the bruising stops and the pain goes. Sore but effective for getting hard shins knees elbows and arms.

His balur is home-made in Cimande village and pops when the bottle is opened and amongst other things the ingredients are a certain type of sugar-cane and earth worms. Some other ingredients of Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin balur apart from earth worms and sugarcane are banana trunk and turmeric. I suppose the original recipe was created through inspiration and different families in Cimande have different recepies. Even now people say that it is not only the ingredients that make it work, rather it is the prayers and the fasting put into it. The dzikir and prayers of the maker does have effect on the quality of the balur. One finds the confirmation of the traditions of the elders in 'real' science in this case very interesting and such a blessing!Cimande has a reputation throughout Indonesia for healing bones. They use special oil called "balur" for the purpose of healing the bones. Balur is often used after training to heal injuries incurred to the bones of the forearms. Cimande is highly respected for both its bone healing and it's Pencak Silat Cimande by nature had a lethal and devastating arms conditioning and strikes. People just couldn't match the awesome striking with the arms and hands that Cimande had.

Among martial-artists of Pencak Silat in Java, Indonesia, the Cimande oil is quite famed for its power of invulnerability and its ability to assist the healing of broken bones, bruises, wounds, muscle-pull, twisted ligaments, etc. The physical formula and appearance of the Cimande oil may vary from one producer to another, but the power permeating them as empowered by these producers are not the same. Some of the ingredients of the Cimande oil are scarce and not easily obtainable, therefore occasionally, the producers of the Cimande oils have to make do with what is available and use the best substitutes--this also contributes to the different appearances from one stock to another even by the same producer. There are many of these Cimande oils sold in traditional markets but not all are genuine--most have been diluted by their resellers to make more profit, so one has to exercise caution when purchasing them. The reseller's practice of cutting the oils is looked upon with a great amount of irritation by their producers. There are basically two types of Cimande oils--although more are said to exist. These two types of oils may have various appearances, and often, even resembling; however, they are to be differentiated by their purposes and not their looks. The first type is the regular Cimande "balur" oils used for massages, for healing bruises and minor injury cases. The second type helps to heal broken-bones and applied for major muscle injury. It also builds-up invulnerability against sharp-weapons and punches in the user. Some Cimande-oils may be ingested for healing the organs. Cimande-oils may have strong sweet-sourish odors depending on the ingredients used.

The Cimande-oil is highly praised by those involved in martial-arts and contact-sports. The specific ingredients of the oil and the process by which it is made are the possession of a number of families in Cimande and are a closely guarded secret. the history of Cimande oil is that it was for treating the wounds or broken bones of students or opponents who suffered injuries in fight The special healing and strengthening qualities of the oil are then ‘activated’ by the recital of mantra unique to the family concerned. The oil in itself is not unusual, it is the mantra that brings it to life Balur Cimande or Balur Silat is a liniment traditionally used in the heavy forearm and shin conditioning of Cimande. It contains different herbs in a coconut oil base prepared in a process that takes about two months and several steps. The herbs contain adaptogenics, antiseptics, analgesics, anticoagulants and a number of other things. It's like Dit Da Jow but an awful lot better and, when used properly, breaks up bruises, even very deep ones. Its main claim to fame is increasing bone density. Impact and conditioning will do that, but the Balur definitely speeds up and deepens the effect.The tradition of healing in cimande is interwoven with pencak silat. The techniques used for massaging broken bones are drawn directly from the jurus of cimande pencak silat. Training instills an understanding of human anatomy and a sensitivity towards how the body works , as well as what hurts . unlike conventional methods that seel to imobilise the damaged bone , it is vigorously massaged. After this painfull experience balur is applied , then the limb is bandaged and splinted. The oil absorbs easily into the skin and is believed to saturate the bones , strengthening them, and making the arms both resilient to blows and extremely slippery . the result is that the arms become impervious to pain , and it is believed that it becomes impossible for an opponent to grasp or hold them.

To attune totally to the environment, knowledge of natural science is an important area of study such as herbs medication and body massage. This also emphasizes physical conditioning as a must and the practice executed with speed, agility, power, flexibility, endurance, timing and body coordination. These aspects are however related and incorporated with the inner and spiritual meditative practice which not only enhance physically and mentally but also exalt the Silat exponent to be alert in concentration yet relaxed wisely at the same time. Cimande also assimilates the use of natural herbs for health and medication, proper balance in nutrition and sufficient rest. But the foremost understanding in the fundamental of Silat is being a Mother Nature lover of the Sundanese cultural and spiritual / religious values. A Cimande practitioner should not become a slave to fixed system of stiles and to feel that style is the ultimate form of combative art. The truth is that it will deffinatly leads to clogginess and stagnant system of styles, a system which does not blend with the natural environment, the style without a state of the art.

Cimande girang teaches you far beyond martial arts aspects, it lets you appreciate life, its principles and its concepts are civilized disciplined and humane. This Silat embrace certain concepts which are totally different from most of the other oriental martial arts. It is more than just a martial art; it involves the mastering of the physical and well-coordinated body movements depicting the artistry of the surrounding nature witch is also complimented by the distinctive cultural music and traditional dance movements. Hence, this silat can be considered as the most fascinating, elegant, graceful and the most esoteric of all the martial arts that exist today. It is essential for those who whish to be the disciples of this Silat to possess artistic qualities because the Silat’s ceremonial costume and accoutrements alone mirror its distinctive features.Cimande Silat movements are generally supple and intricate, and it has soft, gentle, flexible fluidity in contrast to its lethal and deadly offence and defense postures. It involves controlled breathing, health discipline and also the involvement of inner or spiritual and also meditative undertakings. These aspects are derived from the natural environment the true and real Sundanese Pendekars resides in, that is usually surrounded by exotic landscapes of hills and mountains; of rivers and waterfalls; of Coral Sea and palm beaches; of the flora and fauna in the dense tropical jungles were varieties species of wildlife can be found.

Jurus Kelid Cimande ( dodging techniques) :

jurus (moves) of Cimande is devided into : 33 Kelid (dodging)duduk (sitting) and berdin(standing) Cimande, 17 Pepedangan ( wepons ) Cimande Kelid and Pepedangan are self defense techniques. We can see that the dodging techniques is stressing on the hands as source of power/strength. These moves are the core moves which is meant for blocking and knocking down of an opponent. In all, the Jurus Kelid looks somewhat unique compared to other styles. This is usually done in pairs by sitting position, two facing each other, with both legs folded. Sparring partners performing strikes and defense in sitting position. Purpose of this training is to develop one's imagination and visualization skills to figure out and decide which stance and moves are proper to be used in a standing position. If hand moves are mastered, the proper stance to use can easily be determined.

The jurus kelid contain the self defense unarmed and against allsorts of bladed weapons techniques of cimande all the jurus are trained in pairs whilst in a seated cross legged position , this evolved from the practice of training after prayers in the dargah . Seated in pairs, students practice alternately attacking and defending, in all jurus contact is made between the forearms in order to condition them. After the students have mastered the jurus duduk sitting and strengthened their forearms, they begin practicing the jurus in conjunction with standing at differing levels of height of stances beridin and step patterns langkahs. Cimande jurus are also inspired from the routines of everyday life as found in traditional sundanese kampongs. Just as natural phenomena are believed to reflect universal laws, so human culture also reflects universal generative principles. As the fundamentals and principles of cimande jurus are contained within the practice of everyday life, instinctively all humans possess cimande techniques and is practiced by everyone unknowingly. As the names of some of the jurus reflect natural everyday body movements ie batekan and guraran etc! The ability to look after oneself is given by god to every creature, whereas martial arts is a creation of humans ordained by Allah.

This pure form of cimande does not contain any animal forms and oral tradition holds that its founder Sultan hassanudin created the jurus after he performed night prayers tahajud ascetism and and isitikarah to seek guidance from god ,he received inspiration to develop jurus entirely based on Alif and Lam characters of the Wholly Arabic alphabet. According to sufi perspective the quran is directly associated with the human body and expresses all the possible correspondences between micro and macro cosmos. The movements act as a mystic vocabulary, by moving in a manner that reflects the divine word as it is ultimately only Allah who moves us – usik malik anging allah nu marengkeun. Cimande silat is not choreographed techniques but they include esthetic. Its more techniques made from learning the body and all his possibilities in attack or defense .cimande is the human style in silat when many others are animal’s styles. cimande is a strictly Human style. Silat cimande is not strictly physical because it has been made with the philosophy of Islam. Any moves and steps have been made by the help of the quran and its mystic’s saints. We are Humans and not animals so we move like humans and not like animals. You can reproduce the jump of a tiger but you will never jump like it does, you can move like a bat but you will never fly, you can act like a monkey but you still have different moves than them because your bodies have been made differently by the creator. A human style, like cimande has been created and made with the proper moves of humans and divine inspiration. No animals can walk like us or move the body like we can. Original Cimande Silat is not merely of fixed and conventional styles dipicted from the wild animals way of fighting but it is developed in such a manner, as to overcome the attacks of wild animals namely tigers, jaguars and even elephants, by implementing divinely inspired movements jurusans.

1. tonjok bareng (simultaneous punch)
2. tonjok saubelah (single punch)
3. kelid selup (dive dodge)
4. timpah seubelah (single strike)
5. timpah serong (side strike)
6. timpah duakali (double strike)
7. batekan
8. teke tampa
9. teke purilit
10. tewekan
11. kedutan
12. guaran
13. kedut guar
14. kelid dibeulah
15. selup dibeulah
16. kelid tonjok (dodge & punch)
17. selop tonjok
18. kelid tilu
19. selup tilu
20. kelid lima
21. selup lima
22. peuncitan
23. timpah bohong (mock strike)
24. serong panggul
25. serong guwil
26. serong guar
27. singgul serong
28. singgul sebelah
29. sabet pedang
30. beulit kacang
31. beulit jalak pengkor
32. pakala alit
33. pakala gede

Tonjok forming fist
Teke using fingers
Tewekan finger tips thrusting flat
Kedutan hand palm
Guaran using outer or inner side of hand
Singgulan using wrist

In the finals refinements of Cimande the art of pinpoint precision striking was developed to a very high degree. Even in the Juru’s of Cimande deal with knife defences and that deal with knife attacks. The concept is simple but brilliant! juru’s come into play that teach knife offences. Both forward and reverse grips are utilizes. A person who is confident and assumes the Cimande on guard knife position is less likely to even be attack than most other ready positions. In relation to a knife attack. when you are one with God, God is one with you, and that is the ultimate protection. This condition of being one with God is ultimately what the silat practitioner aims to achieve. Then (s)he has boundless energy as (s)he is one with the energy that makes the universe exist. According to the contemporary definition of pencak silat the art must have a spiritual aspect. Without God it can't be silat. silat is about winning fights but remember the ideal is to to win without humiliating (putting down). There are different levels of winning a fight using silat the highest being without a fight and your opponent becomes enlightened like the way Muhammad SAW conquered Makkah. The highest level of true knowledge is of bringing to life not of killing. One might fight once, twice, a hundred times in one's life but most of the time one is breathing, eating, sleeping, working, making love, praying and just doing simple everyday things. Silat should make you a winner in all these everyday activities not only in fighting a human attacker. Traditional silat aims to survive and ultimately lays everything in God's Hands. Only God and not silat can help you survive an attack with whatever weapon. However God has made available proper silat training in the physical and the spiritual so we should make use of this Blessing.

This original jurus of Cimande Girang may not have the dramatic impact of the other oriental martial arts. It is the development of rhythmic movements and physical fitness, both integral parts of the fighting arts. Cimande encourages discipline and non-violent attitude towards the opponent with effective twisting, holds, locks and fall which enable the practitioner to become supple and free from harmful adhesions. Cimande also teaches the disciple to achieve a state of balance and harmony with nature. Henceforth, understanding fluid body alignment and total awareness of the posture are being developed. In addition to that, emphasis upon intense and intuitive use of senses, the disciple will be able to improve reactions, perception and movement co-ordination. The disciple will learn to use the opponent’s force and power, bringing the opponent into imbalance stances and thus neutralizing the aggressive action. The above descriptions may sound an easy thing to accomplish, but the co-ordination required is much more complex. Cimande is simple when you understand how it is being practice, but obtaining the state of art is initially very difficult, painful and tedious. The extraordinary aspect of this Silat practice lies in its simplicity. Every movement in Cimande Silat is being so of itself, stance, steps and calculated ergonomics poise depending on our body structures and builds. This Silat apprehends the correct form of styles and techniques that are beneficial to the practitioner and towards which he is naturally inclined. The next step is to explore the person’s ability and hence develops his skill effectively, blending the basic Silat movements with suppleness and fluidity. This also makes the practitioner’s body flexible, a contrast from other forms of martial arts which requires muscular bound bodies. That is why it is difficult to identify this Silat exponent which does not by any stretch of the imagination, bring to one’s mind a martial arts exponent

Jurus Pepedangan Cimande (Cimande weapons)

After mastering the jurus buang kelid the next stage of training is the jurus pepedangan . These jurus are a simulation of combat with weapons. This style is stressing on the flexibility of the feet and striking techniques using the Golok and pedang and cane. Rattan cane is used to replace the sword/machete when doing training or mock fight.

1. Ela-ela
2. Ela-ela sabeulah
3. Selup kuriling
4. Selup jagangan
5. Selup tagogan
6. Setup piceunan
7. Balungbang
8. Balungbang sabeulah
9. Serongan
10. Serongan sebeulah
11. Samberan
12. Samberan sabeulah
13. Selup piceunan dua kali
14. Opal likur
15. Selup piceunan dua kali dabeulah
16. Opal likur sbeulah
17. Selup bohong

The pepedangan consists of 1 set of flow of moves, i.e. elakan sebeulah - selup kuriling - jagangan - tagongan - piceunan - balungbang - balumbang - sabeulah - opat likur - buang dua kali - selup kuriling langsung - selop bohong

Real Cimande is a fighting art, in which it usually took place in confined areas such as winding paths of the jungles or within the lanes of the kampungs (villages) in the past. To fully understand the art of fighting in Cimande Silat, one requires patients and understanding of the natural surrounding and environment one must learn to observe the scenery of the mountains and the jungle eco-system with the filing of atmospheric change, enthusiasm and initiation. To have experienced such things, the disciple will understand the existence of Silat in a boarder sense. Indeed, those who have explored the jungles gorges, rivers and mountains will also experience one’s own nature, both physically and emotionally. In the climax of exhaustive exploration, he naturally discovers that all the senses and faculties of fitness, courage and decisiveness will be fully tested. Without such experiences and understanding, Silat loses its primary purpose and as a result, some Silat practitioners of today are deviated from the true path. Therefore, the solution to thr problem requires adjustments and reassessments in the practitioners themselves.

Tepak Selanchar

The "Aliran Cimande" is also very famous because of its art form or "kembangan", which is usually thought of as the root of Sundanese "Penca kembangan". They have a famous "ibing", that is called "Ibing Tepak Salancar Cimande", which is of marvellous beauty to see and hear (together with the "Gendang Penca" music ensemble)In essence within the Girang style as taught by Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Mang Ipin there are within the Pencak Silat Cimande Girang from Tarik Kolot, Cimande village in West Java use the first original dance of Cimande as passed on from Maulana Sultan hassan udin, its originator. 3 Tepak Selancar is a demonstrative art moves (accompanied with pencak drum beats) and not only used for kembangan but also for buka gellangang (to ritually open the school/training area). This style is only performed for the beauty as each move is very artistic and is followed by music in form of pencak drum beats, which includes 2 large drums (indung) and 2 smaller drums (kulantir), which regulates the rhythms. Melody of the trumpet and as small gong (kempul) or bende which accompanies every move should follow the beating of drums. Common standard music titles are: Tepak Dua, Tepak Dungdung, Paleredan, Golempang and Tepak Tilu.

Cimande Silat teaches us is the way of learning to depend on your inner-self for expression, which must not blindly follow the master. Silat Cimande practitioner must have the feeling of independent, self-reliance and not finding security in imitating the style of his Silat Guru. A martial artist who exclusively drills on set styles of movement is losing his freedom of understanding fluid body coordination. This martial artist will actually become a slave to a fixed system of styles that will soon reveal the lacking of dexterity and pliability. True Cimande Silat teaches us how to understand human nature first, then to liberate yourself to the movement of the movement of the suppleness and gracefulness, every movement of this step should never be considered the ultimate truth. The steps are just the basic of understanding form of movements and it is never a final usage in martial art. Silat in itself means Man

Student Candidate and Code of Ethics

All candidates of Cimande students are required to obey and honor certain rules and code of ethics of the school before entering into training. One of the requirements is to go through a series of traditional 7 day fasting from Monday through Thursday..Patalekan Cimande is explained in such a way and repetitively to student candidates in order for them to fully understand and comprehend while their hands are being held by the teacher as symbol for acceptance. The next step is for the teacher to say a prayer, tawasul, and drop a mixture of water and bettelnut (sirih) extract that has been blessed into t the student's eye (peureh), this tradition is called "keceran" and is meant to sharpen the student's eyes. The function of Cimande is basically for spreading Islamic Sufism, and therefore the devotion for God and His apostles while doing all of His commands and avoid the taboos is a must to all Cimande practitioners. Cimande is used for controlling all animal lust and other lust that does not benefit human beings. Cimande is not to be used for controlling (or having superiority against) other human beings. Talek Cimande is basically the spirit of the pencak itself, without Talek Cimande, the pencak is like a corpse without soul which spreads out an unpleasant (rotten) smell. The silsilah is incorporated into the structure of training in cimande , the prayer amalan tasawal serves a dual purpose, it is a way of paying tribute as well as means of seeking the spiritual blessings berkah of past masters . The invocation of their names both authenticates and blesses practices in the present. The oath talek acts as both a contract between guru and disciple , and as a guideline for appropriate behaviour.

Cimande oath (Patalekan Cimande) :

1. Faithful and obedient to God and His apostles
2. Respectful to parents
3. Respectful to teacher and government (ruler)
4. Avoid gambling and stealing
5. Avoid arrogance, boasting or showing off
6. Avoid adultery
7. Avoid lies and deception
8. Avoid drunk and drugs
9. Do not take advantage or abuse fellow creatures of God
10. Do not pluck nor take without permission
11. Avoid envy and hatred
12. Do not avoid paying debts
13. Always be polite, humble and appreciative to other fellow human beings
14. Learning Cimande is not for showing off, boasting or for acting recklessly, but for achieving safety on earth and in heaven.

The true Silat Cimande is not governed by fixed form of styles that distinguishes it from other styles. It is actually a form of self-examination which does not depend upon series of rules or classification of techniques and methods. The core of understanding Silat lies in the individual mind that has been orientated into the Sundanese way of life; cultural, environmental and religious knowledge. Learning traditional Cimande Silat constant process of understanding the history and heritage of the Sundanese culture. Cimande is never a giver of truth. It is only a guide to the truth that the practitioner must discover and explore both internally and externally, until ultimately it is fully integrated into his inner self. It is the truth that transcends styles and discipline. It is the simplicity of the art and the beginning of understanding nature and of our inner-being. Finally Silat Cimande to the practitioner means life, whereby the involvement of spiritual aspect, the chanting of Gods names and ritual prayer for developing closeness to the heart, soul and kinetic art of mind over mater as well as the force of cosmic energy by an intense and intuitive use of the senses to achieve the so-called connection to the heart of divinity or to develop a sixth sense. It is not easy to master Cimande Ilmu Persilatan Silat Cimande Girang. The disciple mast ask God for the answer, let it be the Hindu God, the Muslim God, the Buddhist God, the Christian God, the god of Moses; It is One God for all. Learn the five principles of Silat is Kembangan, buah, isim, bigi and finally batin Silat. Kembangan incorporates patterns and ergonomic applications of the human anatomy, purpusly for health and expressing the artistic movements. The buah is the result of a Kembagan when fertilized; it eventually bears buah and these forms of sequences of Cimande combat techniqes. The Isim is the understanding inner forces by regular and routine breathing techniques meditation and prayer. The Bidji is related to herbs medicine and anatomy for developing internal energy. Lastly the spiritual Batin is the understanding of our existence and relationship with God and faith in true religious knowledge under a true guide and teacher.

In some ways, you might say that Cimande theory is as simple as hit and block. It is a powerful art, with most of the Indonesian men and women family of Cimande hiding from the public what they knew. Even if you were to ask them if they knew pencak silat, they would deny any knowledge of Cimande, or pencak silat in general. Being humble is a big part of being in good standing with the community and being a respectful person in pencak silat. We have no need to prove what we know, because what we know is part of our daily life. If you go to Cimande, you won't find people looking and talking like they know how to fight, but rather like everyday people working together to survive and live ordinary lives. They help one another in the village, sharing their knowledge with their family and neighbors. In terms of its technique and philosophy cimande is defensive and it is strictly forbidden for students to initiate an attack. Cimande is also a physical issue and is in with and supportive of religious teachings but not a substitute to them. Cimande is not only a defense art but it is a total definition of human fulfillment, human essence and human grace. It is a martial art that makes a person fearless. It makes a person forgiving. It makes a person concentrate. Every movement is originated, organized and projected for the parameter in which there is nothing but success. It needs dedication. It needs devotion. It needs time. Real growth in Cimande students comes from real sincere practice. This silat which discloses its true identity is known as the art of the mystical warrior!Cimande Silat Girang as taught by Guru Haji Pak Muhammad Ariffin Mang Ipin and his UK representatives Chikgu Sheikh Abdul Rahman aka Mr Nicholas Blanchette and Mr Simon Das, and other junior assistants is a true way of Silat, with fluid, supple and graceful movements which will lead to the art of the mystical warrior; the Girang Cimande Silat Wallisongo the ultimate achievement of the art of self defense.

****************

Copyrighted Material--supplied by author.