The Javanese Rasa: Sense, psychology, and spirituality

Abstract

Rasa for Javanese people is an important part of daily life. Rasa is the Javanese way of communicating with themselves and with their society. With Rasa, Javanese people develop moral ethics. The theoretical construction method is used in this paper with the basis of old literature and the results of the study of today’s social scientists to build an ideal picture of Rasa’s theory. The main argument of this paper is that there is another model besides ratio used by the Javanese for knowledge, namely Rasa. Rasa for the Javanese is both a tool and a goal. As a tool, Rasa serves to build moral and intellectual integrity, while as a goal Rasa is a meeting between the self and the divine. Rasa as a tool is a psychological study space to build a healthy person using introspection (self-examination) personally and in social relations. As a goal, Rasa is a spiritual space. The formulation of the concept of Rasa psychology in this manuscript is developed from the perspective of Javanese culture, specifically on the thoughts of Suryomentaram. Furthermore, this manuscript opens up great possibilities in the scientific processes of Rasa-based knowledge with relevant research in various other cultures.

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