Pesantren Pandanaran

Today I visited Pesantran Pandanaran.  Often “Pesantran” is translated as “Islamic Boarding School.”  The teachers at Pesantran Pandanaran suggest a different translation based on the Sanskrit origins of the word.  “Sandri” is someone who learns the holy books.  A Pesantran is thus a place for those who learn the holy books.

In addition to teaching “the holy books,” Pesantran Pandanaran teaches typical primary and secondary school courses—math, chemistry, English.  The teachers hope to instill values (love, generosity, kindness, justice, equality, the divinity of all) that will allow their students to well negotiate modernity, globalization and the rising fundamentalisms.  They see themselves not as Muslims in Indonesia, but as Indonesian Muslims whose understanding of Islam is informed by the Javanese cultural precepts of balance and harmony.  Pesantran Pandanaran incorporates the mystical practices of Islamic Sufism to engage the heart, as it engages the mind! The school also maintains an inter-religious dialogue with Christians, Hindus and Buddhists.

The Pesantran teachers, Jazilus Sakhok (huge generous), Rustiyadi (guidance) and Noorhabib (light love), hope that some of their students will go on to create new pesantrans tied to this one in lineage.  Education at a good pesantran is one way to address burgeoning Islamic fundamentalism in Indonesia.  We have yet to see how Indonesia will go . . . * 

    
*Indonesia is similar in size and population to the U.S.  It continues to bring the diverse cultures of its many islands together under the umbrella of "Indonesia."