The people of Cigugur Kuningan village in West Java are known for their tolerance and pluralism. The local people who adhere to Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sunda Wiwitan live in harmony with each other.
”Although living in differences, the people of Cigugur village uphold the customary value highly that teaches tolerance, which is Pikukuh Tilu,” said Bennartho Denys Rapoho, Philosophy students of UGM who researched into the lives of Cigugur people.
Denys and fellow students, Ridwan Cahyo Nugroho and Aldi Dwi Ardyansah, joined a student creativity programme on humanities, starting the research in May 2019 on Pikukuh Tilu of Cigugur Kuningan village which is the philosophy of a multicultural society.
Denys explained Pikukuh Tilu is a guideline for human beings regarding life which is taught through human-to-human, human-to-God, human-to-nature relations. It teaches the philosophy of human lives to be harmonious and balanced.
Such teaching, he said, views reality through essence. Human beings and nature are interpreted as a unity of God’s creations so that these need to be safeguarded for the sake of harmony. Human relations with each other is also interpreted through wholesome human essence that has to be highly respected by the people of Sunda Wiwitan Cigugur as an embodiment of human true identity.
Pikukuh Tilu has three main guidelines, which are ngaji badan, iman kanan tanah, and ngiblating ratu raja 3, 2, 4, 5, lilima 6. The three teachings are an inseparable unity.
“Pikukuh Tilu has run in the family, passing from generation to generation,” he said.
Denys said through big events momentum, such as funerals, weddings, village social services, and gatherings, the local people of Cigugur can strengthen the value of tolerance in their daily lives. Establishing communication in a pluralistic society is the key to a peaceful and harmonious life.