The Baduy Experience of Divinity and its Significance For Ecological Sustainability

Humaidi Humaidi; Akhmad Fatoni; Rasid Rasid; Renjani Nur Ukini; Hestiningtyas Jayantri Heriyanto

doi:10.20414/ujis.v30i1.1174

Humaidi Humaidi UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
Akhmad Fatoni UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
Rasid Rasid
Renjani Nur Ukini UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
Hestiningtyas Jayantri Heriyanto UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v30i1.1174

Keywords: Religious Ecology, Indigenous Knowledge, Divine Experience, Baduy, Sustainability

Abstract

This study examines how the Baduy community’s experience of divinity informs ecological sustainability. It asks how spiritual belief, customary law, and everyday practice shape Baduy modes of conserving nature. The study uses a qualitative fieldwork design supported by library research. Data were collected through systematic observation, in-depth interviews with selected members of the inner and outer Baduy, and local government official in Lebak District, Banten, Indonesia. Informants were selected purposively for their knowledge of Baduy religious practice, customary authority, and environmental management. The data were analyzed through a philosophical phenomenological approach by identifying recurring themes in the informants’ lived experiences and interpreting them in relation to ecotheological perspectives, especially Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s critique of the separation between nature and the sacred. The findings show that Baduy Divine experience is embodied in customary rules, agricultural practices, forest zoning, simplicity, and restraint in the use of natural resources. The article argues that the Baduy case contributes to religious ecology by showing how an indigenous tradition and its interaction with Islamic concepts offer a concrete example of religiously grounded ecological ethics.

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