1. The Beginning of My Spiritual Journey
In 2003, my interest in spirituality and meditation started to develop. Prior to that, I was deeply religious, a devoted Muslim who paid close attention to the ceremonial aspects of my belief. Furthermore, I had a strong inclination toward philosophy and critical thinking.
I became a bookworm to quench my soul’s thirst for knowledge. I purchased 3 to 4 books monthly for several years, growing my collection into the hundreds. However, among the books I completed, the most unforgettable ones were The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, Robbin Sharma’s series of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, and The Book of Mirdad by Michael Naimy.
While reading piles of books had not yet enlightened me, I had acquired a deep understanding of spirituality. Additionally, my familiarity with spiritual and technical terms allowed me to effectively articulate my authentic spiritual experiences at a later time.
Between 2008 and 2013, I dedicated myself tirelessly to practicing tapa brata, a series of self-discipline training aimed at delaying gratification. Fasting and meditating in holy places were among the standard practices of Tapa Brata. To seek enlightenment, I visited numerous sacred sites, including Kanekes Dalam (Banten, West Java), Alas Purwo (Banyuwangi, East Java), and Loksado Forest (South Borneo/Kalimantan). Over five years, my quest for enlightenment led me to approximately 100 holy sites, which incurred significant expenses for these continuous sacred journeys. However, despite all my hard work, I remained unenlightened.
In 2006, I began learning from two spiritual gurus. The first was a mursyid (spiritual guide) of the Syattariyah Tarekat in Cirebon, West Java, and the other was a practitioner of Hikmah. To this day, I maintain a good and friendly relationship with my former gurus, despite our paths diverging. Nevertheless, I deeply appreciate their sincerity in teaching and guiding me.
In addition to the two spiritual gurus mentioned earlier, I had the privilege of learning from eight others. Unfortunately, one of them passed away in 2013 at the age of 47. With my current understanding and vision, I believe that he now resides in the 15th dimension, specifically at the 3rd level of the enlightened dimension.
Due to various reasons, I had to part ways with a few teachers during my spiritual learning journey. One unfortunate example was a teacher who ended up being jailed because of his involvement in a multi-million financial fraud, with his own students as victims. Adding insult to injury, another teacher, whom I once considered a brother, accused me of stealing his money. However, his loyal followers, feeling deceived, criticized him for misusing their funds. Furthermore, I decided to distance myself from another teacher as I gradually realized that he heavily relied on satanic and other low-vibrational supernatural entities to impress his students. While initially giving him the benefit of the doubt, he eventually revealed his true nature, exposing my own naivety.
Drawing from my unfortunate experience in early 2016, I made an angry vow, declaring that I would never again seek guidance from another human being. I believed that if the universe truly intended for me to attain enlightenment, it would directly impart knowledge to me.
However, despite my extensive spiritual knowledge, my daily life remained tumultuous, signaling that something was lacking. There were moments when I felt powerless and filled with despair. In essence, I had failed to discover perennial peace and unconditional happiness.
My oath was the light at the end of the tunnel. I started becoming more aware of reality and understanding my talents deeply. The road was still rocky. Yet, with all its peaks and valleys, I began to grow and move forward spiritually. I also concentrated more on a few inspiring activities, such as writing and publishing many best-selling books. In 2016, I finished writing Medseba, and in 2017, I launched Suwung. In 2018, I brought Sastrajendra to completion, and in 2019, Sangkan Paraning Dumadi was born. I was sure to walk on this spiritual path continuously.
