Bersuku-suku Manusia

"Hai manusia, sesungguhnya Kami menciptakan kamu dari seorang laki-laki dan seorang perempuan dan menjadikan kamu berbangsa-bangsa dan bersuku-suku supaya kamu saling kenal-mengenal. Sesungguhnya orang yang paling mulia diantara kamu disisi Allah ialah orang yang paling takwa diantara kamu. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui lagi Maha Mengenal." (QS Al Hujuurat: 13)


Jumat, 11 Januari, lalu saya mencoba mengikuti shalat Jumat di Masjid Aqsa, Harlem. Ya, di Harlem! Tempat yang selama ini cukup saya hindari mengingat areanya yang konon kurang "bersahabat". Terlebih, pengalaman dicegat orang mabuk waktu di Simpson Street, South Bronx, cukup traumatis juga. 

Tapi berhubung masih dalam semangat tahun baru (resolusi untuk keluar dari area zona nyaman), rasa penasaran membuat saya berani melewati area Morningside Park, dari Columbia University ke Lexington Avenue di East Harlem. Saya mengetahui adanya masjid Aqsa ini dari aplikasi zabihah.com, sebuah situs database tempat makan halal serta lokasi masjid dan sekolah Islam. Berbekal google maps, saya cari penunjuk arah ke masjid ini.

Lokasi Masjid Aqsa ini lumayan gampang dicari. Ada di Lexington Avenue dan 116th street. Tulisan Masjid Aqsa terpampang dengan sangat jelas. Pada hari Jumat, terlihat pula beberapa perempuan berkulit hitam sedang bersiap-siap menjajakan jualannya. Saya lihat ada yang berjualan syal, topi, madu, dan tentunya makanan-makanan.

Seorang "brother" (panggilan akrab sesama muslim yang biasa saya pakai ketika belum mengenal nama) menghampiri saya ketika saya kebingungan bagaimana cara membuka pintu masuk Masjid Aqsa ini. Saya bertanya jam berapa biasanya shalat Jumat di masjid tersebut dimulai. Dia menjawab dengan jelas kalau shalat Jumat biasa dimulai sekitar pukul 12:30. Bahan si "brother" ini menjelaskan pula waktu shalat Ashar dan Maghrib.

Area wudhu Masjid Aqsa ada di bagian basement. Tempat wudhu-nya cukup bersih dan banyak sandal karet tersedia untuk berwudhu. Seorang bapak, kelihatannya pengurus masjid, dengan ramah menganjurkan saya memakai sandal saat berwudhu. "It looks like the floor is clean, but it's not," katanya. Di lantai basement ini terdapat pula tempat shalat. Namun tempat shalat utama, yang menjadi tempat khotib memberikan khutbah, ada di lantai pertama.

Memasuki area masjid, rak sepatu sudah tersedia di dekat pintu dan jajaran tiang lengkap dengan gantungan baju siap menampung jaket musim dingin yang dikenakan para jemaah.

Saya cukup kaget ketika mayoritas, mungkin sampai sembilah puluh persen jemaah, adalah kulit hitam.






Saya memilih tempat di depan. Shaf ke-3 tepatnya.Sebelum memulai shalat sunat, ternyata ada panitia masjid yang sedang membagi-bagikan air mineral botolan untuk jamaah. Impresif!

Selesai shalat sunah, seorang "brother" berkulit hitam lain tampak selesai shalat sunat juga di sebelah saya, kemudian mengulurkan tangan dan berjabat.

"Assalamu'alaikum."

"Wa'alaikumusalaam," jawab saya.

Tak lama, seorang bapak di sebelah kanan saya juga selesai dari shalat sunat, dan kemudian memberi salam dan menjabat tangan juga.

"Kaifal khal?" tanya beliau.

"Alhamdulillah, good. And you?"

"Alhamdulillah." jawabnya singkat. Kemudian beliau berzikir.

Jemaah semakin banyak berdatangan dan masjid bertambah penuh. Mayoritas jamaah, mungkin sampai 90 persen, adalah kulit hitam.

Ketika khatib naik ke mimbar dan mulai membacakan khutbahnya, saya agak terkaget-kaget. Bahasa apa sih itu? Ternyata bahasa Perancis.

Selidik punya selidik (setelah usai Jumatan), mayoritas jamaah di Masjid Aqsa ini adalah imigran dari Pantai Gading. Sebuah negara di benua hitam yang cukup dikenal dengan sepakbolanya dan bekas negara jajahan Perancis.

Untunglah beberapa kata dari khutbah itu mengandung bahasa Arab, jadi cukup bisa mengira-ngira arahnya ke mana. Seusai jeda khutbah, penceramah mengubah khutbahnya dengan bahasa Arab lalu kemudian bahasa Inggris. Inti khutbahnya sama, namun penyampaian dalam bahasa Arab dan bahasa Inggris jauh lebih singkat. 

Shalat Jumat berlangsung khidmat.

Selesai bubar shalat, di luar masjid sudah ada beberapa meja berjualan beraneka macam makanan dikerumuni oleh para jemaah yang baru selesai shalat. Susana yang mengingatkan saya pada Masjid Kampus UGM, Yogyakarta. :) 

Urasenke Chado Tradition

Today, I joined Japan Student Association at School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University to visit Uransenke NYC at the 69th Street Lexington Avenue. With 23 other students, surprisingly that mostly are NON Japanese, I learned and enjoyed a tea ceremony.

The Tea Master explained to us on the history of the ceremony and also the circumstances of the place. Before we entering the ceremony place, the Tea Master told us that the sliding door in front of us is a "magical door" that would bring all together from NYC to Japan. And it's true!

The wooden floor, the tatami, the ikebana, the calligraphy, and of course the two ladies in their kimono have brought my friends and me to another world. The place of the ceremony also has a small garden, giving a peaceful surrounding.

In this tea ceremony, I met with Masa, my classmate in MPA in Development Practice and also Naoko, a second year student who wore Batik that catch my eyes.

The story of the tea ceremony itself is quite long. But, I happily to share with you all as below. I retype from the Uransenke Chado Tradition brochure to minimize my misinterpretation of the Tea Master explanation.

Tea is known to people worldwide, but nowhere has it contributed as much to the cultural milleu as in Japan Here, the preparation and drinking of tea, in a special form called matcha, became the basis for a profound spiritual and aesthetic discipline that has had a pervasive impact on Japanese civilization.

Matcha is powdered green tea blended with hot water. this form of tea was introduced to Japan in twelfth century by Zen monks returning fro study in China. In Zen temples, it was used as a mild stimulant to clear the mind during meditation, was valued as a medicine, and had symbolic ceremonial use. In time, the enjoyment of matcha spread to the ruling and noble classes, who would hold lavish tea functions that featured the displayed and use of Chinese art objects.

From these two disparate uses of matcha, there evolved the idea of tea gatherings acting as distinct mediums for spiritual and aesthetic fulfillment, and this gave rise to creation of rooms designed especially for such gatherings. Important ti this development was the emergence of a unique Zen-inspired aesthetic concept; the appreciation of the subtle, austere beauty that may be discovered in things that seem humble and unassuming.

In the sixteenth century, Sen Rikyu (1522-1591), a man of great creative insight and a leading figure in the cultural and political arenas of his time, realized the quintessence of these ideas in his austere "thatched hut" style of tea, and his rare artistic sense and ideals based on Zen effectively transformed the activity of preparing, serving, and receiving tea into a comprehensive discipline, establishing in the foundations for Chado, the Way of Tea.

The keystones of Sen Rikyu's Chado ideals are expressed in these four words: wa, kei, sei, and jaku. Wa means harmony; the harmony that should exist in human relations, between humans and nature, in the selection of the tea utensils and the manner in which they are used, and all other facets of Chado. Kei means respect. respect is paid to all things and comes from sincere feelings of gratitude for their being. Sei means purity, and implies both worldly and spiritual cleanliness. Lastly, jaku means tranquility - a state of spiritual peace.

Based on these, people who study the discipline of Chado learn to be caring about every element that it involves: its setting, the articles employed, the etiquette exercised, the foods and even the water used. Through their training and study they aim to refine and cultivate themselves as human beings.

In a quiet old neighborhood in Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan, the estate of the Uransenke line of Sen family has stood on ots present site for three and a half centuries. The oldest tearooms were originally built by the third generation of the family, Sen Sotan, Rikyu's grandson.

The complex of tearooms and gardens has been designated an important Cultural Property by the Japanese Government because of its importance in Japanese cultural history and art. This estate, where the spirit of Sen Rikyu abides, is the home of Uransenke, and is the heart of Chado for the millions of people who study and practice Chado as thought by Uransenke around the world. 

Over four centuries have passed since Rikyu's time, but his descendants through the generations have actively carried forth his legacy. Each successive heir to that legacy has also added yo it, so that Chado has remained vital and meaningful. In our modern age, it continues to offer us an effective path for cultural enrichment and self-cultivation, and a timeless formula for sharing a beautiful moment thanks to the agency of tea.