Sanghyang Widhi Wasa, also written Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, is the supreme, singular godhead of Balinese Hinduism. The doctrine draws on the older philosophical concept of Acintya, the inconceivable, and was formally emphasized in the twentieth century as Balinese religious leaders sought official recognition under the Indonesian state's requirement that a recognized religion affirm belief in one supreme god. Under this understanding the many deities and ancestral spirits Balinese Hindus venerate are read as manifestations of this one godhead rather than as independent powers in their own right.
Facts
History
Historical NoteThe formalization of Sanghyang Widhi Wasa as a single supreme godhead dates to Indonesia's twentieth century state religion policy, which required a religion seeking recognition to affirm monotheism; Balinese religious leaders responded by foregrounding this doctrine, already present in older philosophical materials as Acintya, as the tradition's answer to that requirement. 1 Status
Standing as a Comparative CategoryA standard analytic category in the study of religion 1 Doctrinal category (class) Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Source Hinduism in Modern Indonesia: A Minority Religion Between Local, National, and Global Interests (Ramstedt, ed.)Martin Ramstedt (editor)
Sources
1. Hinduism in Modern Indonesia: A Minority Religion Between Local, National, and Global Interests (Ramstedt, ed.)
Martin Ramstedt (editor), RoutledgeCurzon, 2004
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