Extract from the memoirs of Ahmad Boestamam

The late Ahmad Boestamam was considered a freedom fighter by many and a dissident by others. He founded the Parti Rakyat Malaysia which is now part of the Malaysian leading opposition party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

To read more about his life, visit Wikipedia here.

I was not surprised to discover that not only was Ahmad Boestamam a freedom fighter, but a true blue pesilat in the tradition of old. He writes on the spirit of the warrior in his memoirs which reflects the relevance of the traditional to the current. I have translated his writing as best as I can. I invite readers to contribute improvements in meaning and context via the comments form or by emailing me at webmaster[at]silatmelayu.com.

"Mengisi Pengeras dengan Berlari Anak (ms 85)"
"Kalau belajar ilmu dunia-pengasih atau pemanis-setelah tamat ia perlu 'memutus kaji' dengan 'mengisi pengeras' yang ditentukan oleh pak gurunya sendiri. Yang penting dalam pengisian pengeras ini adalah kerelaan dan keizinan guru bagi si murid mengamalkan apa yang dipelajari...

"Belajar ilmu kependekaran atau silat pun begitu juga, pemutus kajinya berupa penghayatan empat perkara: gerak, garit, pandang dan tilik. Gerak adalah langkah yang jelas dan nyata; seperti tangan diayun untuk menumbuk...

"Gerak boleh dipastikan dengan mata kasar. Garit hanya terbayang dalam niat. Belum ada gerak, tapi sudah ada tandanya. Tarik hembus nafas sudah boleh membayangkan garit. Demikian juga kelipan mata. Garit dilihat dengan mata batin yang disebut tilik atau 'pandangan dengan makrifat'.

"'Pemati langkah' dalam silat perlu untuk menyambut serangan lawan. Tumbuk lawan harus ditepiskan, tetapi , tepisan perlu bersifat 'sentuhan' yang mematikan. Soalnya, bagaimana mematikan serangan lawan?

"Kalau lawan datang dari depan, kita dapat pastikan geraknya dengan pandangan mata kasar. Tetapi bagaimana kalau musuh 'mencida' atau memukul curi dari belakang? Serangan lawan begini perlu 'dijawab' dengan sambutan makrifat dan seterusnya dimatikan dengan sentuhan makrifatnya."

Sourced from http://themalaypress.blogspot.com/2008/07/sedutan-memoir-boestamam.html

"Mengisi Pengeras dengan Berlari Anak (page 85)"
"When we consider the studies of worldly knowledge, such as love potions or charms, upon completion, one must conclude their learning by fulfillling the conditions of study, as specified by one's teacher. An important aspect of this is the teacher's permission for the student to practice what he has studied...

"Studying the warrior arts or silat is similar, the conclusion of learning is the embracing of four elements: gerak, garit, pandang and tilik. Gerak is the sureness of movement; like a swinging arm to punch...

"Gerak can be divined with the naked eye. Garit, however, is hidden within intention. There is no movement, but there are signs of such. The rise and fall of breathing can indicate garit. So too can the blinking of the eye. Garit is seen with the hidden eye. This is called tilik or viewing with maarifat (gnosis).

"In silat, the immobilisation of movement is a must in facing the incursion of an opponent. The opponent's strike must be deflected, but the deflection must be a 'touch' that immobilises. The question is, how do we immobilise an opponent's attack?

"If the enemy strikes as you face him, we can clearly see his gerak. But, what of the enemy who steals an attack from behind? Such attacks requires a maarifat response followed by an immobilising touch of one's maarifat."

True words.