SHAPING A CHARACTER THROUGH PENCA CIMANDE
Adhi Wicaksono, CNNIndonesia.com

Located at a river stream at the foot of Mount Pangrango, around 25 kilometers from Bogor city center, nowadays Cimande is well known as a producer of masters of martial art and for its medication.

For most Cimande residents, penca—a local word for pencak —is not only a martial art, but it is also a process to shape a character and mentality of a master whose body not only bows to the sky but also stands on the ground.

Penca Cimande, with its signature style, has given births to many schools at home and abroad. However, the core of Cimande style is still well kept; with its 14 Talek (principles) as its philosophical pilar, proses peureuh (dropping a lemongrass water to an eye) for an initiation ritual, or a ritual to ask for a blessing so that one could be spared any troubles.

Even, there is a proverb popular within Cimande community which says, “Ngagugulung buang kelid bari teu ditalek sarua jeung ngagugulung bangke” (learning penca Cimande without learning patalekan (its main principles) is just like a person dealing with a corpse, or a body without its soul). This is later applied into 33 kelid forms, 17 pepedangan (sword) forms, and Tepak Selancar.

In penca Cimande learning process, a master has to obey the 14 talek principles, meaning that learning penca Cimande is not intended only for self-protection, but also to help other people. In line with this philosophical principle, the limb fracture treatment in Cimande has continued to expand, as a healer studies more about the anatomy and bone structure, and experience it directly through smashing limbs or adu binjuran and kecer. Because of that That is why Cimande masters indirectly study further about bone structures that finally lead to creating a capability in providing some treatments.

Penca Cimande continues to adapt and survive in this modern era. By sharing its martial art with people coming from around Indonesia and the world, penca Cimande even keeps its specialty in training and its maintenance of noble values to shape a good morality.

Therefore, there has been a formation of six art zones under the supervision of the Cimande Style Pencak Silat Training Center (PPASC) in Cimande Jaya and Lemah Duwur Villages. This formation is aimed at creating a generation that meets the criteria of CIri MANusa haDE, that is, a generation who uphold ethics and norms, love knowledge, serve the truth, uphold humanity values, either as a social or God creature.