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Synopsis The central thesis of the book maintains that the need to preserve pluralism in Indoneisa, and the high price paid by its people anytime pluralism had been trampled upon in the past, are the two essential aspects of their historical experience. This thesis is particularly relevant for the people of Indonesia today as they are grappling with the problems of national unity and transition to a modern pluralistic democracy. Two parts of this book articulate this thesis. Part I explains the origin of the Hindu-Buddhist dualism during the Srivijaya and Sailendra periods in the VIII-IX centuries AD. The process of Javanization then extended this dualism by incorporating into the new synthesis the indigenous ancestral and the Rsi cults during the Majapahit period, particularly under king Wurukns rule from 1350 to 1389. This new pluralism was further extended by absorbing elements of the Kalang/Palang culture and the Bhima cult, culminating in the grand synthesis off the core values of the