In Feb'14, one day before I was supposed to fly to Jogjakarta, Mt Kelud erupted and my flight was cancelld. My flight to Yogjakarta was cancelled because of Volcano eruption.
Was I upset? Not at all.
I attended a talk by my one of favourite Buddhist Teachers (Ajahn Brahm) that week.
And the topic was
"Good? Bad? Who knows?"
It was an opportunity to practice equanimity.
Yogyakarta
Taken from the top of my hotel
Small, Simple, Comfortable and Cheap hotel.
Some of the local housings
Tradition vs Modernity
Parade along the touristic Malioboro
Surprised to see local Javanese performing Chinese dragon dance
Military Band in Javanese Costume
Drag Queen
Malioboro Street
Very Balinese
Performers
Local Street Vendor selling satay.
Unfortunately, I am a vegetarian.
Prambanan
The temple compound, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia, and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of
Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of individual temples.
[2] Prambanan attracts many visitors from across the world.
[3]"
Candi Siva, dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer
Hindu Mythical Being
Candi Sewu, a large Buddhist temple complex meaning "one thousand temples".
Headless Buddha Statue
A reminder of the Impermanence of Life and non-attachment.
Visiting these Hindu and Buddhist monuments in the largest Muslim country in the world reminds me of the rise of fall of civilization. People changes. Civilization changes. Culture changes.
Beautiful
Legs
Alone in the complex.
Love it. =)
Relaxing in peace.
Meditated for a while. Not bad.
Reminds me of Ang Kor Wat.
Another headless Buddha Statue
Silhouette
Sunset
Silhouette of Candi Sewu
Sunset
Took a local transport back to the town.
Comfortably seated, Good View of Sunset, Strong Wind... feels like sitting in a convertible, except it is nosier and slower. Most importantly, it was an enjoyable ride.
Borobudur
Built in the 9th century during the reign of the
Sailendra Dynasty, the temple was designed in
Javanese Buddhist architecture, which blends the
Indonesian indigenous cult of
ancestor worship and the Buddhist concept of attaining
Nirvana.
[4] The temple also demonstrates the influences of
Gupta art that reflects
India's influence on the region, yet there are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make Borobudur uniquely Indonesian.
[5][6] The monument is both a
shrine to the
Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist
pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the monument and ascends to the top through three levels symbolic of
Buddhist cosmology:
Kāmadhātu (the world of desire),
Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and
Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). The monument guides pilgrims through an extensive system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the
balustrades. Borobudur has the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs in the world.
[4]
Evidence suggests Borobudur was constructed in the 9th century and abandoned following the 14th-century decline of
Hindu kingdoms in Java and the
Javanese conversion to Islam.
[7] Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the
Indonesian government and
UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
[4]
Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year, Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate
Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited
tourist attraction."
Front View of Borobudur
Sunrise
Beautiful Sunrise
Beautiful Sunrise
Amazing and Peaceful
Lord Buddha Statue in the Stupa
Beautiful Surrounding
Peaceful
Lord Buddha gazing at all sentient beings with compassion and loving kindness.
Lord Buddha: Turning the Wheel of Dharma
_/\_
Stupas
Stupa
Buddhist Stories
More carving
Largest Buddhist Temple in the world.
Located in the largest Muslim country in the world.
Borobudur.
Ended the trip with a good interaction with the local students.
=)
+++
Some thoughts:
- As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to see the world. My forefathers did not have the opportunity, I am just lucky to be born the right place at the right time.
- During this short solo trip, there is a lot of time for self-reflection.
Buddha is not the headless statue in ruin.
Buddha is Dharma.
Seeing the Dharma is Seeing the Buddha.
Dharma is a way of living.
I do not know a better way of living other than practicing compassion and kindness.
- On the flight, I was reading about this book "Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership". It was about oneness with the world, interdependence and openness (at least, that's how I interpreted it). I did not plan much for my trip, since I was traveling solo.
When I was worried about the transport arrangement, at the last minute, the transport appears (what a relief!). When I was worried that I did not have enough local currency to make payment, the money changer appeared at the most unlikely place.
Interestingly, things seemed to work out fine at the end.
=)
