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Temple of Borobudur, Java, Indonesia                   Friday,            March 4, 2016
Yesterday we visited the Temple of Borobudur in Java, Indonesia. On the long (2+ hour) trip to the temple, we learned a ton of geographic and historic facts about Indonesia and the islands and neighboring countries, but I can’t remember much of it. Suffice to say that it is much more complex and diverse than I knew! On the ride we also passed mosque after mosque; each village and town has one, and you can see all shapes, sizes and colors of domes as you drive along.

We arrived at Borobudur, which is the world’s largest Buddhist shrine and place for pilgrims, and the most visited place on the island. Of course there were tour groups from all over, but it was surprisingly peaceful and quiet despite the number of visitors and vendors (selling kites, puppets, wood carvings, items made from batik and colorful fabric, souvenirs, etc.). We donned sarongs as is customary to cover the body and show respect, and walked around the perimeter of the monument with our guide, learning its history and significance.

Borobudur was built in the early 800s (yes, that’s the 9^th century, not the 19^th), over the course of 80 years. Stone cutters brought large pieces of gray andesite stone through the forest, and constructed the temple by laying the stones together – no mortar or similar material adheres the stones to one another. The monument is about 400 square feet, and over 100 feet in height. Narrative reliefs (1460 of them) describing the life of Buddha and the way to enlightenment are carved into the stone panels, and stupa (dome-shaped structures) house various statues of Buddha. A pilgrim or visitor can enter the lowest level of Borobudur, and walk a circular path through the monument to the top, progressing through the Buddhist stages – the worlds of desire, form and formlessness (nirvana).

There are many explanations of the symbolism of Borobudur, and we learned that the stupa reflect 3 of Buddha’s attributes: the substantial base stands for wisdom; the dome reflects an inverted alms/begging bowl, standing for charity; and the stick that protrudes from the top of the stupa represents Buddha’s walking stick, which stands for leadership. So, a person who strives to follow Buddha will show wisdom, charity and leadership.

Borobudur fell into disuse due to several factors (including volcanic eruptions nearby, the rise of Islam), but was restored in the early 1800s due to the efforts of Sir Thomas Raffles (of Raffles Hotel, Singapore fame). The temple is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

We were fortunate enough to be able to ascend to the top of the temple and look out over meticulous grounds and gardens, very simple and peaceful despite the number of tourists. At mid-day we heard the Islam call for prayer to Allah, as we looked at the Buddhist temple.

After an hour or so in the hot sun climbing the steps (and nervously descending where there were no handrails and the steps were steep and uneven), we went to a beautiful pavilion on the grounds of the temple, and enjoyed a traditional dance performance (and some local beer).

There were many from our cruise who took this long trek to Borobudur, and when we returned to the ship in late afternoon to depart for Malaysia, everyone was remarking on how beautifully spiritual the day was.

Hope that you enjoy the pictures we post – as with so many things, they don’t do justice to the reality.

Best,

MA

Java, Indonesia                                                          Wed. March 2, 2016

Tomorrow we land on the island of Java, the most populous island on earth (140 million people), and the place that was heart of the English and Dutch trading posts in earlier times. In fact, the Dutch East India Company (or so we have been told) was the first “megacompany” in the world – 4800 ships, huge profits, shareholders, employees and slaves, and its own colonies and quasi-governmental processes.

Java was ruled by the Dutch for about 350 years, endured Japanese occupation in WWII, and eventually obtained its independence (as part of Indonesia) in 1949. In its history, Indonesia has served as a melting pot of sorts for many ethnicities and religions from China, India, Arabia, Europe and other places. Today Indonesia is largely Muslim (except for Bali, which is largely Hindu). Temples, mosques, pagodas and churches abound, and Java is home to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world. We understand that the country is largely harmonious, with certain exceptions such as areas where Sharia law prevails and tolerance is limited.

After obtaining its independence (the fight led by Sukarno), Indonesia was courted by Western powers to prevent its alliance with communist powers, so that its valuable natural resources (copper, nickel, bauxite, forests, etc.) could be available to major western companies, and its critical location would be a platform for western influence in southeast Asia.

Suharto became President of Indonesia in 1968, and the country enjoyed three decades of substantial economic growth (Suharto was forced to resign due to widespread corruption, but he enjoyed a “severance payment” of US$15 million).

We’ll post pictures as we can – the connection via satellite to the internet is not so reliable as we hoped.

Hope you are all well.

Best,

MA