Borobodur The Buddhist monument of Borodur is widely believed to be one of the greatest monuments in Southeast Asia, religious or otherwise. Though constructed in the 8th century A.D. (before Islam was introduced to this now overwhelmingly Muslim land), it remains a staggering sight. Though my perceptions of size and scale are attuned to life growing up in the late 20th century, I was still filled with a sense of awe and wonder. For the pilgrims who first journeyed here, it must have truly stretched their powers of comprehension. The monument sits on a small hill, and the pilgrims would walk around the first three levels of the square base four times, meditating in front of reliefs depicting the life of the Buddha and the tenets of Buddhism, all under the benevolent stare of Buddha figures overhead. Once this task was completed, they would ascend to the next three levels, which are all circular in order to represent harmony and divinity. Seventy-two Buddha figures sit inside bell-shaped houses with slits for viewing. As I sat in this section, known as the “Realm without form,” I looked at the sacred mountains in the distance and reflected on my trip thus far. My thoughts were soon disrupted when three Indonesian college students came over, sat down and struck up a conversation. Oh well, such is the plight of the American traveler in the far-off. Actually, I enjoyed talking to these guys, for their ringleader spoke English pretty well. He told me that his name means “sun” in the Indonesian language, but that he was born at night. We had been talking about girls and I told him that was a great line to meet women. We soon had to head down before closing time, but before departing I touched a finger and toe of a particular Buddha figure reputed to bring about good luck. The following morning we went to the nearby Mendut temple, part of the larger Borobodur complex. The Mendut is not as architecturally imposing as its larger sibling, but when I entered and looked up at the giant Buddha statue and its benevolent yet powerful stare, I felt a strange sense of serenity. |
