Borobudur: Sharing A Way of Life

By: Rachel Lai

16 July 2009

Imagine riding on a plane high up above the Central Java Province, only to find a 'mandala' (an ancient Sanskrit word for 'healing circle') amidst the greeneries. Similar to every other world heritage icons, the Borobudur Temple is one of those enigmas that exemplify the wonders of mankind and faith. The Temple portrays Buddhism as a way of life through the tales of resisting temptation and desire as we pursue our journey into enlightenment.

On our excursion day, we took the opportunity to visit one of the 7 wonders in the world. However, it was surprising that the weekend had attracted more of the local visitors than the expected foreigners. As we made our way into the 'international visitors/VIP' entrance, the street vendors trailed behind us to sell us their products. One can't help but be lured to the sunglasses, hats and umbrella offerings due to the blazing hot sun.

After flashing our Monash student IDs to receive a special rate of 7.00USD (rather than 12.00 USD), we finished our welcome drink and got acquainted with our tour guide, Aishah. As we walked through the park she began her introduction to the history behind the Temple's existence. Every now and then the patient lady had to pause and wait for us as we got engrossed within the surroundings. You can only imagine our reaction when we spotted the sight of the Temple from a distance. It was truly one of those moments where you just stop breathing for those few seconds and wished you had more than those silly cameras to capture the moment.

Borobudur from the side

The view of Buddha statues and holed 'stupa' (dome shaped monuments) were accompanied by nature's mountainous backgrounds. We were told that we had to walk up the 3 sections of the Temple in a clockwise manner. As we climbed up the first level known as "Kamadhatu", Aishah explained the deeper meanings of the ancient scriptures. We quickly realized how those images would have meant nothing if it weren't for her explanations. She was telling us how Buddhism describe human lives as a struggle to control desires. One of the images portrayed alcohol and opium as a form of desire that disrupts the journey into spirituality.

these stupas have diamond-shaped holes, while the next level has squared-shaped holes

stories and philosophies carved into the stone

Some of us listened intently while the rest were evidently distracted by taking photographs and videos. We climbed our way onto the large steps into the second level, called "Rupadhatu", which apparently described the life of Siddartha Gautama. Lastly, we made our way into the highest point known as "Arupadhatu", which lies the view of the largest stupa. We were told that in order to receive blessings, the men would touch the fingers of the Buddha, while the women would touch his feet. Regardless of how unrealistic those stories may sound, most of us who seemed like wishful thinkers silently made our wishes as we struggled our hands through the stupa holes to touch the Buddha.

Despite the serenity that we embraced from the magical place, we had to fight our way for space amidst the heavy crowd. As we duck our heads away from the colourful umbrellas, we managed to catch the glimpses of beauty that we sought for. Perhaps what broke the tranquility was when the young locals began to approach some of us for photograph sessions.

“Can I take photo for you?” said a young Javanese girl. I responded by saying, “Sure, I can take a photo FOR you”. She reacted in disagreement and resorted to hand gestures which explained how she wanted to take a photograph WITH ME. And so I reluctantly did. It eventually became hilarious to take several photos with them and yet not understanding the reason behind their request.

With random Javanese students

At the peak of the Temple, Aishah told us that we should begin circling the 'Arupadhatu' area in a clock wise manner. Apparently, it is an ancient Buddhist practice of truth whereby one is to circle the stupa with our vows made in hearts. After we made our rounds, Rashaad and I sat quietly on the edge, staring away to the mountains as though we had reached a higher level state of mind.

Visiting the Borobudur Temple on a weekend is probably a different vibe altogether given that it was overpopulated. I reckon that a weekday visit would have enhanced the placid environment especially when there's no need to battle for a comfortable spot. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that we have now experienced a globally accepted form of sacredness. It was simply up to our imagination to shut out all the unnecessary noise as well as erase the extra images of the rest of the world, only to have a solitary moment of discovery.


WRITER'S PROFILE: Rachel Lai is a Malaysian currently pursuing her FINAL year in Bachelor of Arts (majoring in International Studies and Communications) in Monash University Malaysia. A passionate day-dreamer addicted to exploration, she believes that there is nothing in this world that should stop us from fulfilling our dreams.

Diary Entry: Day 3

By: Wei Jia Xi

11 July 2009

The sunrise in Indonesia is earlier than in Malaysia. At six o’clock, people are getting ready for the day’s activities. We had an early journey today, leaving around 7:10am and proceeding to leave the hotel for higher ground known as Ketep Pass, to get a view of the volcano, Mount Merapi.

It took us about an hour and a half to reach our destination. At beginning of this trip, most of us were sleeping and resting in the bus. This was not only because we needed to get up early in the morning but we had a full day scheduled for us. The scenic landscape we witnessed on the journey towards Ketep Pass was breathtaking.

View of Mount Merapi from inside the bus

Snapping away on our cameras, the views, such as the one captured above made me wonder whether these farmers realize the dangers of living near an active volcano. Nana, our student guide gave me more information on the matter. According to her, Javanese people are aware that they will have to pay the price of reaping the benefits of volcanic soil and they understand the risks of being near an active volcano. They love the land deeply because the share a bond between the land and the volcano, connected by a person known as Mbah Maridjan, their ‘spiritual leader’. Nana told me that Javanese people rely on the information from him more than the government and they will not budge unless he commands them to do so.

Mount Merapi during an eruption

As the bus continued to ascend the dirt road, the temperature began to drop. When we reached Ketep Pass, everybody was shivering from the strong winds that were blowing. We took many photos given the picturesque landscape in the background.

After that, we made our way to the Ketep Volcano Centre, which exhibits educational materials on Mount Merapi. A model of the volcano at the center of the museum showed us the movement of volcanic activities, as did The Ketep Volcano Theatre which provided us a documentary of the volcano.

After the screening, we had a half hour of free sight-seeing time until we continued our journey to “one of the forgotten wonders “—Borobudur. Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist Monument in Magelang, in Central Java. We had a guide to introduce us to the history background of the Borobudur. The tourists comprise primarily of locals who oddly enough, were very keen to take pictures with us. One begins to wonder whether we were as inconspicuous as we believed ourselves to be.

Candi Borobudur

Finally, we arrived at our last stop for the day—Parangtritis, the south beach. According to folklore, the queen of the South Sea loves the colour green and anyone found wearing it run the risk of being dragged into the ocean as her slave. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly at the beach, where Dominique took a horse ride along the beach side. Shazwan and Rashaad played the role of street musicians and managed to earn 14500RPs. We rounded it off with another group photo against the background of the sunset, our longest day but by far the best day yet.

Sunset at Parangtritis Beach

*View pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: Wei Jia Xi or Cici, is studying Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communication. Coming from Chongqing, China, Cici loves to eat spicy food and has a particular interest in film and video recording. She is part of the video team, where she has learned new things, and feels thankful for having the opportunity to participate in this trip

The Land of Volcanoes

By: Aron Raj

11 July 2009

When I first arrived in Yogyakarata, I was only aware of Mt.Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanos located on island of Jawa. Today’s entourage journey took us to the Ketep Pass, a viewing point for the volcanoes of surrounding the central Java Island.

Little did I know that Yogyakarta was home to not just Mt.Merapi but also to a number of other volcanoes. From the viewing point atop the hill at Ketep Pass, we could see the hot steam blowing out from the mouth of Mt.Merapi. The strong breeze did not turn down our spirits to take photos and also admire what I would say as the living jewel of Java.

Words cannot describe the view of this magnificent formation of nature. Although Mt. Merapi remains active, there were also a few dead volcanoes surrounding it. On the opposite lay Mt.Serembau and Mt.Senai, 2 extinct volcanoes believed to have erupted even before the formation of the new Mt.Merapi. The earlier volcano located just beside it, was believed to have erupted some 1000 years ago. It has now become a site for tourists to hike up and have a panoramic view of Mt.Merapi.

The spectacular view of Mount Merapi

Over the years of its existence, Mt.Merapi has been believed to have consumed thousands of lives. Some 1000 years ago, an eruption caused the ancient Hindu-Buddhist civilization in Borobudur to be covered in ashes. Other major eruptions were recorded in the 1800s and the 1900s. The last eruption in 2007 had seen the evacuation of many people living around the mountain.

Although the volcanoes of Java have claimed many lives, it has also enabled the agriculture industry through fertilizing the land. As our bus journeyed slowly up the steep roads to Ketep Pass, we could see the blossoms of vegetation all around us. From paddy to tobacco to vegetables, it seemed as if that there was never a volcanic eruption. The ashes and lava on the land over the years have enriched the soil making it perfect for vegetation.

From the top, we could see that the whole area around the volcano was indeed green with vegetation. What amazed me most was that the people were willing to come back to their farms and continue with life although they knew the situation they are facing. And it amazes me even more to imagine what it would have been liked to live in Borobudur during its prime near the active volcanoes. I also learnt that Mt.Merapi is considered to be sacred among many and occasional ceremonies are held.

As we spent our time taking pictures of the volcano and admiring nature, I realized sometimes it doesn’t really matter how close to death one may live. I guess the most important thing is to believe that life will go on. The volcanoes of Java may have taken a lot from the Javanese people but they have rewarded them as well in many ways. Whatever it may be, the volcanoes of Java certainly have proved their point. The living jewel of Java will surely continue to give the people something to live up to.

Posing in front of the natural beauty

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: Aron Raj is a Monash Alumni, currently working with The Star (a Malaysian newspaper), as a video journalist. He has joined several study trips organized by Dr Yeoh previously. In his own words, Aron is "single & available". He chose to write about volcanoes because he found them "hot & cool at the same time". Aron believes that "Real Men Like Fire".