Experiencing Borobudur tells us more about Javanese<\/p>\n
Marco Kusumawijaya, Architect, Jakarta<\/p>\n
There are many ways to experience Borobudur and the path to
\nenlightenment, as there are many ways to destroy this experience,
\nif the current course of events neglect the true value of this
\nJavanese Buddhist temple.<\/p>\n
For many scholars, Borobudur is a source of knowledge about
\nthe Javanese and their life in the 8th and 9th centuries, the
\npatterns and trends of which were passed down to modern Javanese
\nculture.<\/p>\n
Scholars have said that Borobudur's bas-relief panels tell us
\nmore about the Javanese, than what the Javanese can tell us about
\nthe panels. Claire Holt, for example, in her classic Art in
\nIndonesia: Continuities and Change (1967) traced the evolution of
\nJavanese dance movement and other artistic expressions in the
\nbas-relief of Borobudur, as well as other temples.<\/p>\n
The late Prof. Parmono Atmadi, the first Indonesian to obtain
\na Ph.D. in architecture, documented the architectural styles of
\nthe buildings represented in Borobudur's panels. His book, Some
\nArchitectural Design Principles of Temples in Java (1988), the
\nonly one of its kind, recorded 902 buildings carved in 696 of the
\n1460 panels in the temple. Most buildings in these bas-reliefs
\nare constructed of wood, numbering 254 of the total. The rest are
\ncomprised of 463 decorative\/temporary structures, 147 stone
\nstructures, 31 stupas, 6 of iron and one bamboo bridge.<\/p>\n
As a work of design, Borobudur is the most exquisite among the
\nlargest sculptures on earth for its splendid million parts,
\nintegrated into one perfect symmetrical form without any
\nunnecessary ornamentation.<\/p>\n
Its overall form has generally been determined to be a stupa
\nsymbolizing the presence of Buddha, or a mountain symbolizing the
\ndynastic reign under which it was commissioned, whose name
\n\"Syailendra\" literally means \"Lord of the Mountains\".<\/p>\n
It has also been said, however, that the Gunadharma, or divine
\narchitect, may have intended the temple as a mandala, or even as
\nthe center of a larger mandala as represented by the vast Kedu
\nPlain, where Borobudur is situated.<\/p>\n
A mandala is a graphic symbol that reveals the positions of
\nBuddhist deities in the universe, which is used for tantric
\ninitiation rituals. Kedu Plain is demarcated by the twin peaks of
\nMerapi Merbabu to the East and Sindoro-Sumbing to the West, and
\nthe two rolling ranges of Menoreh to the South and Ungaran to the
\nNorth. Each of these geographical formations has a distinct form
\nthat makes them perfect markers for the mandala. Their size, as
\nwell as that of the whole Kedu Plain, is commensurate to the
\ngreat task of symbolizing deities and the universe.<\/p>\n
The main task of the Gunadharma is, of course, to create the
\npanels illustrating the seven ancient texts of Buddhism: the
\nMahakarmavibhangga, about hell and heaven; the Lalitavistara,
\nabout the life of the historical founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha
\nGautama; the Jataka, about the incarnation of previous Buddhas;
\nthe Gandavyuha, about Prince Suddhana and his journey in becoming
\na boddhisattva; and the Jatakamala, Manohara and Avadanas.<\/p>\n
The text of the Saddharmapundarika is literally recreated in
\nthe design of the temple's top, and depicts the reappearance of
\nall previous Buddhas together in an open space.<\/p>\n
Displaying the 1460 story panels, which totals 5,000 meters in
\nlength when laid out in a row, is a daunting task for any
\narchitect, but the real achievement of the Gunadharma was not
\nlimited to simply incorporating the panels as an integral part of
\nthe temple walls. The message and challenge of the Gunadharma's
\ncreativity is much more subtle and sublime.<\/p>\n
As many pilgrim-travelers have confessed, one can experience
\nspirituality in Borobudur even without any knowledge of Buddhism,
\nby simply traversing the spatial realm that it embodies in the
\ntemple's galleries and top.<\/p>\n
The entire structure of Borobudur offers a physical upward
\njourney that is analogous to the spiritual path toward
\nenlightenment, which can be felt implicitly.<\/p>\n
The Gunadharma created a spatial system that, as a pilgrim
\nreads the panels, facilitates the spiritual experience of
\nBuddhist principles, such as samyak samadhi, or to concentrate
\nrightly, and pradaksina, the meditative levels of understanding
\nthat leads to enlightenment. Pradaksina is more that just a
\nritual process, and is analogous to the steps one must take to
\nachieve Buddhahood.<\/p>\n
The spirituality of Borobudur can also be credited indirectly
\nfor the ancient Buddhist text Lamp on the Path, upon which
\nTibetan Buddhism was based and has existed for more than a
\nmillennium. The book was written by the venerable Atisha in the
\n11th century, after he had studied under Serlingpa in the
\nvicinity of Borobudur.<\/p>\n
A thoughtful, neither leisurely nor hasty, circumambulation
\nthrough the galleries is to experience seclusion from the outside
\nworld, as one is confined within the walls on the right and the
\nbalustrades on the left. Only the sky is visible as the roof for
\nthis gallery of purity. The path through the gallery is not a
\nstraight one, as there are eight curves along each side of the
\ntemple.<\/p>\n
Having to weave our way along the path every few steps reminds
\nus to be fully aware of our existence in the \"now\" of space and
\ntime, a practice known as samyak smriti.<\/p>\n
The obscure openings at the middle of each of the four sides
\nof the temple provide a symbolic representation of experiencing
\nimperfection and temptation. These are where the steps leading to
\nthe next levels, either above or below, are located.<\/p>\n
It is after the spiritually and physically exhaustive walk
\naround and up the galleries, totaling 5 kilometers in length and
\n26 meters in height, that a pilgrim finally reaches symbolic
\nenlightenment at the top of the temple.<\/p>\n
Here, one finds complete quiet in an open space among 72
\nBuddha statues, free of the confining galleries, and at the same
\ntime, experiences the \"right view\", or samyak drishti, of the
\nreality of Kedu Plain with all its resources and its unity as
\nseen from above, surrounded by the mountains that might or might
\nnot symbolize the borders of an imagined mandala.<\/p>\n
For all its richness, Borobudur is a very dense and compact
\ndesign, an architecture of space by excellence, and as if
\nsculpted rather than built.<\/p>\n
In order to experience this, one might need to hurry, as
\nthings may deteriorate soon.<\/p>\n
Thoughtful meditation cannot be possible with brooms, buckets
\nand litter placed carelessly next to Buddha statues, and an
\nenlightened view of reality is difficult to achieve when roaring
\ntraffic along the northern side distracts pilgrims, and hotels
\nspring up along mountain slopes to destroy the power of the
\nancient mandala.<\/p>",
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