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Borobudur has taught me about Buddhism

I left Central Java confused about what Borobudur is all about. I did not know whether it was a temple or a monument and why it was constructed in such a way.

Strangely, I came to my own conclusion about what Borobudur means to me while reading a sign in Bali.  The sign spoke of the relevance of a lotus in Hinduism.   The sign reads, in part, as follows: “The root of the lotus sunk in mud represents material life, the stalk passing up through the water typifies life in the astral world, and the flower floating on the water and opening to the sky is emblematic of spiritual being.” When I read this sign, I instant thought of Borobudur.

It is probably because I came across some articles that said that Borobudur is shaped like a lotus.  Frankly, I do not see the similarity in the physical form of Borobudur and the lotus.  I do think that the way in which Borobudur was built emulates the life of a lotus.

Lotuses are not commonly found in the Philippines. It was when I was 25 years old that I first saw a bouquet of green lotus buds being sold in a market in Thailand. The buds were hard and looked liked two palm cupped tightly together in prayer. The buds were beautiful, pristine and sturdy. It was much later that I saw a lotus growing in a pond and observed that it is routed in mud and thrives on murky waters. The lotus later grows round leaves that sit delicately on the surface of the water. It is as if the leaves anchor the lotus above the water and allow the stem to reach out in to the air. Eventually, the lotus produces a huge tight bud, which surprisingly, could be supported by its thin stem. The bud later opens to reveal one of the most beautiful flowers on earth. The flower is ethereal and appears quite delicate. When you touch it, however, you will realize that, unlike a rose petal, a lotus petal is not easily scarred or wilted. It is smooth and firm.

Like the roots of a lotus sunk in mud, the bottom tiers of Borobudur are also rooted in the earth.  On these tiers, there are carvings that show life being lived through cause and effect.  According to our guide Aisha, this represents how men live a “material life”.  On the middle tiers, there are carvings showing the life of Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha and the way of life he taught, which is the gradual relinquishment of attachments to material life.  It is quite similar to the stage of a lotus’ life when it grows leaves that anchor themselves above the water’s surface taking it to the next level above the mud and murky waters. On the top tiers, there are no carvings.  According to Aisha, the builders of Borobudur may not have know how to interpret the state of enlightenment or nirvana.  I think that the presence of 72 stupas on the top three tiers of Borobudur is, at least, symbolic of the state of enlightenment or nirvana. Those stupas look like lotus buds, which symbolize the lotus having reached its ultimate potential after it had risen from the mud. According to this article, “[n]irvana is the supreme state free from suffering and individual existence. It is a state Buddhists refer to as ‘Enlightenment’. It is the ultimate goal of all Buddhists. The attainment of nirvana breaks the otherwise endless rebirth cycle of reincarnation. Buddhists also consider nirvana as freedom from all worldly concerns such as greed, hate, and ignorance. No one can describe in words what nirvana is. It can only be experienced directly.”

A couple of days ago, I told Star, who practices Buddhism, my thoughts about Borobudur.  She said that I had understood the essence of Buddhism.  She also told me about other Buddhist beliefs and said that,  a lotus is even more beautiful if it grows from murkier or muddier water.  While I am still grappling with all the new concepts on Buddhism from Star, I have come to the conclusion that, regardless of what people believe Borobudur to be, it represents only one thing to me.  Borobudur is a teacher that has given me a glimpse into what Buddhism is all about.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 at 12:08 am and is filed under My Indonesian Experience. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.