Postcard From Java

This week, we went to see Borobudur in Java. We arrived very early in the morning and found the temple almost to ourselves, except for a few other loitering visitors. Borobudur, as you may know, is the largest Buddhist monument in South East Asia and is a true symphony in stone in terms of architecture.

The temple was badly destroyed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions through the centuries, but has since been beautifully restored by UNESCO.

I was struck also by the choice of location for the temple. An amazingly beautiful, lush landscape surrounds the temple, encasing it in a green jewel box. It is a perfect setting for contemplation, as the Buddha would have intended.

Java is a largely Muslim island of Indonesia, with some Hindu, Buddhist and Christian inhabitants. Our guide to the temple was a Muslim man who talked fluidly with me on Buddhism and Hinduism, as both influences are significant in Java. He talked about Vaisakh, a festival in May to celebrate the birth of the Buddha, which attracts to Borobudur hundreds of thousands of people of all faiths – Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist.

I had heard that Indonesia practices moderate Islam. But as I touched the country through its people and its monuments, the degree of tolerance and peaceful coexistence became real and compelling. In art, in architecture, in rituals, the people of Indonesia have woven in their inheritances from multiple faiths, while preserving their own individual spirituality. This is something the world needs to tune into focus much more, and view as exemplary.