Who does not know Borobudur? This Buddhist temple has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha effigies in its complex. Millions of people are eager to visit this building as one of the World Wonder Heritages. It is not surprising since architecturally and functionally, as the place for Buddhists to say their prayer, Borobudur is attractive.
Borobudur was built by King Samaratungga, one of the kings of Old Mataram Kingdom, the descendant of Sailendra dynasty. Based on Kayumwungan inscription, an Indonesian named Hudaya Kandahjaya revealed that Borobudur was a place for praying that was completed to be built on 26 May 824, almost one hundred years from the time the construction was begun. The name of Borobudur, as some people say, means a mountain having terraces (budhara), while other says that Borobudur means monastery on the high place.
Borobudur is constructed as a ten-terraces building. The height before being renovated was 42 meters and 34.5 meters after the renovation because the lowest level was used as supporting base. The first six terraces are in square form, two upper terraces are in circular form, and on top of them is the terrace where Buddha statue is located facing westward. Each terrace symbolizes the stage of human life. In line with of Buddha Mahayana, anyone who intends to reach the level of Buddha's must go through each of those life stages.
The base of Borobudur, called Kamadhatu, symbolizes human being that are still bound by lust. The upper four stories are called Rupadhatu symbolizing human beings that have set themselves free from lust but are still bound to appearance and shape. On this terrace, Buddha effigies are placed in open space; while the other upper three terraces where Buddha effigies are confined in domes with wholes are called Arupadhatu, symbolizing human beings that have been free from lust, appearance and shape. The top part that is called Arupa symbolizes nirvana, where Buddha is residing.
Each terrace has beautiful relief panels showing how skillful the sculptors were. In order to understand the sequence of the stories on the relief panels, you have to walk clockwise from the entrance of the temple. The relief panels tell the legendary story of Ramayana. Besides, there are relief panels describing the condition of the society by that time; for example, relief of farmers' activity reflecting the advance of agriculture system and relief of sailing boat representing the advance of navigation in Bergotta (Semarang).
All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect Buddha's teachings. For the reason, this temple functions as educating medium for those who want to learn Buddhism. YogYES suggests that you walk through each narrow passage in Borobudur in order for you to know the philosophy of Buddhism. Atisha, a Buddhist from India in the tenth century once visited this temple that was built 3 centuries before Angkor Wat in Cambodia and 4 centuries before the Grand Cathedrals in Europe.
Thanks to visiting Borobudur and having supply of Buddha teaching script from Serlingpa (King of Sriwijaya), Atisha was able to improve Buddha's teachings after his return to India and he built a religion institution, Vikramasila Buddhism. Later he became the leader of Vikramasila monastery and taught Tibetans of practicing Dharma. Six scripts from Serlingpa were then summarized as the core of the teaching called "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" or well known as Bodhipathapradipa.
A question about Borobudur that is still unanswered by far is how the condition around the temple was at the beginning of its foundation and why at the time of it's finding the temple was buried. Some hypotheses claim that Borobudur in its initial foundation was surrounded by swamps and it was buried because of Merapi explosion. It was based on Kalkutta inscription with the writing 'Amawa' that means sea of milk. The Sanskrit word was used to describe the occurrence of disaster. The sea of milk was then translated into Merapi lava. Some others say that Borobudur was buried by cold lava of Merapi Mountain.
With the existing greatness and mystery, it makes sense if many people put Borobudur in their agenda as a place worth visiting in their lives. Besides enjoying the temple, you may take a walk around the surrounding villages such as Karanganyar and Wanurejo. You can also get to the top of Kendil stone where you can enjoy Borobudur and the surrounding scenery. Please visit Borobudur temple right away... (taken from yogyes.com)
Senin, 16 Juli 2007
Borobudur, the Biggest Buddhist Temple in the Ninth Century
Improving Alertness by Playing Dakon
Two little girls sit facing one to each other in the hall of the house. They are facing to a wooden board with 16 holes on it filled with the seeds of the sapodilla fruit. Their hair is plaited; there are smiles on their faces so that their white, small teeth show up. Occasionally, the little hand lifts a handful seeds of sapodilla fruit and distributes them to holes on the board. Happiness shines from the face of the little girls who clearly are playing dakon.
Where can we find such a view, then? In fact, it is not that easy to find one, moreover many little girls in this modern era prefer to play with their lovely Barbie dolls. Nonetheless, YogYES succeeded in finding it in Sewon, Bantul. Even though they did not do it in the hall of the house, they still look so happy playing the game. It is, of course, more exciting to play it by ourselves than just see other people do it.
Thisgame that is often called congklak. There are two instruments needed to play dakon, namely the dakon board with 16 holes; 7 holes on each side and 1 hole on each pole functioning as the storage and the seeds of sapodilla fruit. The essence of the game is collecting as much as seeds into the storage hole as our possession. The win and loss of the game is determined by the number of the seeds collected.
To determine the first turn for the player to play the game, they do ping sut. Afterwards, as many as 98 seeds are distributed to each holes, except the two storage holes in the poles, equally. Thus, each hole will contain 7 seeds and each player will have 49 seed distributed to 7 holes on her side. The game starts with collecting all seeds in a hole and distribute them one by one to other holes consecutively.
There are some rules in distributing the seeds. The seeds collected from one hole are distributed one by one to other holes, including the ones of the opponent, clockwise. When we come to our storage hole, we drop one seed in it. However, we do not do it when we pass by the opponent's storage hole.
There are some tricks to win the game. We hope that you still remember them. Before starting to play, for example, the player determines the seeds of which hole to be distributed. The intention is that the last seed will get into an empty hole, either on our side or on the opponent's side so that we can mikul (carry) or nembak (shoot).
In order to "carry" or "shoot", there are certain rules. When the last seed gets into an empty hole in our side, we can "shoot" our opponent by taking their seeds in the opposite hole and keep them in our storage hole. If the last seed gets into opponent's empty hole, we can take the opponent's seeds on the right and left sides of the empty hole that we call it as mikul or carrying. If you are lucky to have such opportunities, you will collect more seeds in your storage hole to win the game.
Are you interested in trying the game? You can buy the instruments of the game in many places in Yogyakarta. Some of the shops sell plastic board with plastic seeds as well. Some others sell the wooden board at higher price. Many people buy the instruments to decorate rooms.
When you played the game, you might play foul, too. For example, you try to deceive the opponent by hiding one or two seeds in order for the last seed to gets into an empty hole. Other fouls sometimes even make this game more exciting. Try to remember them and those will make you laugh.
Many people believe that this game will improve our competence in calculation and alertness. Are you interested? (taken from yogyes.com)
Cublak-Cublak Suweng, Guess the Right Person or Run around the Hall
If American people have truth or dare, Javanese people have cublak-cublak suweng. Both games require the participants to do something if they fail to execute an obligatory task. Cublak-cublak suweng, however, involves more people so that it is more exciting. Light tease and burst of laughter make the atmosphere vivid.
How is it to play this game? YogYES will explain it for those who might forget it and those who want to learn to play it. First, invite as many friends as possible. To make it exciting, there must be five people at least. Then, prepare something, usually a pebble, as something that later will be hidden by one of the participants of the game.
Afterwards, the participants will do hom pim pa or ping sut to determine the person who has to guess the holder of the pebble. The person is the one who loose in the ping sut and he or she has to sit on the legs with head kissing the floor and eyes being occluded with hands. Meanwhile, other players open their palms on the back of the person who has to guess. One of them will hold the pebble or other thing to be hidden.
The game starts by touching the pebble on the palms of other participants. While doing this, the participants sing a traditional Javanese song entitled cublak-cublak suweng. The verses say, "cublak-cublak suweng, suwenge teng-gelenter, mambu ketundung gudel, pa empo lera lere, sopo ngguyu ndeliake" that more or less means that the person who is hiding the pebble is supposed to be the one who is laughing. When the song almost ends, the pebble is kept by someone whose palm touches the pebble the last time.
After the pebble is kept tightly in one hand, the person who has to guess the holder gets up and sits on the legs. Meanwhile, other participants sing another traditional song with the verses saying, "sir, sir pong ndelik gopong" as often as possible until the person guesses the person possibly holding the pebble. While singing, they move their fore fingers pointed to the person who is trying to guess. He or she only has one opportunity. If he or she fails, he or she has to become the person with the same task for the next round.
If you become the person who has to guess correctly, you must have been very careful in order not to fail the second time. Otherwise, you will have to run around the field or the hall of the games squatted. Or else, the participants will ask him or her to do weird things. This is unpleasant, isn't it? Thus, you have to have special tricks in order to guess correctly.
Fair methods can be relied on as the weapon to guess correctly. If you are sensitive enough, for example, you can read their body language and expressions. The face of the participant hiding the pebble may look different. You can also observe carefully their hands to help you guess correctly. Besides, you can also memorize the seating of the participants before you occlude your eyes and then feel the cycle of the pebble that touches each palm of the participants.
If you want to play a little bit foul, there is certain trick. You can tilt your head a little to the right or left. Then, open your eyes a little like the lazy eyes of a sleeping cock. Hence, you will notice who keeps the pebble. Make sure that participants do not notice what you are doing. Otherwise, they will impose heavier punishment to you.
Winning or loosing the game or whatever trick to win this game is not too important. What is more important is happiness in your leisure time after the tour from some tourism objects in Yogyakarta. The happiness we are feeling while playing cublak-cublak suweng game is quite rare, isn't it? (taken from yogyes.com)
