Borobudur BIG BUDDHA as a complete exposition of doctrine

Borobudur- BIG BUDDHA- as a complete exposition of doctrine Citation: Dr uday Dokras,Borobudur- BIG BUDDHA- as a complete exposition of doctrine Indo Nordic Author’s Collective 2021 You are walking down a forest path. You meet a man who positively beams serenity. You ask his teacher’s name. He replies, Nobody is my teacher. Nobody is comparable to me. I am the only perfect buddha in the world. I have attained supreme enlightenment. I am conqueror over all. I know everything. I am not contaminated by anything at all... I have all the powers of the omniscient. I am an arhat in the world. I am unrivaled in all realms, including those of the gods. I am the victor who conquered Mara. This happened—so we are told—to a wanderer named Upagu, sometime in the fifth century BCE. Upagu answered with a shrug, “perhaps,” and left quickly by a different road. Now we remember Upagu as the fool. He could have been Fakyamuni Buddha’s first disciple. But where a wiser man would have recognized the truthful words of a Buddha fresh from enlightenment, Upagu heard a megalomaniacal rant: violent words of conquest seemingly at odds with the serene visage of the man who spoke them. Would you have recognized the man as enlightened? Would you have discerned a spirit of universal peace, beyond politics, in words that valorize hierarchy, celebrate raw power, and speak well of battle? 1 Raniero Gnoli, ed., The Gilgit Manuscript of the Sakghabhedavastu (Rome: ISMEO, 1977), 1:132. Someone asked : Does enlightenment mean illumination? Illumination is when someone shines a torch in your ear. Enlightenment is when you're the torch. Introduction: Scholars disagree about the nature of Candi Borobudur, for instance, whether it is a symbolic mountain of the Sailendra kingdom, a stupa or a mandala. At its simplest, a stupa is a dirt burial mound faced with stone. In Buddhism, the earliest stupas contained portions of the Buddha's ashes, and as a result, the stupa began to be associated with the body of the Buddha. Adding the Buddha's ashes to the mound of dirt activated it with the energy of the Buddha himself. Borobudur is built as a single large stupa and, when viewed from above, takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. The original foundation is a square, approximately 118 metres (387 ft) on each side. Kesariya Stupa is a Buddhist stupa in Kesariya, located at a distance of 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Patna, in the Champaran (east) district of Bihar, India. The first construction of the Stupa is dated to the 3rd century BCE. A stupa, Buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly persons. The hemispherical form of the stupa appears to have derived from pre-Buddhist burial mounds in India. Many stupas are Pooja Pradakshina on all levels? What does that mean and how to explain to non- hindus? Puja is paying obeisance to God and pradakshina is circumambulation of the Godly image. Puja involves a ritual= whether in Buddhism or Hinduism. Lighting Candles, Ringing bells, turning prayer wheelsall are rituals. One such ritual kis circumambulation. In Borobudur as well as many other Stupas some discussed below this ritual is and that Stupa are presented.One pays ones respect by circumambulation to the stupa. Kesariya Stupa  seen in the above picture, is a Buddhist stupa in Kesariya, located at a distance of 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Patna, in the Champaran (east) district of Bihar, India. The first construction of the Stupa is dated to the 3rd century BCE. Kesariya Stupa has a circumference of almost 400 feet (120 m) and raises to a height of about 104 feet (32 m). The construction of stupas were considered acts of great merit. The purpose of stupas were mainly to enshrine relics of Buddha. The design specifications are consistent within most of the stupas, entrances to stupas are laid out so that their centre lines point to the relic chambers. The Shailendra dynasty  with a name derived from Sanskrit combined words Śaila and Indra, meaning "King of the Mountain",  was the name of a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in 8th-century Java, whose reign signified a cultural renaissance in the region. The Shailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism with the glimpses of Hinduism, and covered the Kedu Plain of Central Java with Buddhist monuments, one of which is the colossal stupa of Borobudur, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The bas relief of 8th century Borobudur depict a King sitting in Maharajalilasana (king's posture or royal ease) pose, with his Queen and their subjects, the scene is based on Shailendran royal court. The Shailendras are considered to have been a thalassocracy and ruled vast swathes of maritime Southeast Asia, however they also relied on agricultural pursuits, by way of intensive rice cultivation on the Kedu Plain of Central Java. The dynasty appeared to be the ruling family of both the Medang Kingdom of Central Java, for some period, and the Srivijaya Kingdom in Sumatra. The inscriptions created by Shailendras use three languages; Old Malay, Old Javanese, and Sanskrit - written either in the Kawi alphabet, or pre-Nāgarī script. The use of Old Malay has sparked speculation of a Sumatran origin, or Srivijayan connection of this family. On the other hand, the use of Old Javanese suggests their firm political establishment on Java. The use of Sanskrit usually indicates the official nature, and/or religious significance, of the event described in any given inscription. SIMILARITIES WITH BORIOBUDUR It has been noted that the Kesariya stupa shares many architectural similarities with the Buddhist temple located in Indonesia, Borobodur which points to a historical connections between east India and South East Asia. Both monuments share a circular mandala form with terraces containing figures of Buddha in the niches. Like Borobodur, Kesariya is also built atop of a hill. The excavated chambers at Kesariya show a combination of statues in bhumisparsha (of Akshobya) and dhyanimudra (of Amitabha) on the same side, whereas Borobudur houses four Jina Buddhas, displaying their respective mudras on the four sides of the monument. In Indonesian, ancient temples are referred to as candi; thus locals refer to "Borobudur Temple" as Candi Borobudur. The term candi also loosely describes ancient structures, for example gates and baths. The origins of the name Borobudur, is derived from Boro for big and Budur for Buddha. The name Borobudur was first written in Raffles's book on Javan history. Raffles wrote about a monument called Borobudur, but there are no older documents suggesting the same name. The only old Javanese manuscript that hints the monument called Budur as a holy Buddhist sanctuary is Nagarakretagama, written by Mpu Prapanca, a Buddhist scholar of Majapahit court, in 1365. Most candi are named after a nearby village. If it followed Javanese language conventions and was named after the nearby village of Bore, the monument should have been named "BudurBoro". Raffles thought that Budur might correspond to the modern Javanese word Buda ("ancient")—i.e., "ancient Boro". He also suggested that the name might derive from boro, meaning "great" or "honourable" and Budur for Buddha. However, another archaeologist suggests the second component of the name (Budur) comes from Javanese term bhudhara ("mountain").  Vihara Buddha Uhr: Another possible etymology by Dutch archaeologist A.J. Bernet Kempers suggests that Borobudur is a corrupted simplified local Javanese pronunciation of Biara Beduhur written in Sanskrit as Vihara Buddha Uhr. The term Buddha-Uhr could mean "the city of Buddhas", while another possible term Beduhur is probably an Old Javanese term, still survived today in Balinese vocabulary, which means "a high place", constructed from the stem word dhuhur or luhur (high). This suggests that Borobudur means vihara of Buddha located on a high place or on a hill. As far as I understand, Vihara Buddha means the Abode of Buddha and not the city… Inscriptions: The construction and inauguration of a sacred Buddhist building—possibly a reference to Borobudur was mentioned in two inscriptions, both discovered in Kedu, Temanggung Regency. The Karangtengah inscription, dated 824, mentioned a sacred building named Jinalaya (the realm of those who have conquered worldly desire and reached enlightenment), inaugurated by Pramodhawardhani, daughter of Samaratungga. The Tri Tepusan inscription, dated 842, is mentioned in the sima, the (tax-free) lands awarded by Çrī Kahulunnan (Pramodhawardhani) to ensure the funding and maintenance of a Kamūlān called Bhūmisambhāra. Kamūlān is from the word mula, which means "the place of origin", a sacred building to honor the ancestors, probably those of the Sailendras. Bhūmi Sambhāra Bhudhāra: Casparis suggested that Bhūmi Sambhāra Bhudhāra, which in Sanskrit means "the mountain of combined virtues of the ten stages of Boddhisattvahood", was the original name of Borobudur.That is however incorrect, even a schoolchild in India will tell you that Bhumi means land.See the pujsa bhoomipoojan or the actress of Bollywood- Bhumi Pednekar. Apart from being called a most impressive monument, Borobudur is both a temple and a complete exposition of doctrine, designed as a whole, and completed as it was designed, with only one major afterthought. It seems to have provided a pattern for Hindu temple mountains at Angkor, and in its own day it must have been one of the wonders of the Asian world. Built about 800, it probably fell into neglect by c. 1000 and was overgrown. It was excavated and restored by the Dutch between 1907 and 1911. It now appears as a large square plinth (the processional path) upon which stand five terraces gradually diminishing in size. The plans of the squares are stepped out twice to a central projection. Above the fifth terrace stands a series of three diminishing circular terraces carrying small stupas, crowned at the centre of the summit by a large circular bell-shaped stupa. Running up the centre of each face is a long staircase; all four are given equal importance. There are no internal cell shrines, and the terraces are solid. Borobudur is thus a Buddhist stupa in the Indian sense. Each of the square terraces is enclosed in a high wall with pavilions and niches along the whole perimeter, which prevents the visitor on one level from seeing into any of the other levels. All of these terraces are lined with relief sculptures, and the niches contain Buddha figures. The top three circular terraces are open and unwalled, and the 72 lesser bell-shaped stupas they support are of open stone latticework; inside each was a huge stone Buddha figure. The convex contour of the whole monument is steepest near the ground, flattening as it reaches the summit. The bottom plinth, the processional path, was the major afterthought. It consists of a massive heap of stone pressed up against the original bottom story of the designed structure so that it obscures an entire series of reliefs—a few of which have been uncovered in modern times. It was probably added to hold together the bottom story, which began to spread under the pressure of the immense weight of earth and stone accumulated above. Borobudur: Buddha sculpture and stupas The Thai & Myanmar Stupas-There are three basic forms of the Thai Stupa; each will be explored in turn. These forms — as well as those of India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar’s Bagan (Burma) — are laid out in Fig. below Note that andas are highlighted in green, harmikas in red, chattras in purple, and bases or terraces in black. We will continue to refer to back to this three style framework as we review the stupas in specific temples in sections that follow. . Thai stupa predecessors and types. The whole building symbolizes a Buddhist transition from the lowest manifestations of reality at the base, through a series of regions representing psychological states, toward the ultimate condition of spiritual enlightenment at the summit. Maynmar influenced?-For about 250 years, from c. 1044 to 1284 CE, Pagan or Bagan, was the capital of a kingdom covering most of what is modern-day Myanmar (Burma). During this period, more than 2,500 Buddhist monuments—stupas, temples, and monasteries—were built in and around the city alone; further religious edifices were erected in the provincial centers of the kingdom, such as Pakkoku, Sale, Salin, and Myinmu. The people of Pagan were in close contact with other Buddhist communities of South and Southeast Asia, most notably Sri Lankans, Northeast Indians, and the Khmers, and perhaps with the Tibetans and Chinese as well. Between these regions and communities, there was a regular flow of royal ambassadors, Buddhist monks, artists, pilgrims, and other travelers, who exchanged letters and Buddhist scriptures, skills, and ideas. Given this position as a nodal point in a wider Buddhist network, the Buddhism of Pagan was cosmopolitan in nature, embracing influences from various sources and different traditions. Particularly in the late 12th and the early 13th centuries, when increased contact with external Buddhist communities coincided with the maturation of internal developments, Pagan became the crucible in which the major features of Burmese Theravada were mixed. What is enlightenment? For Buddhists it involves the discovery of the truth of duhkha—pain, suffering, and sorrow—followed by the realization that duhkha can be brought to an end. In like manner, Protestant Christians speak of enlightenment as a moment when, touched by God, one becomes aware of one’s own escape from eternal damnation. Likewise, European philosophers have imagined an age of Enlightenment, a time of individual freedom and social equality. In all three cases, enlightenment, as insight into reality, is conjoined with enlightenment, as a state of harmony and peace, beyond politics. Beyond Enlightenment treats the political implications of this apolitical ideal. It is a sophisticated study of some of the assumptions underlying, and ramifications involved in, the study of Buddhism (especially, but not exclusively, in the West), and of the tendency of scholars to ground their study of Buddhism in particular assumptions about the Buddha’s enlightenment and a particular understanding of religion, traced back through Western orientalists to the Enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation. Richard Cohen’s book will be of interest to buddhologists, indologists, scholars of comparative religion, and intellectual historians. - Richard S. Cohen Borobudur represents the unity of the cosmos permeated by the light of truth, which the visitor will search and get as he climbs up the terraces. This transformation occurs while climbing through the levels of Borobudur, encountering illustrations of progressively more profound doctrines nearer to the summit. The indefinable ultimate spiritual state is at the topmost terrace, where an unfinished image of Buddha that was hidden from the spectator’s view, symbolized thsat crystallization of fruition. The 72 openwork stupas on the circular terraces, with their barely visible internal Buddhas, symbolize incomplete states of enlightenment on the borders of manifestation. The usual way for a pilgrim to pay reverence to a Buddhist stupa is to walk around it, keeping it on his right hand. The vast series of reliefs about three feet (one metre) high on the exterior walls of the terraces would thus be read by the visitor in series from right to left. Between the reliefs are decorative scroll panels, and a hundred monster-head waterspouts carry off the tropical rainwater. The gates on the stairways between terraces are of the standard Indonesian type, with the face of the Kala monster at the apex spouting his scrolls. The reliefs of the lowest level illustrate scenes that show the causal workings of good and bad deeds through successive reincarnations. They show, for example, how those who hunt, kill, and cook living creatures, such as tortoises and fish, are themselves cooked in hells or die as children in their next life. They show how foolish people waste their time at entertainments. From these scenes of everyday life, one moves to the terraces above, where the subject matter becomes more profound and metaphysical. It illustrates important Mahayana texts dealing with the self-discovery and education of the bodhisattva, conceived as being possessed by compassion for and devoted wholly to the salvation of all creatures. The reliefs on the uppermost terraces gradually become more static. The sensuous roundness of the forms of the figures is not abated, but, in the design, great emphasis is laid upon horizontals and verticals and upon static, formal enclosures of repeated figures and gestures. At the summit all movement disappears, and the design is entirely subordinated to the circle enclosing the stupa. The iconography of Borobudur suggests that the legend of the royal bodhisattva recounted in many of the reliefs was meant to “authenticate” some king or dynasty. Yet, it hardly seems possible that Borobudur was the focus of a specific royal cult, as there is no provision at all for the performance of royal ritual. It must have been, then, in some sense a monument for the whole people, the focus for their religion and life, and a perpetual reminder of the doctrines of their religion. A considerable number of bronzes, some small, some large, have been found in Indonesia in a style close to that of the sculptures of Borobudur and Mendut. One fine, large standing image comes from Kotabangun in Borneo, but some come from Java. Many small cult images of the Buddha and Buddhist deities exist. Some are close in type to the early Pala images of Indian Bihar, the homeland of Buddhism, with which the Javanese must have maintained close touch. A few small but extremely fine gold figurines of undoubted Javanese workmanship have also turned up. For all their small size they must rate as first-class works of art. As well as images, there are many beautiful bronze ceremonial objects, such as lamps, trays, and bells. Pyramid? We all know about Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. How many of us know about Great Pyramid of Ancient India? Bareilly, formerly known as Ahichhatra was mentioned in Mahabharata as capital of Draupada's kingdom Panchala. It was later conquered by Arjuna and bestowed upon Drona. Drupada had to shift his capital to Kampilya in Southern Panchala. Ahicchatra was described as a great city Excavations in Bareilly have uncovered a giant ancient temple in form of a large pyramid.Even the ruin is 22 meters in height( for comparison, Kaaba is 13 m) and there is a Linga on top. The site is 187 hectares. By comparison, London of Roman era was just 140 hectares If the brick temple ruin is so massive even after its destuction by ISLAMIC invaders in 12th century , one could only imagine how gigantic the temple would have been in its heydays. Ahichhatra is probably the longest surviving site in India. Remains from earliest layers in 2000 BC include ochre colored pottery followed by Painted Grey Ware(PGW). The site survived for 3000 years until "iconoclastic tendencies" in 12th century destroyed it. Many Hindu sculptures have been found at the site They are now in Museums around the world. There is a sculpture of Ganga standing on Makara. Another is of lord Shiva in what seems to be depiction of Kiratarjuniya scene Borobudur - Buddhist Stupa in the Indian sense There are no internal cell shrines, and the terraces are solid. Borobudur is thus a Buddhist stupa in the Indian sense. Each of the square terraces is enclosed in a high wall with pavilions and niches along the whole perimeter, which prevents the visitor on one level from seeing into any of the other levels. What is the difference between stupa and pagoda? While there is not a clear distinction between a stupa and a pagoda, a stupa tends to be a structure that usually can not be entered, while a pagoda is often referred to as a building that can be entered. It is easy to get confused because a pagoda is generally a temple, but the design of a pagoda evolved from stupas. In the Borobudur, around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. The vertical division of Borobudur Temple into base, body, and superstructure perfectly accords with the conception of the Universe in Buddhist cosmology. First of all can be mentioned that nowhere else has it been found a combination of stupa and terraced circumambulatory platforms like what we have at Borobudur. Moreover, the whole structure might be regarded as an integration of the stupa concept and the terraced sanctuary. The last one being possibly inherited from the prehistoric period, functioning as a sanctuary to worship ancestors. Moreover, we found here at Borobudur a combination of circular and rectangular platforms. In terms of religious concepts and their physical-visual interpretations, there are two phenomena that can be indicated at Borobudur. The first is the physical-spatial interpretation of the concept of bhiimi and dhatu as it has been interpreted and exposed in the previous studies of J.G. deCasparis, and the second one is regarding the pantheon and its placing within the structure of the sanctuary. It has been said that the merchants and tradesmen from India, bringing with them a mixed bag of folk and oral traditions from the Indian spiritual heritage served as the source of inspiration to the Indonesian sculptors and grand visualisers alike. But what was the mixed bag like? Some interesting examples from Cambodia are seen in the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom, as well as at Bayon. Here we also find several hidden panels, much like the hidden base at Borobudur. This paper will explore both structural and metaphorical explanations for this hidden panel phenomenon. The caitya worship is known as the belief in the descent of Buddharaja Maitreya. Descent or ascent. From being a prince with worldly possessions of immense value and aappeasement, he became a hermit, a wanderer- seeking enlightenment and asking others to meditate and introspect and thus ascend. To a Higher Level! Candi Borobudur and Candi Mendut were the two sites in Central Java that promoted caitya worship. Even before their establishment in the 8th century A.D., it is probable that the belief was already brought into Java by Gunavarma the architect of Borobudur in the beginning of the 5th century A. D.1 ____________________________________________________________________________________ A RE-INVESTIGATION OF THE NATURE OF CANDI BOROBUDUR by Kathy Cheng Mei K u Proceedings of INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR Borobudur, Magelang, f - 5'" July 2008 pn Uncovering the Meaning of the Hidden Base of Candi Borobudur 8