Borobudur Temple is Worthy and Deserving of Being the Center of World Spiritual Pilgrimage
Author: Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
Borobudur as a temple is an expression of a special Buddha statue in the form of a monastery that collects all the wisdom of the Buddha (Sugatagunagana vihara) which can also be understood as a collection of Dharma (dharmavrida) as the highest truth teaching (Agra saddharma) which is not taught carelessly by Buddhas to ordinary people. Therefore, Borobudur temple is very sacred and creates religious spiritual values.
It is said that this high teaching is a powerful medicine for all the ills of life. (Borobudur Monastery Himpunan Kebijakan Sugata, Dr. Hidaya Kandahjaya, Karaniya, Jakarta, 2021). And the inauguration of the Borobudur temple as contained in the Kayumwungan inscription also reminds of the mandate of King Samaratungga and his daughter Pramodawardhani on May 26, 824.
The Kayumwungun inscription attached to King Samaratungga and Prince Princess Pramowardhani uses the terms mahajnanapunya, bhakti and buddhacarita will be clear in meaning if read from the book of Sang Hyang Kamahayanikan. In it shows high spiritual achievement while showing the relationship between the Kayumwungan inscription, the book of Sang Hyang Kamahayanikan and the Borobudur temple.
At the top of the Borobudur temple is placed the main stupa in a spiritual meaning as the base and tip of Borobudur. The bhadrakala ribbon that wraps around the temple on the square floor is a symbol of the vajra mandala (vajradhatu mandala). So that overall the horizontal plan of Borobudur defies the combination of the womb and vajra Mandalas, or a kind of dharma nature Mandala (dharmadhatu Mandala) in three dimensions that is second to none in the world.
Borobudur Temple symbolizes the ten levels of Bodhisattva. This symbol is in line with the naming of Bhumisamphara as mentioned in the Tri Tepusan inscription. So, Borobudur Temple is clearly built to be a Mandala for spiritual practitioners in carrying out their practices and determination in emulating, experiencing and practicing spiritual practices as carried out by Sudhana or Sakyamuni. And the spiritual practices shown through the Gandhayudha reliefs convince the perspective of Buddhists from various spiritual backgrounds. The most sublime spiritual achievements can be achieved by everyone by continuing to walk a lot, regardless of the origin of their departure and the provisions they bring.
The existence of the Borobudur temple as a work of the children of the Nusantara nation that has been agreed to become an independent Indonesia, provides an opportunity for spiritual practitioners from any religion to get guidance when performing religious rituals, as it is believed to have 84,000 dharma doors for spiritual practitioners to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
Therefore, it is natural that Sri Eko Sriyanto Galgendu as the Spiritual Leader of the Archipelago encourages and continues to strive so that the Borobudur Temple can be inaugurated as a center of spiritual pilgrimage for the nations of the world, so that the Borobudur temple can provide maximum added value for the Indonesian nation and state as the owner of the only unmatched world heritage. ***
Banten, May 19, 2025
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