Hundred Buddhist Monks Lead Procession to Mark Asadha at Borobudur

Borobudur, Central Java, July 27 (Antara) - Hundred Budhist monks along with thousands of Budhists conducted a prayer procession around the Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, on Sunday to commemorate Asadha. The Asadha Day marks Budha's first preaching about rightousness (dharma) to five students at Taman Rusa (Deer Park), Sarnath, near Benares in 588 BC. To mark the Asadha Day, Budhists and monks from home and abroad chanted the Tipitaka Book since Saturday. The procession on Sunday started from the Lumbini garden at the Borobudur Temple tourism complex through the Aksobya open stage at Gunadharman field and finished at Zone I of the Borobudur Temple. The monks and participants carried "sedap malam" flowers (polianthes tuberosa), several others stretchers and flags showing Budha symbols and entered Zone I through "Kenari Gate". At the yard a big altar has been set up with a variety of ornaments around it with a huge Budha statue in the middle of it. Several monks ascended the temple to the stupa at the top of the temple to meditate and pray. Seen in the procession were head of the Sangha Theravada Indonesia, Bante Sri Pannavaro Mahathera, the general chairman of the Sangha Theravada Indonesia, Bante Jotidhammon Mahathera, the secretary general of the Sangha Indonesia Supreme Conference, Badrasuci, head of the Thai Dhamaduta to Indonesia Wong Sin and the director general for Budhist affairs, Dasikn. Adoration dances and and religious songs highlighted the commemoration at the temple built in the eighth century during the Syailendra dynasty. The general chairman of the Indonesia Tipitaka Chanting and Asalha Mahapuja 2559/2015, Bante Dhammakaro Thera, said that the Tipitaka reading at Borobudur Temple was the first after it had so far been done at Mendut Temple around 3.5 kilometers east of Borobudur. "We hope it will continu in the years to come," he said. He said the Asadha commemoration was aimed at maintaining, preserving and purifying the teachings of Budha Gautama. Badrasuci said the Asadha commemoration was a sacred event expected to bring blessings for Budhists. "We must be grateful with the wisdom. This is a goodwill to make the Tipitaka chanting a tradition," he added. The director general of Budhist affairs of the ministry of religious affairs Dasikin appreciated the commemoration of Asadha considering it as a good momentum for contemplating Budha's divine character, Dharma and Sangha (Budhist community). "Today we gathered here to implement the teachings of Budha. Do it seriously so that they could be understood well to increase good deeds," he said.