2015 Vesak Day

Vesak Day is one of the most important day in Buddhism believe. 

The day when they commemorates the Birth, the Enlightenment and the Death of Buddha Gautama. This year I have the chance to visit Borobudur Temple, Indonesia during the 2015 Vesak Day. 

Thousand of people join the celebration with festival, meditation and praying with their own Buddhism tradition believe. 

Something catch my attention during the festival, when the Buddhist monk marching down the street with heavy arms security force. The reason behind this because there's a bomb threat.

Perhaps this bomb threat was connected with what have been posted in many social media lately, the Rohingya Incident in Myanmar.

I don't quite understand how people this day still are so easily to be provoked with old news.

One of 5 basic principal law of Buddhism stated that "we should not Kill." The Karma law teach that all the deeds that we did to other will return to ourself. And we should grow the Metta - Love to others as much as we could.

So i don't understand when the Buddhist monk that should teach all this love but instead provoking their follower to do the killing in Rohingya incident.

I also don't understand when Muslim want to revenge under the name of Islam.

King Jordan give a speech at the European Parliament this year.
This is the transcript of his speech:

"This is why it is important to clarify what it really means to be a Muslim. I and countless other Muslims, have been taught from our earliest years that our religion demanded respect and caring for others. The Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “None of you has faith until you love for your neighbour what you love for yourself.”

This is what it means to be a Muslim.

Among the very names of God, we hear: the Compassionate, the All-Merciful. All my life, every day, I have heard and used the greeting, Assalamu aleikum — a wish for the other to be blessed with peace.

This is what it means to be a Muslim.

More than a thousand years before the Geneva Conventions, Muslim soldiers were ordered not to kill a child, a woman or an old person, not to destroy a tree, not to harm a priest, not to destroy a church.

These are the same values of Islam we were taught in school as children: not to destroy or desecrate a place where God is worshipped, not a mosque, not a church, not a synagogue.

This is what it means to be a Muslim. These are the values I teach my children and they will hand on to theirs."

Later on I also find out that there are 3 Buddhist monk that receive the Peace Award from World Religion Parliament in Oslo, for their act to save the Muslim Rohingya during the conflict. 

During the conflict in 2013, this 3 monks risk their own life to save 800 muslim during the riot in Meiktila, Myanmar. The muslim witnessed how this 3 monk went outside the temple and talk to the riot that they have to go through his body before they can kill any muslim inside the Buddhist temple. 

The King Jordan speech and the act of this 3 Buddhist monk has overwhelm myself with feeling grateful that we still can find the true people who not only believing but also practising the true teaching of their religion and love.

We should not blame anything to religion, because the purpose of religion is to teach people to be a better person, to be harmony, and to live in peace.

Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta
May all creature are free from suffering
Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

value of one self

The other day when we went to the Punthuk Setumbu Hill to shot the sunrise above the Borobudur, we met an interesting person.

We were wondering at this old man, cause when everyone are busy waiting for the sunrise, he just sit around the corner and watching all of the photographer instead.

He always keep smiling when someone passing a glimpse to see him smoking his traditional cigarette.  

Some of the photographer felt disappointed with the weather, causing so much cloud and fog covering the Borobudur. And suddenly they start having a conversation with this old man. With his big smile, wrinkle face and tiny body, he offered himself to become our model for that morning. 

Within second, all the photographer turning 180 degree of their attention from the sunrise to this old man. So much of them start focusing their camera at him. Some even acting as his style designer, telling him how to act and pose for us. 

At some point of the time, i felt a little bit uncomfortable seeing how the photographer including myself start exploiting this old man. I ask my fellow photographer to know how much we have to pay this old man as our model. And before we ask him, this old man start saying in his Javanese Language that he never set the price, instead he will get whatever we give him. 

"Sometime good, sometime bad.

Farmer during the day and modelling in the morning. "

That simple statement made me think.

Do we know the value of our self ?

Who set the value of our self ? 

How much is the value of one self ?

end. 

Jenang Candy Maker

We pass this small village called Rongkop Village, Gunung Kidul, Jogyakarta area during the trip to Borobudur Temple for Vesak Day 2015.

In this village we found out that most of the people are "Jenang/ Dodol Candy Maker". Some kind of Indonesian traditional candy that made of coconut syrup, brown sugar and pandan leave. What interest me is how the people  so dedicated to do this traditional cooking way where they inherited  from their ancestors.

The process of Jenang Maker takes about 9 hours stirring the big pots made of copper. And before that , it tooks about 3 hours to get all of the ingredient ready. So total 12 hours work in front of big copper pots with burning wood. You can imagine the heat and the smoke in this room.

They only cook the Jenang whenever they receive the order. During the day when they are not cooking, they'll be collecting ground peanut from the field. Yes this is not big city, people still walking bear footed in this area and collecting wood from the forest for cooking and other things.


From one big pots they can make around 65 wrap of candy and they sell it for Rp.15.000 each. So the total gross income is less than U$ 70 for 12 hours works.

Maybe not bad for them, Maybe not much for some of us, And yet, they are so dedicated.
What i learn from this experience, i never see them complaining about their work and they just keep doing what they can do , day by day.

Thanking God that they still have another day to make Jenang Candy.

end.

Sunrise at Punthuk Setumbu

It was 4 o'clock in the morning when we start walking up the hill stairs for over 30 minutes.

We are waiting for the sunrise to come out over Borobudur Temple. 

The photo spot is called The Punthuk Setumbu Hill.
When we arrived there, around 70 photographers are already getting their gear set up, some even camp out there.

So if you want to get the good spot, make sure to come early.

Camera ready!
Shutter , Diaphragm, ISO - Set!
Angle, Focus - Set!

But......... heavy cloud and vogue covering the view.

Well, we are not totally disappointed, we still get couple good shot of the sunrise rising between Merapi and Merbabu Mountain.

As what we always said,

"Moment! Moment!  Moment!"

"Enjoy the moment,
Do not get stuck with the Past,
Do not day dream with the Future,
Cherish what is Present. Now!"

Enjoy the Sunrise.

End.