Nirvana

As I walked through the front gates of the monastery, my breath was taken away. A monk was waiting for us in front of five beautiful stone statues, which were displayed in a bank of water. 

The monk beckoned us to a white building. Before entering, we removed our shoes and walked into a bright carpeted room. On the floor were seven orange cushions that faced a large gold Buddha. The monk introduced himself before giving us a brief introduction to Buddhism. He explained that there were two main kinds, Theravada and Mahayana, and that this monastery followed the teachings of Theravada. There are 227 rules that the monks must follow in order to practice; one example is that it is forbidden to have any sexual relations with women. He also said that the monks must study for one year at the monastery and that they must travel to impart their knowledge to other Buddhists for one year. After giving us his introduction, he allowed us to ask him some personal questions. Some of the questions were: 1) How often are you allowed to meet your family? "Every six months". 2) What made you convert from Catholicism to Buddhism? "Ten years ago I read a book on Buddhism, and ever since then I had been intrigued. The concepts made sense but I didn't understand how to put it into affect so I decided to learn more about it". 3) How often do you eat? "Twice a day- breakfast and dinner. 4) Who funds the monasteries? "Lay people". 

Once the introduction was over, he gave us a tour of the monastery. He showed us structures that represented different stages in the Buddha's quest for Enlightenment. There was a stone statue of a starving Buddha and another of the Buddha after he had found a balance. The monk explained that in order to attain Enlightenment, the Buddha realized that he cannot suffer by starving himself, nor can he indulge in his desires by eating too much. The Buddha had to find a balance between the two. He also he showed us the Bodhi tree, which was the tree under which the Buddha found Enlightenment, and a flower from the tree under which the Buddha was born. 

Once the tour of the monastery was complete, we returned back to the white building for our meditation session. While we were meditating, the monk instructed us on where to focus our mind. He went through the different parts of the body, while reminding us to pay attention to any other sensations. After our session, the Buddha offered us some general advice!

BUT... The day wasn't over yet... 

After visiting the monastery, we visited Borobudur Temple, which is a Mahayana Buddhist temple from the 9th Century. 

Certain parts of the temple had been buried for thousands of years due to the volcanic ashes. It was only in 1814 that it was re-discovered. For a few years after that, UNESCO and the Indonesian government started a project to restore the temple. 

The temple was not too tall but it was extremely wide. There were four entrances that led to different levels, which symbolized the different stages required to reach enlightenment. Each level had stone carvings that illustrated stories. For example, on the first level which is that of desire, there were stories about gossip, prostitution and alcohol. Our tour guide took us to each level and explained some of the stories. 

At the top of the temple, the view was stunning. 

It was interesting to learn about the same religion, but in two different scenarios. The temple was quiet and serene whereas Borobudur was a historic landsite that was bursting with people. Overall, it has been the best day so far!