Wesak in Jakarta

I'm now in Jakarta with my wife and friends from Nandaka Vihara in Bukit Mertajam to celebrate Wesak Day. We arrived on Friday and today marks our third day at the Gedung BWE in Tangerang, one of the metropolitan regions within Greater Jakarta. 

It was quite an exhilarating experience witnessing this sacred Buddhist celebration in one of the world's most populous urban centres. More than 40 monks from across Indonesia have gathered here, although a handful, including Nandaka Vihara's chief abbot, Ven Dhammasubho, were specially invited for the occasion. As the most senior monk among those assembled, he has been accorded special reverence and had the honour of leading the procession of Buddha relics into the hall on Friday.

Yes, Buddha relics from Nandaka Vihara were brought here on loan for this special celebration. Together with relics brought by the other monks from their respective monasteries, it made for the largest collection of Buddha relics I have ever seen in one place. Definitely, I felt the closeness to the Enlightened One. 

The four-day ceremony itself was jointly organised by several Indonesian Buddhist
foundations, including Hadaya Vatthu, PATVDH Beji (Yayasan Meditasi Hutan Pandangan Terang), Yayasan Bodhinanda Pekanbaru, Yayasan Dhamma Sukha Dhamma and Yayasan Sundarabhūmi (Sundarabhūmi Hermitage). It was quite something to see such a wide collaboration coming together in one place, with each group contributing in its own way to the running of the programme, but I understand that this is quite a common practice there.

Over the past few days, I have also been struck by the large presence of many teenagers and young adults who served as volunteers throughout the event. They were everywhere, quietly guiding visitors, managing the flow of people, helping with logistics and doing it all with a level of discipline and sincerity that was quite impressive to observe. There was a certain calmness and dedication in the way they carried themselves, and it added an unexpected layer of warmth to the entire gathering.

There were several differences between the way Wesak is observed here and the practices back home in Penang. The daily puja sessions involve much longer periods of chanting, followed by extended meditation. What fascinated me most was the Buddhānussati chant based on the Nine Qualities of the Buddha, which lasted almost a full hour and rounded off the evening puja on Wesak eve.

It was certainly fascinating to hear the qualities recited in such a loud and energetic manner for the first time, each one being repeated 108 times in rapid succession. But, to be perfectly frank, it became a little tedious to my untrained ears, especially after having sat through nearly three hours of the programme beforehand. Still, it was all part of experiencing a different Buddhist tradition and gaining a deeper appreciation of how the Dhamma is practised in other places.

Happy Wesak, everyone!