Borobudur. Religion, Muslims, Fear 7/21
Michael Altschul
illegible journal entries, but I'll do my best to convey my thoughts.
Borobudur. Incredible. Situated in the mountainous jungles about 50
km outside of Jogja is one of the most impressive Buddhist temples
ever constructed. What makes it so impressive? The size? The setting?
The fact that every stone was transported 90 km from volcanic rock in
the 17th century? Or perhaps my first exposure to Buddhism? A little
of everything I suppose.
Keeping with my m.o. to spend money, I went in the tourist line and
paid 110 R (that's 4 pretty nice meals) and another 40 R for a guide.
My (local) friends went in the locals line and paid 16 R. Ouch.
Whatever, no getting around that one.
Hari was our guide, money very well spent. He educated me on the
temple, the history, and the Buddhist faith. I was surprised to learn
how many parallels there were to Christianity (and yes, obvious
differences, too). We ascended the temple slowly, going around each
level, while Hari explained the stories on the stones, and related
them to the faith.
But the parallels weren't merely religious. At 29, Buddha had the
courage to leave his wealth and privilege in the palace in search of
something higher, finding it when he went into a life of solitude and
poverty. At 29, what will I have the courage to do? Will my journey
to NYC (though hardly solitary or poverty-stricken) and back to school
enlighten me? Will a career change afford me the ability to reach and
help others? Make my riches? Achieve enlightenment? I can only hope.
Along the tour, I asked Hari what his faith was. Not surprisingly, he
replied, "I am Muslim." His knowledge of Buddhism was truly
remarkable, so I asked him how he knew so much. His response has
resonated for days: "It is by understanding the teachings of
Buddha...of all faiths...that makes me more whole and I do not become
angry inside. I do not become fanatic." Deep. Clearly a devout
Muslim who had dedicated much time educating himself on other
religions in order to better understand his own. I later asked my
local friend, Sivi, a devout Muslim, what she thought of that
statement. She considered it and agreed, not adding much but
reminding me of the importance of a religion in Indonesia. A
religion, not the religion.
The tour continued up through the stages of reality, to the peak
(where I touched Buddha's ring finger for good luck), then wound down
to nirvana. I followed the process a pilgrim would make. Although I
didn't reach enlightenment, I did gain valuable education.
From my exposure to Muslims in Java, I have come to realize many
important and sad truths. I have been tremendously, subtly,
disgustingly influenced by the media's coverage of the Middle East
over the past 5 years. When I arrived in Jakarta and went to baggage
claim, the carousel next to mine came from Kuwait. There were MANY
entirely veiled women with their men and I had a lengthy moment of
trepidation and fear. I looked around and saw nothing but Muslims,
women with covered heads, heard Arabic everywhere. "What the fuck was
I doing here? Whose ass was I going to kick when I ran back to the
comforts of my Singapore Airlines plane and got home tomorrow? Why did
they let me through customs???!!! Where's the US embassy?" ..."Okay
calm down. Eric and John's friend lives here. In a pinch, I can
shell out money to leave ASAP. Wait, what the hell are you so worried
about anyway? Your best travels were in Turkey and Morocco. Many of
your best friends are Muslim. You love everything about Muslim
culture. Get a fuckin grip man."
[political tirade] I cannot pinpoint when and where this
happened...9/11, this worthless war, a growing paranoia from all
faiths that they're losing power in the world (Israel of late, I won't
even go into that travesty). I guess I can pinpoint it: 9/11. Our
leaders failed us. We needed strength and we got fear. We have
succumbed to Al Quaeda's greatest desire. We live in fear. Those
bastards are winning. Sure it's controlled fear, but it's fear
dammit. It's fear that fueled family nightmares on the eve of my
departure, it's fear that had people dissuading me from coming here
from all directions, it's fear that has people at home praying for me
more than ever. All around us, there's nothing but fucking fear and
I'm tired of it. We're the goddamned leaders of the free world and
we're governing with fear, not prudence. Our media feeds us fear
every moment we open a website, turn on a tv, walk by a news stand. I
had a lengthy discussion last night with some Germans that the US has
self-correcting mechanisms in place: "Within 10 years, we'll have
leaders elected who can fix this debacle," I proclaimed. Do I really
believe that? Has GW royally reamed us so hard that he's set back the
nation 50 years? I fear so, I hope not. We need a uniter. We need a
media darling. We need someone who will lead us through this fear.
[end tirade]
Thankfully, I have gotten a grip. I have conquered my fear. Now on
Bali, I already miss the call to prayer. It's not the soothing drone,
the howling wind, the reminder that I'm in a distant land, or the
antiquated grandfather clock. It's the reminder it serves: take a
step back, reflect, recompose yourself -- shouldn't everyone do that 5
times a day? I miss the handshake and hand over the heart (though to
be fair, the Hindu, 2-handed nemaste is pretty sweet). I miss the
little bits of Arabic mixed in with Indonesian. I love Islam, I love
Muslims. I have conquered my fear and can only hope that the rest of
the nation will to.
So I've touched on Buddhism, Christianity, Islam,
Hindu...unconsciously reminding myself what I love about Indonesia: if
America is the melting pot of culture, Indonesia is the melting pot of
religion. A religion, not the religion.