Yudhoyono joins Waisak celebration

JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attended the national celebration of Buddha’s Day of Enlightenment, or Waisak, at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday evening.

A delegation of the Indonesian Buddhist Association (Walubi) led by chairwoman Siti Hartati Murdaya visited Yudhoyono earlier this month to deliver the invitation to the celebration.

Waisak fell on May 6 this year, when hundreds of Buddhists from all over the country flocked to Borobudur temple in Central Java, Indonesia’s most prominent Buddhist historical site, to perform the Waisak ritual.

Waisak commemorates three important stages in the life of Siddharta Gautama: his birth, enlightenment and death.