Buddhists mark Asadha at Mendut Temple

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Sacred moment: Thousands of Buddhists attended the Puja Bakti ritual as a part of the celebration of Asadha at Mendut Temple in Magelang, Central Java on Saturday night.(JP/Bambang Muryanto)

MAGELANG: Thousands of Buddhists from several regions gathered on Saturday night for a ritual called Puja Bhakti Agung in the grounds of Mendut Temple in Magelang, Central Java, to commemorate the Buddhist celebration of Asadha.

Asadha celebrates the first rotation of the Buddhist Dharma wheel when the Buddha first disseminated his teaching. This year’s event marked the 2,600th anniversary of the teaching.

In his sermon, Bhikku Sri Pannyavaro Mahathera, head of Indonesia’s Theravada Buddhists, urged people not to give in to corruption as it would destroy human civilization.

“Let’s control ourselves and stay away from bad things by controlling our desires,” Pannyavaro said, adding that self control was the key to creating a peaceful world.

He also pointed out the importance of meditation to clean the mind.

Prior to the Puja Bakti ritual, around 100 monks participated in a series of processions, including the Puja Relik at Pawon Temple and the Bhakti Yatra ritual, in which they made a 2-kilometer march from Pawon Temple to Mendut Temple.

 “The Bhakti Yatra procession aims to remind Buddhists to practice the Buddha’s teachings in their daily lives,” said Yani Darma, a member of the organizing committee.