Vesak at Borobudur

Vesak is Buddhism's most important day, marking at once the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing, falling on the full moon of May.

It is not fixed to a single solar date; it is set by the lunar calendar, by the moment the full moon of May rises into the sky, so the exact date is different every year. In my own experience, don't book your flights based on a date you vaguely remember — first get the year's date sorted out.

Before the sky is light, the monks have already formed a line, barefoot, heads bowed, walking slowly around the stone stupa; and the truly breathtaking moment is when the full moon rises to its zenith and thousands sit in silent meditation beneath the stupa. These times all follow the moon, so please be sure to go by the year's official announcement, and for the limited-place lantern ceremony you must also check that year's date and tickets in advance.

In Indonesia, Vesak is observed at Borobudur in Central Java. This stone stupa was raised twelve hundred years ago and is one of the world's largest Buddhist monuments.

Most people set out from Yogyakarta, and it takes about an hour-plus by car to reach Borobudur. That time, I too made Yogyakarta my base, then moved toward the stupa early in the morning.

The first time I saw it was in the morning mist — the distant volcano only an outline, the air holding the cool of dew and stone. Put this stretch from Yogyakarta to Borobudur into your itinerary, and you roughly have the backbone of this trip.

If what you want to see is a lively spectacle, this may not be for you; the heart of Vesak is solemnity and silence, the kind of quiet where thousands press their palms together and release lanterns together.

That time I came with my mother — she is old now, her legs poor, yet she insisted on completing the whole circuit around the stupa. The moonlight washed the whole stone stupa white, the volcano's outline floating behind. I helped her sit at the crowd's edge; she closed her eyes, pressed her palms together, a sight I had seen since childhood, yet in this silence of thousands, for the first time I felt it carried a particular weight.

So I would say this trip is especially suited to people willing to slow down, willing to be quiet, and especially suited to coming with someone growing older. If you have a companion beside you who would want to quietly watch sky lanterns once together, this place will magnify that quiet between you.

Transport: The itinerary mostly revolves around Yogyakarta, and from Yogyakarta it is about an hour-plus by car to Borobudur. Making Yogyakarta your base makes the round trip to the stupa smoother.

Where to stay: Arranging your lodging around Yogyakarta is a sensible choice; since you have to make it to the circumambulation rite before dawn, staying nearer makes the early-morning move easier.

Is the lantern ceremony ticketed: Yes. The mass lantern release at Borobudur after nightfall is usually ticketed by the organisers, with limited places that often sell out early. My advice is simple — first confirm the year's date, then deal with the tickets as early as you can; don't wait until you are there.

Cost: It mainly falls on the round-trip transport from Yogyakarta, the lodging in Yogyakarta, and the lantern-ceremony tickets; since the date and the places differ every year, please go by the year's official announcement and ticketing information for the actual amount.

This is a religious rite, not a performance. The dawn circumambulation and chanting are very solemn; the day before, the monks set out from nearby Mendut temple, pass Pawon temple, and walk all the way to Borobudur, bearing along the route holy water drawn from a sacred spring, a flame lit from an undying fire, and the scriptures — that walk is itself part of the rite.

Etiquette: Please stay quiet and respect the rite. When you stand at the very outer edge of the crowd, even your breathing softens unconsciously; the instant the full moon rises to its zenith, thousands sit in silent meditation, no one making a sound, and this quiet is worth keeping together.

Crowds: Vesak gathers thousands of people, and the circumambulation, meditation and lantern release all take place in the same grounds, so the flow is rather slow.

Lantern session: Only after nightfall come the sky lanterns, thousands lit and released at once. To take part in this you need to buy tickets in advance, places are limited, and it is best to arrange ahead and understand the rules.

After nightfall, thousands of lanterns are lit and released at once, rising slowly above this largest Buddhist monument in the world, the stupa's outline drawn out by the lantern light, as if floating in the night.

The instant the lantern left her hands, a wave of heat struck the face, the faint scorch of cotton paper mixed with the cool of night dew. Mother held her own lantern, slow to let go, her lips faintly moving, as if confiding something to someone. I asked what she had wished for; she said she could not tell, that to tell would break the spell — and then we let go together, watching the two lanterns rise side by side into a sky full of light, no longer any telling whose was whose.

The light brightened a little every upturned face. I turned to look at Mother; she was gazing up, her eyes bright, like a child — it had been a very long time since I had seen that look on her.

Vesak is one of Buddhism's most important festivals, marking at once the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing; and Indonesia places this day at Borobudur in Central Java, best known for monks circling the stupa and devotees releasing lanterns together.

You will see how faith is walked step by step to a thousand-year stone stupa, sit in silence with thousands under the full moon, and watch the sky lanterns rise above the world's largest Buddhist monument.

The lanterns rose far off, the sky neared dawn, and the crowd slowly dispersed. I helped Mother slowly down the stone steps; she said little, only kept looking up at the sky that had just been full of light and was now returned to night. What I came to remember was not any one lantern, but the feeling, supporting her arm, of a hand lighter and thinner than in my memory.

I think if you too accompany someone growing old to see lanterns like these once, you will likely be like me, and what you remember will not be the lanterns, but the person beside you.