Buddhism in Indonesia

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Buddhism in Indonesia
Sailendra dynasty.
Total population
Increase 2.02 million (2022)[1]
0.73% of population
Regions with significant populations
Jakarta, North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Banten, Riau, Riau Islands, West Java, East Java, South Sumatra, Central Java.[2]
Religions
Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism
Languages
Indonesian and Mandarin Chinese
Japanese (minority)

Buddhism has a long

native Buddhists (such as Javanese and Sasak
) also exist.

History

Buddhist
regions are highlighted in orange.
regency of Indonesia
northern India to the rest of Asia, which followed both inland and maritime trade routes of the Silk Road. Srivijaya once served as a centre of Buddhist learning and expansion. The overland and maritime "Silk Roads" were interlinked and complementary, forming what scholars have called the "great circle of Buddhism".[4]

Antiquity

Mataram, and Srivijaya
empires.

Borobudur Temple Compounds, located in Central Java, Indonesia

According to some Chinese source, a Chinese Buddhist monk

Pala empire helped fund Buddhism in Indonesia, specifically funding a monetary for Sumatran monks.[7]

A number of Buddhist

Buddhists.[8] The classical era of ancient Java also had produces some of the exquisite examples of Buddhist arts, such as the statue of Prajnaparamita and the statue of Buddha Vairochana and Boddhisttva Padmapani and Vajrapani in Mendut
temple.

Decline and revival

In the 13th century

Chinese temples) in Indonesia are in fact a tridharma temple that houses three faiths, namely Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism
.

In 1934,

Upasakas were ordained as monks.[3]

Modern Indonesia

National vesak ceremony in Borobudur, Central Java.

Following the

monotheism.[9] As a result, founder of Perbuddhi (Indonesian Buddhists Organisation), Bhikku Ashin Jinarakkhita, proposed that there was a single supreme deity, Sanghyang Adi Buddha. He was also backed up with the history behind the Indonesian version of Buddhism in ancient Javanese
texts, and the shape of the Borobudur Temple.

During the New Order era, Pancasila listed Buddhism among the five official religions of Indonesia. The national leader of the time, Suharto, had considered Buddhism and Hinduism as Indonesian classical religions.[citation needed]

The first

bhikkhunis in Indonesia after more than a thousand years occurred in 2015 at Wisma Kusalayani in Lembang, Bandung, West Java[10]

Today, in reference to the principle of Pancasila, a Buddhist monk representing the Buddhist Sangha, along with priest, Brahmin, clergy or representative of other recognized religions, would participate in nearly all state-sponsored ceremonies. The ceremony would always include a prayer (led by a Muslim imam with representatives of other faiths standing in a row behind him). Although the majority of Indonesian Buddhists are of the Chinese Mahayana school, more often than not the representative of Buddhism as selected by the Government would happen to be a Theravada monk.[citation needed]

Once a year thousands of Buddhists from Indonesia and neighboring countries flock to Borobudur to commemorate national Waisak Day.[11]

Literature

The oldest extant esoteric Buddhist Mantranaya (largely a synonym of Mantrayana, Vajrayana and Buddhist Tantra) literature in Old Javanese, a language significantly influenced by Sanskrit, is enshrined in the Sang Kyang Kamahayanan Mantranaya.[12]

The

mantra, a particular lineage of Vajrayana and Tantra, in Indonesia. The clearly Sanskrit sounding 'Mantranaya' is evident in Old Javanese tantric literature, particularly as documented in the oldest esoteric Buddhist tantric text in Old Javanese, the Sang Kyang Kamahayanan Mantranaya refer Kazuko Ishii (1992).[13]

Current practice

Monks doing Pindapata before Waisak Day 2010 in Magelang, Central Java. Chinese Indonesian Buddhist giving alms to the monks.

In Indonesia, Buddhism is mainly followed by the

Chinese community and some small indigenous groups of Indonesia, with 0.8% (including Taoism and Confucianism) of Indonesia's population being Buddhists.[14][3][15] Most Chinese Indonesians reside in urban areas, thus Indonesian Buddhist also mostly living in urban areas. Top ten Indonesian provinces with significant Buddhist populations are; Jakarta, North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Banten, Riau, Riau Islands, West Java, East Java, South Sumatra, and Central Java.[2]

A small minority of

Sasaks called the "Bodha" are mainly found in the village of Bentek and on the slopes of Gunung Rinjani, Lombok. They had managed to avoid any Islamic influence and worship deities like Dewi Sri with Esoteric Buddhist and Hindu influences in their rituals due to their secluded geographical location. This group of Sasak, due in part to the name of their tribe, are recognized as Buddhists by the Indonesian government. At present, there are more than 10,000 Buddhists in their community and belonging to the Theravadin tradition. [16]

Pockets of Javanese Buddhists also exist and are to be found mainly in villages and cities in Central and East Java. The regencies of Temanggung, Blitar and Jepara count about 30.000 Buddhists, mostly of Javanese ethnicity. For example, native Javanese Buddhists population formed as the majority in mountainous villages of Kaloran subdistrict in Temanggung Regency, Central Java.[17]

Official Census (2018)

According to the 2018 census, there were 2,062,150 Buddhists in Indonesia.[18] The percentages of Buddhism in Indonesia increased from 0.7% in 2010 to 0.77% in 2018.

Province (2018 Census.) Total population Buddhist population Percentage
Indonesia 266,534,836 2,062,150 0.77%
Jakarta 11,011,862 399,005 3.62%
North Sumatra 14,908,036 361,402 2.42%
West Kalimantan 5,427,418 330,638 6.09%
Riau Islands 1,961,388 143,755 7.33%
Banten 10,868,810 136,183 1.25%
Riau 6,149,692 133,744 2.17%
West Java 45,632,714 98,780 0.22%
East Java 40,706,075 74,186 0.18%
South Sumatra 8,267,779 67,504 0.82%
Bangka Belitung Islands 1,394,483 66,705 4.78%
Central Java 36,614,603 53,578 0.15%
Jambi 3,491,764 34,376 0.98%
Bali 4,236,983 28,635 0.68%
Lampung 9,044,962 27,397 0.30%
South Sulawesi 9,117,380 21,661 0.24%
West Nusa Tenggara 3,805,537 16,654 0.44%
East Kalimantan 3,155,252 15,535 0.49%
South Kalimantan 2,956,784 12,412 0.42%
Aceh 5,253,512 7,444 0.14%
Central Sulawesi 2,969,475 4,339 0.15%
North Kalimantan 654,994 4,216 0.64%
North Sulawesi 2,645,118 3,957 0.15%
West Sumatra 5,542,994 3,638 0.07%
Special Region of Yogyakarta 3,645,487 3,155 0.09%
Central Kalimantan 2,577,215 2,763 0.11%
Papua 4,346,593 2,355 0.05%
Bengkulu 2,001,578 2,180 0.11%
Southeast Sulawesi 1,755,193 2,118 0.12%
Gorontalo 1,181,531 977 0.08%
West Papua 1,148,154 957 0.08%
West Sulawesi 1,563,896 478 0.03%
East Nusa Tenggara 5,426,418 448 0.01%
Maluku 1,864,229 395 0.02%
North Maluku 1,314,849 150 0.01%

Schools

There are numerous Buddhist schools established in Indonesia. The earliest school that was established in Indonesia was

Theravada Buddhism
from Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Indonesia's most notable Buddhist organization is Perwakilan Umat Buddha Indonesia (Walubi) which serves as the vehicle of all Buddhist schools in Indonesia. Other Buddhist organizations include Majelis Buddhayana Indonesia, Sangha Agung Indonesia (SAGIN), Sangha Theravada Indonesia (STI), Sangha Mahayana Indonesia, and the Taiwan-originated

Tzu-Chi
.

Religious events

Part of a series on
Buddhism
History
Buddhist texts
Practices
Nirvāṇa
Traditions
Buddhism by country

The most important Buddhist religious event in Indonesia is

Siddhārtha Gautama attained the highest wisdom to become the Buddha Shakyamuni. Vesak is an official national holiday in Indonesia[19] and the ceremony is centered at the three Buddhist temples by walking from Mendut to Pawon and ending at Borobudur.[20]
Vesak also is often celebrated in Sewu temple and numerous Buddhist temples in Indonesia.

Discrimination and protests

The

Chinese Indonesian community in Tanjung Balai municipality in North Sumatra has protested against the administration's plan to dismantle a statue of Buddha on top of the Tri Ratna Temple.[21][22]

On July 29, 2016, several Buddhist vihāras were plundered and burnt down in Tanjung Balai of North Sumatra.[23] On 26 November 2016, a homemade bomb was discovered in front of Vihara Buddha Tirta, a Buddhist temple in Lhok Seumawe of Aceh.[24]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Jumlah Penduduk Menurut Agama" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Religious Affairs. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2023. Muslim 241 Million (87), Christianity 29.1 Million (10.5), Hindu 4.69 million (1.7), Buddhist 2.02 million (0.7), Folk, Confucianism, and others 192.311 (0.1), Total 277.749.673 Million
  2. ^ a b Garnesia, Irma (29 May 2018). "Manakah Wilayah dengan Umat Buddha Terbanyak?". tirto.id (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  3. ^ a b c d "Buddhism in Indonesia". Buddha Dharma Education Association. 2008. Archived from the original on 2002-02-14. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  4. ISBN 9780199340378. Archived
    from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  5. ^ Flanagan, Anthony (2006). "Buddhist Art: Indonesia". About. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
  6. ^ P. 487 Buddhism: art, architecture, literature & philosophy, Volume 1
  7. ^ ACRI, ANDREA. ESOTERIC BUDDHISM IN MEDIAEVAL MARITIME ASIA. This includes a charter from mid 9th-cen- tury Nālandā, where a monastery for Sumatran monks was endowed by a Pāla king
  8. ^ Depkumham.go.id Archived 2010-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ cf. Bunge (1983), chapter Buddhism Archived 2009-10-15 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ^ http://www.bhikkhuni.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/FirstTheravadaordinationofbhikkhunisinIndonesiaAfteraThousandYears.pdf Archived 2016-09-14 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ "Vesak Festival: A Truly Sacred Experience". Wonderful Indonesia. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  12. ^ SHIVA BUDDHA INDONESIA. "SHIVA BUDDHA INDONESIA". Archived from the original on 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  13. ^ Ishii, Kazuko (1992). "The Correlation of Verses of the 'Sang Kyang Kamahayanan Mantranaya' with Vajrabodhi's 'Japa-sutra'". Area and Culture Studies Vol. 44. Source: [1] Archived 2020-04-06 at the Wayback Machine (accessed: Monday February 1, 2010)
  14. ^ "Peringatan". Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  15. ^ [2] Archived August 29, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Rediscovering an Ancient Heritage in Indonesia". Buddhistdoor Global. Archived from the original on 2022-06-25. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  17. ^ "Sepenggal Asa dari Kampung Buddha". Tempo (in Indonesian). 2009-05-10. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  18. ^ "Statistik Umat Menurut Agama di Indonesia" (in Indonesian). Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020. Muslim 231.069.932 (86.7), Christian 20.246.267 (7.6), Catholic 8.325.339 (3.12), Hindu 4.646.357 (1.74), Buddhist 2.062.150 (0.77), Confucianism 117091 (0.03), Other 299617 (0.13), Not Stated 139582 (0.06), Not Asked 757118 (0.32), Total 237641326
  19. ^ "Keputusan Bersama tentang Hari Libur Nasional dan Cuti Bersama tahun 2006" (Press release) (in Indonesian). Coordinating Ministry for Public Welfare. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  20. ^ "The Meaning of Procession". Waisak. Walubi (Buddhist Council of Indonesia). Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  21. ^ Apriadi Gunawan (2010-10-20). "Indonesian-Chinese protest removal of Buddha statue". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  22. ^ "Patung Buddha di Vihara Tanjung Balai Pecinan Digusur; Alasannya Karena Dianggap Menghina Agama Mayoritas | Tionghoa.INFO". 17 April 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Vihara, pagodas burned down, plundered in N. Sumatra". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  24. ^ "Bomb placed near Buddhist temple door in Aceh". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-04.

Bibliography

External links

Media related to Buddhism in Indonesia at Wikimedia Commons

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