Waisak fell on May 17th, 2011, commemorating three important events in the life of Siddharta Gautama, namely his birth, his enlightenment after which he became Buddha (literally “the enlightened one”), and his death.

In Indonesia, the largest historical Buddhist monument, Borobudur, and its neighboring Mendut, as usual, became centers for Waisak commemorations. Buddhists use this day to remind themselves of Buddha’s teachings.

Born the prince of a small kingdom in India, Siddharta was showered with riches and shielded from the poor, the sick, monks, and death, through to his adulthood. But when he eventually met people who went through sickness, dying, poverty, and monks, he realized that his life was temporary. Buddha released his riches and left his wife and young son to follow the path of monk and to find an end to suffering.

Eventually, after a string of self-depriving acts and meditation practices, he reached enlightenment and chose to be called Buddha Gautama. The teachings of Buddha focus on ways to escape the cycle of wants and desires, to end suffering