Borobudur, Mendut, and Plaosan   temples   are representative temples in Buddhist   temple architecture in Indonesia. These three temples were built with different backgrounds in their time but have a common function as places of worship. One of the main characteristics in the   building of this   temple is the presence of   Buddha statues with their spiritual function in the religious activities of Buddhists.  This research uses qualitative research methods with a phenomenological approach. Data is processed and analyzed with several stages, namely data condensation, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of the study show that the   Buddha statue is interpreted as an important main symbol in temple buildings.  This symbol is related to   the   sacred meaning of the temple and puja activities carried out by the community.  The Buddha statue is the most important symbol because it   directly represents the Buddha. These Buddha statues are found in all three temples with different names but as Buddhist symbols, have the same characteristics. All three stand out because they are in the middle and tend to be larger in size than other objects, and without a doubt that Buddha statues symbolizing Buddha itself are certainly discussed in Buddhist literature. Although in making Buddhist   statues in the three temples look different such as the sitting   position of the statues, the shape of the   mudras, and the ornaments that adorn them, there are similarities in the components of the statues based on Buddhist   literature. The similarity   of   these components is contained in one sermon (sutta) that explains the characteristics or signs of a Buddha is the   Lakkhaṇa Sutta in Dīghanikāya. It is said in the literature  that  Buddha had 32 signs of the body as  a great man

Borobudur, Mendut, and Plaosan   temples   are representative temples in Buddhist   temple architecture in Indonesia. These three temples were built with different backgrounds in their time but have a common function as places of worship. One of the main characteristics in the   building of this   temple is the presence of   Buddha statues with their spiritual function in the religious activities of Buddhists.  This research uses qualitative research methods with a phenomenological approach. Data is processed and analyzed with several stages, namely data condensation, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of the study show that the   Buddha statue is interpreted as an important main symbol in temple buildings.  This symbol is related to   the   sacred meaning of the temple and puja activities carried out by the community.  The Buddha statue is the most important symbol because it   directly represents the Buddha. These Buddha statues are found in all three temples with different names but as Buddhist symbols, have the same characteristics. All three stand out because they are in the middle and tend to be larger in size than other objects, and without a doubt that Buddha statues symbolizing Buddha itself are certainly discussed in Buddhist literature. Although in making Buddhist   statues in the three temples look different such as the sitting   position of the statues, the shape of the   mudras, and the ornaments that adorn them, there are similarities in the components of the statues based on Buddhist   literature. The similarity   of   these components is contained in one sermon (sutta) that explains the characteristics or signs of a Buddha is the   Lakkhaṇa Sutta in Dīghanikāya. It is said in the literature  that  Buddha had 32 signs of the body as  a great man

Throughout history, Indonesia has faced several violence out of which religious issues has most likely become the trigger for such violence. In attempt on building tolerance among religious communities, there are four questioning points that need to be dealt with: 1) what is the religious tolerance? 2) what are the causes for the arising of religious intolerance? 3) what is our response in facing intolerance acts from other religious communities? 4) what are our contributions in creating tolerance, unity, peace and harmony in the midst of religious diversity. This research attempts to discuss this subject matter comprehensively with reference to Buddhist’s canonical literature, with its main aim for educating Buddhist minority in Indonesia on the importance of religious tolerance. The education is greatly needed for two main reasons. The first reason is to make Buddhists minority in Indonesia understand clearly the Buddhist attitude on religious tolerance, thereby they would behave themselves wisely towards followers of other religions. Secondly, it is an attempt to protect them from violence or harassment that might be assaulted from other parties. For, by knowing how to deal and act wisely towards other religious communities, besides that they have taken part in creating tolerance and peace, they are actually protecting themselves. The idea is that protecting others, they protect themselves. From the study it is found that the violence in the society on the name of religion often happens due to the lack of tolerance among religious communities. Education on religious tolerance should be given to Buddhists in Indonesia to prevent other religious communities from treating Buddhists with intolerance, violence or harassment.

The story of the past life of Buddha Gotama has become one of the most important discussions in Buddhist philosophy. The stories of his life are recorded in the Pāli Canon mainly in the Jātaka texts (birth stories of the Buddha). Jataka stories have obtained popularity in ancient times in Buddhist countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and even Indonesia. Its reputation which appeared in many Jātaka stories is being put into Buddhist art and architecture. In Indonesia, Jataka stories are found among reliefs on the walls of Candi Buddhist, such as Candi Sojiwan, Mendut and Borobudur. However, at present time there are no books that try to discuss Jātaka story carved on the walls of these temples thoroughly and systematically. This research tries to identify reliefs of Jātaka found in three Candi that are located in Central Java namely Candi Sojiwan, Mendut and Borobudur. The theory used in this research is Semiotics theory of Charles Shanders Pierce. This theory is used to interpret the signs contained in the reliefs of the Candi by using triangle of meaning ie., interpretants (researchers), objects (reliefs on the three Candis) and signs. Within the sign there are three things being analized namely icons, indexes and symbols. In relation to the icon, the researchers identify the images on the relief as they are. Then, in indexes, the researchers interpret images that have been identified in accordance with the existing context. For example, the icon that reveals the images of humans, crowns, and jewelry show that someone who wore the crown and jewelry was identified as a high standing one or even a king. Because these three Candis are Buddhist temples, the symbols given are of course tend to be of Buddhist context. When certain reliefs are identified to have represented certain Jātaka stories, they are considered objects that symbolize the Jātaka story. In this research there are 109 panel reliefs from three Candis that have been successfully studied. Among 109 panel reliefs there are 38 panels indentified as representing Jātaka stories. In Candi Sojiwan, 20 panel reliefs are found, but only 8 panels have been identified as telling the story of Jātaka. From 45 panels, 15 panel reliefs in Candi Mendut have been found to represent the Jātaka story. Meanwhile, 230 panel reliefs in Borobudur temple are then reduced to 44 panels and 15 are successfully identified to have links to Jātaka stories.