The Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia (YBAI) launched the 2025 Vesak Festival in grand fashion at Tunjungan Plaza 3, in Surabaya, Java, on 7 May, marking the 10th anniversary of the Buddhist festival. A major highlight of the event that has drawn considerable public interest is an 8.34-meter floating statue of the Buddha, which has been recognized by the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) as the largest of its kind in the country.
Crafted by Balinese artists, the sculpture depicts the Buddha with his mother, Queen Mahamaya as an expression of profound compassion. The image of the Buddha figure is designed to appear as though floating, representing his liberation from worldly attachments and conditions.
“[The statues] show the Buddha offering a lotus flower to his mother, symbolizing purity and enlightenment,” explained the chairman of the Vesak Festival 2025 Committee, Herman Pranata.
The eye-catching sculpture is also intended to convey a strong spiritual message in line with the theme of this year’s Vesak Festival, “Light of Compassion: Guiding the Next Generation.”
The Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia (YBAI) is the leading Buddhist youth organization in Indonesia. Through a deeply held conviction in the Buddha’s message of compassion, growth, and liberation, the association promotes a positive lifestyle among the young in order to cultivate a society founded on wisdom, compassion, and gratitude. The association is involved in establishing Buddhist organizations nationwide, propagating the study of the Dharma among young people, and providing leadership training.
The YBIA organizes the annual Vesak Festival in cooperation with more than 30 Buddhist student communities from various universities in Indonesia. Since its inception, the festival has been an inclusive platform for highlighting the universal Buddhist values of compassion, wisdom, and peace to the wider community. The YBAI will also hold a Vesak event in Jakarta on 15–18 May.
“This year is especially meaningful as we commemorate 10 years of the Vesak Festival,” said Pranata. “Through the theme of compassion, we aim to guide the next generation, and deliver a deeper message amid modern challenges such as environmental and mental health crises.”
Visitors to the six-day festival can enjoy diverse artistic and cultural performances, such as potehi puppets, lion dances, sawung dances, and lute recitals, alongside contributions from Sunday schools and Buddhist monasteries in Surabaya and Jakarta.
There are also interactive workshops, with guided meditations led by Bhikkhu Karunasilo and Y. M. Bhikkhu Nyanasila Thera, Chinese calligraphy with Nerissa Arviana, and opportunities for children to ritually bathe the feet of their parents as an expression of filial respect.
The Vesak observances also include Buddhist ceremonies, such as Pindapata (alms round) for monks), the veneration of 17 relics of the Buddha and his disciples, and Sanghadana, an offering ceremony attended by more than 48
The festival will culminate in a midnight celebration on 12 May.
In line with the spirit of compassion, the festival has also launched a corporate social responsibility initiative to support the restoration of Buddhist monasteries and colleges in Myanmar that were damaged by the powerful earthquake in March. The funds will be channeled through the International Buddhist Education Center (IBEC).
“With a broader scale and deeper significance, Vesak Festival 2025 serves as a beacon to illuminate the future with love, inclusivity, and mindfulness.” said Pranata.
Meanwhile, the director-general of Buddhist Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Supriyadi, expressed appreciation for the YBAI’s dedication.
“The courage and commitment of the YBAI to bring religious celebration into public spaces is extraordinary,” Supriyadi said. “ Our hope is that everyone can get a blessing from this event.”
Although officially a secular nation, Indonesia is home to a diversity of communities and religious and spiritual traditions. Islam is the most widespread religion, observed by 87.1 per cent of the population, according to national data for 2024. Christian traditions account for a combined 10.5 per cent, Hinduism 1.7 per cent, and Confucianism, folk, and other traditions account for a combined 0.07 per cent.
Buddhism, practiced by 0.7 per cent of the population—roughly two million people—is the second-oldest spiritual tradition in Indonesia after Hinduism. According to historical accounts, Buddhism first flourished on the archipelago around the sixth century, which was followed by ascent and decline of a number of powerful Buddhist empires, including the Shailendra dynasty (c. 8th–9th centuries), the Srivijaya empire (c. 7th–12th centuries), and the Mataram empire (c. 8th–11th centuries). Today, the majority of Indonesian Buddhists are affiliated with Mahayana schools of Buddhism, although communities of Theravada and Vajrayana practitioners also exist.
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