home » Miscellaneous » What do Buddhists wear? Why do some monks have yellow clothes, others - blue or orange? Can lay people wear monk's clothes? The color of the clothes of Buddhist monks - what does it mean? Why do Buddhists wear orange robes.

What do Buddhists wear? Why do some monks have yellow clothes, others - blue or orange? Can lay people wear monk's clothes? The color of the clothes of Buddhist monks - what does it mean? Why do Buddhists wear orange robes.

Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!

What is the name of the clothing of Buddhist monks, what is it like, and why are the robes of some monks gray, others saffron, and others burgundy red?

General rules

When a Buddhist decides to renounce worldly life and become a monk, he also renounces all the benefits and excesses available to ordinary people. Along with the new way of life, he adopts the special clothes that all monks wear. It is designed to hide individuality and show equality and belonging to the sangha.

The robes of the monks are built according to approximately the same principle, but in different countries called differently:

kesa—in Japan;
senyi - in China;
kashaya - in other Buddhist territories.

The word "porridge" is translated as "inconspicuous color." In fact, it is: bright colors and the desire to stand out from the crowd is contrary to the philosophy of the monks, so if they are used in clothing, then in muted colors.

Such color scheme the story also precedes - initially bhikkhus sewed their clothes from rags that were thrown away as garbage, and their fabric faded in the sun or turned yellow from long wear. Later, the material began to be dyed with natural ingredients: earth, limestone, stone, minerals and other natural dyes.

This explains the fact that in different localities the attire of monks different color- what nature is rich in, kashai will turn into such a color. Compliance today color palette in clothes - rather a tribute to tradition.

So, for example, urban bhikkus wear orange clothes, and “forest” ones wear burgundy red. In Mongolia and Tibet, they mostly wear yellow, red and orange kashai, while in Japan, China and Korea they wear white, gray, black and brown.

The style of Buddhist monks in the world modern fashion could have been called "minimalism and comfort". In each tradition, the appearance of monastic attire may vary slightly, but traditionally they all include three main elements:

antarvasaka - worn on a naked body, covers the lower part of the body, an analogue of underwear;
uttarasanga - put on the upper body, covers the torso and lies on top of the antarvasaka;
samhati - a large piece of fabric, worn on top like a cape.

For some monks, samhati may consist of several pieces of fabric, for example, five - clothes for every day with an ordinary bhikkhu, seven - for every day with a master, nine - with a master on holidays and during ceremonies.

Monastic attire is not just a necessity, it is also a symbol of Buddhism, which is passed down by generations of monks, but goes back to the Great Teacher - Buddha Shakyamuni. The clothes of a monk are a sacred thing, everyone should honor it, observing certain rules in its wearing and storage. Most of them are recorded in the sacred text "Vinaya Pitaka".

The Vinaya Pitaka contains texts that govern the life of the Buddhist community in all aspects. Here are the rules, the history of their origin and the story of how Buddha Shakyamuni used them for harmonious and warm relations within the community of his students.

The Vinaya Pitaka is the most revered in the tradition, but about 80 percent of its rules apply to other schools of Buddhist thought. They prescribe how bhikkhus and, in other words, monks and nuns, should wear clothes, sew them, clean them, put them on, change them, throw them away when they are completely worn out.

The main rules include the following:

a monk cannot be away from the kashai for a single day;
the bhikkhus themselves sew, dye, wash, mend it;
you can’t make more than ten patches on the antarvasak - it needs to be changed;
getting rid of old clothes should be done in the proper way, depending on the tradition;
-Buddhists must accompany each dressing and undressing with special rites.

Modern realities are superimposed on monastic vestments. So, for example, now can be used synthetic fabrics and artificial dyes, and in the Zen school monks are allowed to wear modern underwear.

Monks clothes in the store

Interestingly, the monks use the current decorating technologies not to decorate clothes, but to deliberately age them: artificial patches, scuffs, or the effect of faded fabric.

Theravada

The vestments of Theravadin monks, who live in Burmese, Thai, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese lands, are most consistent with the canon compared to other schools. Their color is usually darker - shades of mustard, cinnamon, burgundy predominate.

The monks in Theravada schools burn old clothes.

Kashaya traditionally consists of three components:

antarvasaka - in Thai it also sounds like “sabong”, it is made from a small rectangular piece of fabric, which, girdling, is fixed around the waist;
uttarasanga - in Pali - "tivara", in Thai - "chivon", a rectangular cut measuring approximately two meters by seven meters;
samhati - a piece of dense fabric in the form of a rectangle measuring approximately two meters by three meters, used as outerwear like a raincoat in the rain and wind, good weather worn covering the left shoulder.

Even such canonical Theravada clothing has exceptions to the rule:

you can wear an angsu - a sleeveless cape that covers the right shoulder and can have cutouts, pockets, Velcro, zippers;
Sri Lankan bhikkhus replace them with sleeved shirts;
Vietnamese monks have the right to wear loose-fitting trousers, a button-down shirt in everyday life, and on holidays and ceremonial days they put on an “ang ho” robe and uttarasangu;
the Burmese, even during the service, due to the cold weather, can warm themselves.

Previously, the nuns' attire was similar to men's, with the only difference being that it contained a fourth item - a shirt that covered the other shoulder. Now the line of succession of bhikkhunis has ceased, and those attached to the monasterywomenthey wear a white robe, which is different from the men's.

Mahayana

Adherents live mainly in the Mongolian, Tibetan territories, as well as in the Buddhist regions of Russia - in the Buryat, Tuva, Kalmyk republics.

Among the monks, yellow, orange, red colors predominate. Their clothes are slightly different from the usual:

underwear - a skirt-like sarong and a sleeveless T-shirt;
dhonka - a shirt worn over underwear with sleeves like wings and piping;
shemdap - upper "skirt";
zen - a cape worn over.

Worn-out kashai is left by the Mahayana in a territory charged with "purity" - in forests, mountains, near rivers, trees or in fields.

Due to the peculiarities of the climate, in order not to freeze in the highlands or in the steppes, Tibetan people are allowed to wear warm clothes:

short wadded yellow jacket;
a jacket that is worn under a cape;
wool cape;
insulated trousers;
special hat.

Monastery in Tibet

In the Mahayana tradition, not only lamas, but also lay people can put on the clothes of monks - however, only on special occasions, for example, in ceremonies, when receiving teacher orders.

Zen

Zen Buddhism is mostly spread among the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. Their clothes are more calm, monochrome tones:

black, gray and brown are worn by the Chinese;
dark red, gray - Koreans;
black and white - Japanese.

The clothes of the latter from the 17th century became more and more like a kimono in the style of the famous Noh theater. It consists of:

shata - a white robe worn from below;
kolomo - a black robe with a belt worn on top;
kashaya or rakusa - a special collar that resembles a shirt-front and slightly covers the chest; there is also its elongated version - vagesa.

Rakusa embodies truly Buddhist patience - Japanese monks sew it on their own, connecting sixteen pieces of fabric together.

The Zen school has specific instructions on how to dress, undress, and store monastic clothes:

should be kept on an altar neatly folded;
you can not leave it on the ground;
to put it on, they take it off the altar with both hands, bowing and touching the forehead to the clothes, then straighten it, bow three times - as a symbol of reverence for the Buddha and the sangha - and begin to dress;
when undressing, the same rite is repeated, but in reverse order.

Conclusion

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During the solemn ceremony of initiation, a Buddhist, taking the first monastic vows, receives the corresponding attributes, including monastic vestments, which are designed to hide individuality and demonstrate belonging to the community ( sangha). The rules and requirements for such robes are collected in the canonical code. Vinaya.

Since a monk, leaving worldly life, renounces its values, he should not own any valuable things. And so it consists of the minimum necessary set of things of minimum value. It is believed that originally it was sewn from rags and dyed with "earth". Now in different traditions and schools have their own differences, but, in general, they come down to three main elements of clothing: lower, upper and outer.

The traditional colors of the vestments were also formed on the basis of the availability in a particular locality of inexpensive natural colors and therefore they are different. So in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, where the Theravada tradition is followed, it is used Brown color and mustard color.

The monks in the cities wear orange robes, and the monks of the "forest" tradition are burgundy. The same burgundy color, along with yellow-orange, is characteristic of India, Tibet, Mongolia, Buryatia and Kalmykia (the Mahayana tradition). In the Far East, where the Soto-Zen tradition is widespread, dark shades:

black, white in Japan;
black, gray and dark brown in China,
grey, burgundy in Korea.

Since monastic robes are a symbol of a tradition that is passed down and come from the robes of Shakyamuni Buddha himself, they are worshiped as a shrine. Therefore, in Vinaya the order of wearing clothes, their manufacture, cleaning, replacement, acceptance as a gift or exchange, etc. is strictly prescribed. For example,

you cannot be apart from any of your clothes even for one night,
the monk must independently manufacture, dye, clean his clothes;
If underwear worn out so that it has more than 10 patches, it is necessary to replace it with a new one;
worn clothes in the Theravada tradition are burned, while in the Mahayana tradition they are required to be left in a “clean” place;
in the Soto Zen tradition, there are whole rituals of dressing and undressing.

Although monastic clothing serves the principle of unification according to appearance However, decorative elements that show the piety and asceticism of a Buddhist are allowed. In modern trends, these are decorative patches or the effect of artificial aging of the fabric.

New times are also manifested in the use of modern fittings in clothing, synthetic or mixed fabrics dyed with aniline dyes, the use of modern linen (Soto-Zen and Mahayana).

standing buddha
(Gandhara, I-II centuries AD,
Tokyo National Museum).

The clothes of Buddhist monks have been made for thousands of years according to strict canons, which stipulate the smallest details of both tailoring and replacement or repair. The monk only has one set of clothes, and any part of it must be replaced only if it already has 10 patches. Cases are specifically stipulated when and of what size pieces of cloth a monk can receive as a gift, how he should use them, if they do not appear in any way - in a word, the regulations are written fundamentally for all occasions. Why? Because the clothes of a Buddhist monk is one of the shrines. I quote:
In the Soto Zen tradition, there are special daily rules storage and dressing of kesa and shells.
It is recommended to store robes folded on the altar. If there is no altar - in a "clean place" - at a level not lower than the waist. It is forbidden to put the kesa and rakusa on the ground, carry them on the back, go to the toilet with them, leave them for a long time in the wrong places (outside the altar). The daily ritual of dressing consists of two stages:
- a folded kesa or rakusa is removed from the altar with both hands and a bow is made with the head forward, touching the robe with the head;
- lay out the robe and three times in a bow touch the forehead with the sign "soto". Three bows symbolize Refuge: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.
After bowing-refuge, kesa or rakusa is put on. When removing the robes, the daily ritual is carried out in the reverse order: they are removed, make three bows, fold, put on the altar.
During meditations (zazen) held in the Dharma hall in monasteries, kesas and rakusas are kept on a "small" altar in front of the hall. For such meditations there is an extended dressing ritual...

A monk's clothes cannot be washed by a nun if she is not brought to him by a relative - and this is just one of the many prescriptions! With such an attitude to life, "just put it on and go" will not work.

Just put on and go will not work, even if you want too much. One of the 5 mandatory elements of clothing - uttara sanga - is a piece of fabric measuring 2 meters by 7 meters, wrapped around the body according to a special system. Therefore, the newly minted monk will need the help of outsiders for a very long time, so as not to get entangled in the raincoat-tent of the Buddhist shrine, in which he must wrap his flesh.

In Thailand, the tradition of temporary monasticism is widespread: after graduation from school and before marriage, in order to cleanse themselves before entering adulthood, they cut their hair as monks for a while.

One of the most important conditions is to make the monk's navel completely inaccessible to prying eyes under any circumstances. By the way, a special robe is provided for taking a shower, so the monk is never completely naked.

The set of clothes of a Buddhist monk is standard for any country, although in local languages its elements are called differently.

👁 Do we always book a hotel on Booking? Not only Booking exists in the world (🙈 we pay for a horse percentage from hotels!) I have been practicing for a long time

During the solemn initiation ceremony, a Buddhist, taking the first monastic vows, also receives the appropriate attributes, including monastic vestments, which are designed to hide individuality and demonstrate belonging to a community (sangha). The rules and requirements for such robes are collected in the canonical code of Vinaya.

Since a monk, leaving worldly life, renounces its values, he should not own any valuable things. And so his clothes consist of the minimum necessary set of items of minimum value. It is believed that originally it was sewn from rags and dyed with "earth". Now in different traditions and schools there are differences, but, in general, they come down to three main elements of clothing: lower, upper and outer.

The traditional colors of the vestments were also formed on the basis of the availability of inexpensive natural dyes in a given particular area, and therefore they are different. So in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, where the Theravada tradition is followed, brown and mustard are used.

Since monastic robes are a symbol of tradition that is passed down from master (teacher) to disciple, and comes from the robes of Shakyamuni Buddha himself, they are worshiped as a shrine. Therefore, in the Vinaya, the procedure for wearing clothes, their manufacture, cleaning, replacement, acceptance as a gift or exchange, etc. is strictly prescribed.

For example:
- you can not be apart from any of your clothes even one night;
- a monk must independently manufacture, dye, clean his clothes;
- if the underwear is worn out so that there are more than 10 patches on it, then it is necessary to replace it with a new one;
- worn-out clothes in the Theravada tradition are burned, and in the Mahayana tradition, they are required to be left in a “clean” place;
- in the tradition of Soto-Zen there are whole rituals of dressing and taking off clothes.

Although monastic clothing serves as a principle of uniformity in appearance, decorative elements that show the piety and asceticism of a Buddhist are nevertheless permitted. In modern trends, these are decorative patches or the effect of artificial aging of the fabric.

New times are also manifested in the use of modern fittings in clothing, synthetic or mixed fabrics dyed with aniline dyes, the use of modern linen (Soto-Zen and Mahayana).

Theravada (Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka)

Monastic clothing here is closest to the canonical image.

1.1 Color
Mustard or brown coloring of the fabric is most consistent with the "color of the earth." In the "forest" tradition, burgundy is used, but the monks in the cities adhere to orange colors.

1.2 Composition
In the Theravada tradition, the clothes of Buddhist monks consist of 3 things:
- Antaravasaka - a rectangular piece of fabric worn like a sarong, fastened at the waist with a belt;
- Uttara sanga (tivara, chivon) - fabric 2 x 7 m for draping the shoulders and upper body;
- Sangati - 2 x 3 m of denser fabric, serves as a cape for protection from the weather, usually worn in a folded narrow strip and thrown over the left shoulder.

1.3 Non-canonical deviations
Nowadays, clothing requirements allow the use of an angsa sleeveless jacket without the right shoulder instead of a tivara. The cut and style of it can be different, it is possible to use modern fittings. In Sri Lanka, instead of the angsa, the monks use a shirt with sleeves. And in Vietnam, Buddhists inside the monastery wear wide pants“kangkeng” and a “sya” shirt with 3-5 buttons and long sleeves, in other cases, an “ang-ho” robe is put on top, and a tivara is placed on the left shoulder. In Burma, it is allowed to wear warm clothes in cold weather.

The nuns wear white robes.

Mahayana (Buryatia, Kalmykia, India, Tibet, Mongolia)

2.1 Color
Mahayana Buddhist monastic robes use burgundy and orange-yellow colors.

2.2 Composition
- Underwear (sarong and sleeveless jacket);
- Dhonka - shirts with short wing-sleeves with a blue piping along the edge;
- Shemdap - top sarong;
- Zen is a cape.

2.3 Non-canonical deviations
In Tibet, monks wear specially shaped headdresses, and shirts and trousers are also allowed.

Soto Zen (Japan, China, Korea)

3.1 Color
In China, monks' attire is dyed dark brown, gray, or black; in Korea, it is gray, and the cloak is burgundy. Japan uses black and white.

3.2 Composition (Japan)
- Shata - a white undercoat;
- Kolomo - top black robe with a belt;
- Kesa (porridge, rakusa).

3.3 Non-canonical deviations
The list of allowed items includes modern underwear.

In the Far East, where the Soto Zen tradition is widespread, dark shades are characteristic:

black, white in Japan;
black, gray and dark brown in China,
grey, burgundy in Korea.

For example:

one should not be apart from any of one's clothes even for one night;
the monk must independently manufacture, dye, clean his clothes;
if the underwear is worn out so that there are more than 10 patches on it, then it must be replaced with a new one;
worn clothes in the Theravada tradition are burned, while in the Mahayana tradition they are required to be left in a “clean” place;
in the Soto Zen tradition, there are whole rituals of dressing and undressing.

New times are also manifested in the use of modern fittings in clothing, synthetic or mixed fabrics dyed with aniline dyes, the use of modern linen (Soto-Zen and Mahayana).

Theravada (Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka)

Monastic clothing here is closest to the canonical image.

1.1 Color

Mustard or brown coloring of the fabric is most consistent with the "color of the earth." In the "forest" tradition, burgundy is used, but the monks in the cities adhere to orange colors.

1.2 Composition

In the Theravada tradition, the clothes of Buddhist monks consist of 3 things:

Antaravasaka - a rectangular piece of fabric worn like a sarong, fastened at the waist with a belt;
Uttara sanga (tivara, chivon) - fabric 2 x 7 m for draping the shoulders and upper body;
Sangati - 2 x 3 m thicker fabric, serves as a cape for protection from the weather, usually worn in a folded narrow strip and thrown over the left shoulder.

1.3 Non-canonical deviations

Nowadays, clothing requirements allow the use of an angsa sleeveless jacket without the right shoulder instead of a tivara. The cut and style of it can be different, it is possible to use modern fittings. In Sri Lanka, instead of the angsa, the monks use a shirt with sleeves. And in Vietnam, Buddhists inside the monastery wear wide “kangkeng” pants and a “sya” shirt with 3-5 buttons and long sleeves, in other cases they put on an “ang-ho” robe on top, and put a tivara on their left shoulder. In Burma, it is allowed to wear warm clothes in cold weather.

The nuns wear white robes.

Mahayana (Buryatia, Kalmykia, India, Tibet, Mongolia)

2.1 Color

Mahayana Buddhist monastic robes use burgundy and orange-yellow colors.

2.2 Composition

Underwear (sarong and sleeveless jacket);
Dhonka - shirts with short wing-sleeves with a blue edging along the edge;
Shemdap - top sarong;
Zen is a cape.

2.3 Non-canonical deviations

In Tibet, monks wear specially shaped headdresses, and shirts and trousers are also allowed.

Soto Zen (Japan, China, Korea)

3.1 Color

In China, monks' attire is dyed dark brown, gray, or black; in Korea, it is gray, and the cloak is burgundy. Japan uses black and white.

3.2 Composition (Japan)

Shata - a white undercoat;
Kolomo - a top black robe with a belt;
Kesa (porridge, rakus).

3.3 Non-canonical deviations

The list of allowed items includes modern underwear.

General rules

Theravada

Mahayana

Zen

Conclusion

Theravada (Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka)

Mahayana (Buryatia, Kalmykia, India, Tibet, Mongolia)

Soto Zen (Japan, China, Korea)

Theravada (Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka)

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