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Should a Buddhist monk discard his robe for a suit?
footiam
Veteran
Check out this: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=56,9900,0,0,1,0
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Comments
http://lamamarut.org/2012/05/why-im-not-in-robes/
"Lama Marut here talks briefly about his decision to teach publicly without his Monk's robes, with at least part of the goal being not to appear better THAN others, but to sincerely be making efforts to be better FOR others."
I remember visiting a temple in Ubon Ratchathai in Thailand. My mother and sister were with me. I was invited to meet the Abbott, who was apparently widely known (at least in Issan). He was somewhat old, but still physically very active. In fact, he was hoeing and pulling weeks in his garden at the time. He was rather disheveled, and his penis and the rest of his male anatomy were completely exposed to the children nearby, the young lady who had brought us over to be introduced, and my mother. But, I guess to some that was fine -- he was wearing the traditional saffron robe.
Personally I think if it's a suit, one might consider keeping it's cost to under a $100.00 or second hand to match the sewn rags of the Buddha's robes. I have never understood (or perhaps I have) what some monks indulgence in robed finery really says.
The 'guardian' of the chapel, a local catholic priest, came running out of his little hut, cassock flying, red-faced and angry....
He told me in no uncertain terms I could not possibly enter the chapel dressed like 'that'... it was indecent and disrespectful...
I turned on him and told him that everybody - including Jesus - had been born naked, and that I didn't for one moment suspect God would object - but he was adamant.
so I turned to leave, saying, "this, all from a man wearing a dress....." :rolleyes:
I think that religion has long been too wrapped up in apparel. When I was a Catholic it was still a rule that women had to wear something on their head before entering a Catholic church. Gee, did God really care? And so with monks, do they have to be wearing a saffron robe or all their wisdom will evaporate? Is it just that we lay people like a postcard picture view of Buddhism?
more info: http://lamamarut.org/about/
His teacher has a lot of controversy behind him. Marut is a diamond though.
Either way just passing the information along.
From him came Pema Chodron & Reggie Ray, just to name a few goodies.
Anything possible, the ground is infinite.
This other guy is something altogether.
I wonder why the buddha risked offending others by not wearing a crown & jewels?
The robes serve not just as a kind of uniform to remind the wearer that he or she is a member of a larger universal community, but is itself an object of reflection to be worn "properly considering them: only to ward off cold, to ward off heat, to ward off the touch of insects, wind, sun and reptiles; only for keeping myself decent" (M 1:10). Above all, they remind the wearer that he or she has committed him or herself to high spiritual ideals — to master the Dharma, liberate oneself and show others the Way."
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/robe_txt.htm
Ajahn Sumedho said that the idea of the monk's appearance - plain robes, no hair, no eyebrows (in Thailand) - was to remove choices from his life. No need to worry about how to comb his hair, which suit to wear, etc. Eventually, he expanded this idea and called it "The Practice of No Preferences."
Other than that, I think a 6x9-foot piece of cloth dyed with the sap of the jackfruit tree is very cheap and easy for a poor villager in SE Asia to donate. How would a villager donate a suit - ask the monk to visit a tailor's shop for a fitting? ("Which side do you dress, Bhante?")
Does what i wear make any difference to what I say and do?
Why is appearance so critical?
I wouldn't even be considering this question if I was blind.....
You guys must have been psychedelic monks.
it is what is on his mind that matters.
a monk's robe is like a uniform.
it is immediately recognised as a symbol of someone who
has chosen a spiritual way of life.
however, it can be abused as some people don the robes
for ulterior motives.
:thumbsup:
It reminds me of reading of the Quakers (I think it was that group) where to non-conform freely is important. They wore very plain, specific dress but it got to the point it was so noticeable because of the difference that it became attention getting. So they relaxed into a plain dress that also did not draw undue attention to refocus on the intention of their standa\rd
I think there are so many subtle queues that we are constantly taking in from our environment and our reactions are informed by them - mostly subconsciously. There are studies on people being given medicine by people in white coats and others given the same medicine by people wearing normal everyday clothing, and the ones who got it from people in white coats (you may have guessed) have better results from the medication! Seeing since dharma teachers deliver a medication of sorts and want nothing more than that medication to help the people who have come to them, they will do anything that will help that medication to do its job. And if it would help to deliver the message while standing on their head they would probably do that too.
the robe also separates you as a world renouncer.. as it should. You are not supposed to be making friends and such as a monk, wearing jeans and the same clothes as a lay person also opens the monk up to "choice" in clothing, and likes and dislikes, which you are trying to avoid and lessen.
overall if I were a monk, I'll keep my robes thank you
and besides a robe is very practical! please I wish they were viewed as normal then I'd wear one in lay life
also if you get a chance to watch any talks by Ven Dr. K Sri Dhammananda, whom they talk about in the article, his talks are amazing and very poignant to modern life. He was a good friend to one of my teachers Bhante G.
well even lay people can have simple clothing. I wear plain simple clothing from Target. It's not the point of simple, it's the point of adding on more options of choice which allows for further attachment through likes and dislikes. The robes, bowl(only eating what is given), and other few things a monk owns are there to simplify life and allow for practice.
"This sudden change from the austerity of monastic training to the pleasures of the palace had upset his attitude towards life. This is an example of what often occurs in Tibet among incarnate lamas who have for any reason abandoned their vocation: some have died suddenly, while others seem to lose their purpose in life and become mentally deranged, or else their whole personality changes."