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Anyone consider damaging their clothes on purpose?
I've been thinking about doing this, kind of as a modern youths spin on some monk practices. I feel I spend to much time and effort making sure I look presentable, to the point where:( it affects my mood if I perceive myself as looking foolish. I am also at a point where I don't really have a dress code, so I don't have to worry about any policies. I was thinking about dying big spots on the shoulders of all my shirts, as a way to counter this. That way I'll never think I look great because of my fine clothes, and will be a little more focused on the more important aspects of my life, such as the fact that if it weren't for searching for matching clothes I'd probably be able to get in an extra 5-10 minutes of meditation in the morning.
Anyone else ever do this? or thought about doing similar?
Anyone else ever do this? or thought about doing similar?
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I use my clothes in fixed "sets", and when I buy a new piece I think about the match.. I have different mixing options depending on what is in the laundry and what is not - that way I don't spend a lot of time picking clothes
My hair is buzz cut every month to 1cm, and I just give it a quick wax to a faux hawk.. Takes less than two minutes (which is pretty much all I have in the mornings
I think it's a shame to ruin your clothes.. You already bought it, better make the best of it.. If you want to do something good, I think you could find some fair-trade brands or something. The textile industry is probably one of the worst in the world, and it doesn't matter if you buy brands or low-budget.. Second hand buying will take away the option for the needy to get neat cheap clothes (at least it became a problem in my country that certain young people from sub-cultures found it fashionable to buy used garments and thus drained the stores).
So I just say find a system which doesn't take up a lot of time, and just buy the clothes you like.. And use it for a long time
Also, I've had the same clothes for the last few years, if it's wearable I won't get rid of it. but I only wear my best when I go out. I hate being wasteful, and even when my clothes become unwearable I try to think of another way to reuse them. So no worries about being recyclable or anything like that.
If you feel your clothes are a hindrance, then by all means change it! Make those bright spots on the shoulders - try it out..
Again, it's an expression of who and what you are - just like the fancy-pancy clothes would be, if that was what you chose. As long as you are aware of what you wear, you'll simply have to choose what to express
Even monks wear orange or rags to express themselves!
And remember - it's not as much the clothes, but the person behind it who makes a striking appearance.. Charisma is everything - and when you find your peace, charisma will find you (if you want it or not)
At least then you won't have people asking why you're walking around with a big blue spot on your shoulder and bringing your attention back to your clothing.
Bottom line--I think the most modern thing to do through the lens of Buddhism would be to attempt to get all your clothes for free regardless of what kind they are (excluding ones with animal by-products) but it's probably not necessary to ostracize yourself just to become more humble. Just don't pay big money and wear them until they're dead. For instance I'm wearing a jacket that cost me $40 when I was 17 in high school, I'm 23 now. It's getting nice and raggedy and that gives it some charm. I don't stand out too much and yet I don't look pompous.
There's always Goodwill too.
But that's me projecting myself. From your perspective you ought to focus on not letting fashion control you. Even if you'd wear the same outfit each day (because what matches, matches and what doesnt, doesnt) the amount of anxiety caused from clinging to the fashion is the biggest sin, I think.
This whole thing is interesting. All of my clothes I had bought before I got into buddhism, and I bought them for looks. I, of course, am not gonna stop wearing clothes just because they look good. I hadn't considered that buying clothes because they look good in some ways go against buddhism. Idk.
valois, I've thought about it too, so I understand the appeal of looking the look, but paying for a knockoff of something Buddhists get through begging or for free in monasteries and that have a code attached to them, just doesn't seem like the Buddhist thing, you know? Though, if you could find out how they're made, buddhists do use rags sometimes, you could probably make your own... and I kind of disagree, a buddhist monk would get his clothes for free, but as a lay person who deals with money, getting free clothse when others out there who may not have money for clothes need them more, I couldn't bring myself to do it. And of course, I'd never wear animal fur or leather or silk, or anything like that, that's just a given.
Being obsessed with designer brands and meticulous grooming = extreme
Just wearing whatever and not caring too much = middle way
I meant to say that robes (typically the Tibetan ones you see on Ebay and such) are very expensive (often around $100) and totally against the Buddhist ideal. Robes seem to work best in the ancient world. I only meant to say that to sustain the same ideal nowadays would maybe be analogous to wearing anything free. I'm wearing some jersey shorts given to me by one person, a shirt given by another, a jacket gifted to me and I'm using my friend's crocs. That wasn't because of Buddhism though, I'm just lazy and hate maintaining a job. Ironically it's a good Buddhist ideal.
to intentionally look worse than you normally would is extreme. There are certainly much worse extremes you could have, but it is one of the minor ones.
You shouldn't do anything to your appearance imho that makes relationships between you and strangers, aquaintences, and friends more negative. If someone saw you with big brown patches all over your shoulders they might think you flipped your wig! How are you going to share positive vibes or perhaps even the dharma with them. In an ideal world it wouldn't matter, but in this one you want to look in such a way that people will listen to your message of kindness or whatever I mean just that you can integrate with people rather than more isolation? Does that make sense? The whole point is to mix rather than isolate.
And then practice! And then practice some more. I promise there will come a time, when you won't be thinking about these 'issues' that much anymore.
Also it is actually somewhat important to look 'acceptable', just so you would not create uncomfortable feelings for others, when they are around you. Yes, those feelings arise from ignorance, but that's just how it is.
I see you have a lot of determination, but I think you maybe could use that energy for your practice (meditation), instead of trying to suppress your own behavior.
It's just not a very middle/balanced way and will likely cause you extra suffering, that's all.
Nanadhaia, I'm glad you showed up.. I was kind of worried I'd been misreading somethings, because it seemed so strange to everyone. But reading the Bhikkhu Pāṭimokkha and how monks actually have to dye their clothes is actually where I got the idea, I just worried it would be to extreme or weird in normal western society.
Also, Zayl, if you look up the Bhikku code, they actually have a set of rules to explain the requirements of having a robe made, and handling it. It's very interesting, though I'm not sure how many modern monasteries follow this part of the code, as in some places this may have changed with the times.
Well, if I remember correctly, weren't monks also encouraged to take the funeral shroud from a dead body to use as a robe? I don't think that is desirable/possible nowadays...
Also, as far as I know, most modern-day monastics wear "normal" robes and don't necessarily patch it together from random pieces of cloth and whatnot.
Burmese
Chinese
and when Phakchok Rinpoche came to talk to my uni class, he was wearing traditional Tibetan robes that looked pretty clean.
Thank you, Zayl. I now have "The Sleeping Scotsman" playing in my head.
As to the OP: Do what you feel is best for you. If you want to alter your clothes, then do it. I would just caution you to consider that it could be some knee-jerk reaction to the realization of time and effort you use in selecting your outfits. Be mindful of what you choose to wear and why. And be aware of how those choices will affect those around you.
Invincible_summer, or course, but it's interesting to see how things were done historically, and the Dalai Lama himself has said that one of the good things to come out of the Chinese occupation is that the ornateness and expensiveness of robes made to show status were wiped out at the time. So I think that even if something is the ideal, if it seems a small enough matter, can be skewed even by followers, so I don't know what to go by but the code.
Also, I've never heard about the taking robes from the dead, Interesting, but it wouldn't be surprising, robes were often turned in when new robes were made, I guess in a situation where you don't use money, every resource counts... and of course the robe itself wouldn't have much value in the eyes of a monk... makes me thing of the first Jataka story of the youth experiencing his parents death and realizing their wealth didn't go with them. (yeah, I probably read way to much and put way to much store int text...I'm working on not...)
With metta.
I hope I don't come off as argumentative. I'm just trying to show that modern monastics don't necessarily follow the old Bhikku codes, as they may not be practical anymore.
I'm wondering, would cloth and robes be given within the context of dana?
With metta
I totally agree with this. :smilec: