We might think that Master Dogen was "all about the Sitting" and nothing else, but the fact is that he was also all about other aspects of practice, from work and cooking, to bowing and chanting various things, living by the Precepts, cleaning and (yes) even the truly SACRED nature of our ordinary actions like going to the toilet or brushing teeth! We can't be sitting Zazen on the Zafu all the time! 
So, our modern minds might resist the notion, but Master Dogen felt that a symbol of our way, embodying this Path and to be honored and treated as sacred, is the wearing of the Kesa (also called the Kasaya, the Buddha's Robe worn over the shoulder.)
Yes, maybe it is something like that other religion nails two pieces of wood together and finds their sacred symbol, all their teachings embodied there, but really the Kesa for us is more than just a "symbol." It is the embodiment of the Teachings and Practices, all the Buddhas and Ancestors, sewn into its cloth. (Hey, this is religion, Dogen was a pretty mystical fellow, so what do you want?)
More than a symbol, we recite and truly feel that the Kesa is (to quote the Verse of the Kesa we recite when placing the Kesa on) ...
.
By the way, in our Soto Zen 'Nyoho-e' tradition (but not all Soto Zen Sangha are 'Nyoho-e'), both Ordained priests AND lay folks are encouraged to sew and wear the FULL Kesa (as well as the Rakusu, an abbreviated version) once they have undertaken the Bodhisattva Precepts in Jukai: LINK and LINK) In our Treeleaf Sangha, many of our members sew and wear a Full Kesa, as well as a Rakusu, after Jukai.
Now, you don't have to believe Ol' Jundo on this, and can just read passages by Dogen like the following from Shobogenzo Den'e and Kesa-Kudoku, plus so many other places, some of the about 75+ pages in which Dogen Zenji is truly OVER THE TOP (even for Dogen!
) about the sacred Kesa. Yes, there is a single passage in Zuimonki where Dogen says basically "if you cannot get a Robe & Bowl for awhile, practice anyway." But he also says, when you get one PUT IT ON! 
WOW! Dogen dug'm some Kesa!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
For EVEN MORE about Dogen getting into Kesa, check out ... LINK
Gassho, J
stlah tsuku.jpg
So, our modern minds might resist the notion, but Master Dogen felt that a symbol of our way, embodying this Path and to be honored and treated as sacred, is the wearing of the Kesa (also called the Kasaya, the Buddha's Robe worn over the shoulder.)Yes, maybe it is something like that other religion nails two pieces of wood together and finds their sacred symbol, all their teachings embodied there, but really the Kesa for us is more than just a "symbol." It is the embodiment of the Teachings and Practices, all the Buddhas and Ancestors, sewn into its cloth. (Hey, this is religion, Dogen was a pretty mystical fellow, so what do you want?)
More than a symbol, we recite and truly feel that the Kesa is (to quote the Verse of the Kesa we recite when placing the Kesa on) ...
.
Robe of Liberation boundless
Field beyond both form and formless
Wearing the Tathagatas Teachings
Field beyond both form and formless
Wearing the Tathagatas Teachings
By the way, in our Soto Zen 'Nyoho-e' tradition (but not all Soto Zen Sangha are 'Nyoho-e'), both Ordained priests AND lay folks are encouraged to sew and wear the FULL Kesa (as well as the Rakusu, an abbreviated version) once they have undertaken the Bodhisattva Precepts in Jukai: LINK and LINK) In our Treeleaf Sangha, many of our members sew and wear a Full Kesa, as well as a Rakusu, after Jukai.
Now, you don't have to believe Ol' Jundo on this, and can just read passages by Dogen like the following from Shobogenzo Den'e and Kesa-Kudoku, plus so many other places, some of the about 75+ pages in which Dogen Zenji is truly OVER THE TOP (even for Dogen!
) about the sacred Kesa. Yes, there is a single passage in Zuimonki where Dogen says basically "if you cannot get a Robe & Bowl for awhile, practice anyway." But he also says, when you get one PUT IT ON! WOW! Dogen dug'm some Kesa!
.
"You should know that a kashaya [Kesa] is what all buddhas respect and take refuge in. It is the buddha body, the buddha mind. It is called the clothing of emancipation, the robe of the field of benefaction, the robe beyond form, the unsurpassable robe, the robe of patience, the Tathagata’s robe, the robe of great love and great compassion, the robe as a victorious banner, and the robe of unsurpassable, complete enlightenment. Receive it indeed with utmost respect. . ... The Buddha said, “The miraculous power of the kashaya is beyond thought.” It is not something ordinary people or wise sages can comprehend. When the dharma king’s body is immediately actualized, the kashaya is always worn. Those who do not wear a kashaya have never actualized the dharma king’s body. ... During the twelve years of his practice before attaining the way, Shakyamuni Buddha venerated the kashaya without putting it aside. As a remote descendant, you should keep this in mind. Turn your head away from worshipping heaven, gods, kings, and retainers for the sake of name and gain, and joyfully dedicate yourself to venerating the buddha robe ..."
"You should know that a kashaya [Kesa] is what all buddhas respect and take refuge in. It is the buddha body, the buddha mind. It is called the clothing of emancipation, the robe of the field of benefaction, the robe beyond form, the unsurpassable robe, the robe of patience, the Tathagata’s robe, the robe of great love and great compassion, the robe as a victorious banner, and the robe of unsurpassable, complete enlightenment. Receive it indeed with utmost respect. . ... The Buddha said, “The miraculous power of the kashaya is beyond thought.” It is not something ordinary people or wise sages can comprehend. When the dharma king’s body is immediately actualized, the kashaya is always worn. Those who do not wear a kashaya have never actualized the dharma king’s body. ... During the twelve years of his practice before attaining the way, Shakyamuni Buddha venerated the kashaya without putting it aside. As a remote descendant, you should keep this in mind. Turn your head away from worshipping heaven, gods, kings, and retainers for the sake of name and gain, and joyfully dedicate yourself to venerating the buddha robe ..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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"There is more merit in seeing the buddha robe (Kesa/Kashaya), hearing the teaching of it, and making offerings to it than in presiding over the billion worlds. To be the king of a nation where the robe exists is an outstanding birth among innumerable births and deaths; it is indeed the most supreme birth ... Although the power of the Tathagata’s dharma is not lacking and its benefit is broad for thousands of years, even for those who did not receive heir-to-heir transmission of kashaya, those who received authentic heir-to hei transmission of kashaya are not the same as those who didn’t. Therefore, when humans or devas receive a robe, they should receive one authentically transmitted by the buddha ancestors. In India and China, even laypeople received kashaya in the Ages of True Dharma and Imitation Dharma. Nowadays, in the lands remote from India when the buddha dharma is thin and declining, those who shave their heads and faces, calling themselves the Buddha’s disciples, do not maintain the kashaya. They do not believe, know, or understand that the kashaya is to be maintained. What a pity! How can they know its form, color, and measurement? How can they know the proper way to wear it? A kashaya has been called the garment of emancipation. The hindrances of actions and defilements, and the effects of unwholesome action are all removed by it. If a dragon obtains a small piece of kashaya, it can be cured of febrile diseases. If an ox touches a kashaya with one of its horns, its past wrongdoings disappear. When buddhas attain the way, they always wear a kashaya. Know that its power is unsurpassable and most venerable. It is regrettable that we have been born in a remote land in the Age of Declining Dharma. However, we have the joy of meeting the teaching of the robe transmitted from buddha to buddha, heir to heir. In what lineage has Shakyamuni’s teaching of the robe been transmitted as authentically as it has been in ours? Who would not show reverence and make offerings upon meeting the teaching of the robe? You should make such offerings just for one day, even if you need to give up immeasurable lives to do so. You should vow to meet, uphold, revere, and make offerings to the robe, birth after birth, generation after generation."
For EVEN MORE about Dogen getting into Kesa, check out ... LINK
Gassho, J
stlah tsuku.jpg
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