Kesa, Kimono, Rakusu, etc

[Koushu]

I found this link and thought to be of some interest to those of us interested in the articles of Zen.

http://terebess.hu/zen/szoto/ruha.html

I will write further on this matter but I thought maybe Jundo Sensei and Taigu Sensei might have some interesting teaching, advice or comments on this subject.

After finishing my Rakusu for Jukai, though I need much more practice in it I am very interested in how the other garments of traditional practice are created. As I am sure others may also share that interest too.

Gassho
拡手
Koushu

Satoday

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[Jundo]

Hi Koushu,

Nishijima Roshi, who was often seen in both the formal robes of a Soto Zen Priest or in a business suit (with Kesa), honored the Kesa and Rakusu. He would sometimes say that our wearing all the other traditional robes is just dressing up in costume like "old Chinese people from the Tang Dynasty".

Wearing some special clothing ... just like making a special sacred space in our homes with incense where we sit Zazen ... helps us to realize some sacred moment and to step back from the dusty day-to-day world a bit. Some people are helped by that. Other people can find their "sacred space" anywhere in the world, just as some people can find the sacred moment whatever they are wearing. Some folks appreciate the old gear, some folks get hung up on it as if "Zen" requires tatami mats, shoji screens and special decorations (it does not!)

I put on special robes for our Sangha Zazenkai each month, and in this Sangha we encourage the sewing the Kesa and Rakusu Buddha's robes as a sacred act, a meaningful robe that symbolizes this Way. I wear the "full gear" once in awhile, for our monthly Zazenkai, simply to be respectful of tradition at such times. I honor tradition during some special ceremonies like Jukai, out of respect for our Ancestors and to mark the moment. Other times (in fact, most days) I sit in a t-shirt and shorts with Rakusu. Many times, on the spur of the moment or away from home, I sit with the "Rakusu" that is only felt in my heart and not seen by the eye.

I believe that we can sit anywhere, that all of life is sacred when tasted as such ... that the most ordinary is special ... that there is no sacred space left out. Don't exclude one way or the other, so long as all is held as sacred! One does not need some special robe or any gear to sit Zazen, just a Rakusu or a Kesa seen or unseen.

Gassho, J

PS - Good time to repost my "Turning Japanese" essay, which some folks around here have seen a hundred times:

======================================

This practice is not limited to any place or time ... we drop all thought of place and time. It certainly is not Indian, Chinese, Japanese, French or American. But, of course, we live in place and time, so as Buddhism traveled over the centuries from India to China, Japan, Korea and other places, it naturally became very Indian/Chinese/Japanese/Korean etc.

But what of the cultural trappings?

Must we bow, ring bells, chant (in Japanese, no less), wear traditional robes, have Buddha Statues, burn incense? ... All that stuff besides Zazen. Are they necessary to our Practice?


No, not at all!


We don't need anything other than Zazen, any of those trappings. In fact, they are no big deal, of no importance, when we drop all viewpoints in sitting Zazen.

On the other hand, we have to do something, to greet each other somehow, read some words, dress some way. Why not do such things? As I often say, for example, we have to do something with our hands when practicing walking Zazen ... why not hold them in Shashu (I mean, better than sticking 'em in your pockets)? What is more, wearing certain special clothes and holding one's hands with a certain formality, placing a statue and burning incense can all work as points of focus to remind us of the specialness of this moment and Practice (no problem so long as we also learn the lesson that all the so-called "mundane" instants of life, great and small, are special moments, each a "sacred ceremony" in its way, from taking a bath to making a peanut butter sandwich for the kids).

As well, there are parts of our practice which we do BECAUSE we resist (for example, when visiting a temple for Retreat, I usually put my heart fully into ceremonies and arcane rituals BECAUSE I resist and think some of it silly or old fashioned). Ask yourself where that kind of resistance is to be found (here's a clue, and it is right behind your own eyes).

What is more, there is method to the madness, and many (not all) customs have centuries of time tested benefits ... embody subtle perspectives ... that support and nurture Zazen Practice at the core. Many parts of our Practice, though "exotic", are worth keeping, even if they strike someone as strange at first. Bowing, statues, rigid decorum in the Zen Hall and, yes, weird talks about Koans and arcane ceremonies all fit in that category. They may seem like unnecessary "Japanese" or "Esoteric" elements at first, until you understand the role they serve. I have given talks on all these things recently, for example ... the humility and wholeness of Bowing.

Many aspects of tradition can be seen in new ways when the barriers of the mind are knocked down. Thus, for example, the Kesa, the Buddha's Robes ... though just cloth ... can be seen to cover and enfold the whole universe, laughter, cries of pain, old age, becoming and fading away ... life ...

On the other hand again, it is okay to abandon or reject many practices. However, KNOW very well what you are rejecting before you reject it.

Absorb what is useful and discard the rest. For example, I think Oryoki [formal meal ritual] is a great practice, and worth keeping.. Same for bowing.

When tasted as such ... every action and gesture in this life is Sacred and Magical when experienced as such, from changing a baby diaper to cooking dinner to chanting the Heart Sutra. So, why not Chant as well as the rest?

Some things I keep out of respect for TRADITION [the robes, the ways of doing some ceremonies]. It is important to keep ties to where we come from. Some things also have a special symbolic meaning if you look into them, so worth keeping [for example, a Rakusu]

But other stuff, no need to keep: For example, I usually avoid to chant in Japanese or Chinese [except once in awhile, out of respect for tradition]. Tatami mats and Paper screens have nothing to do with Zen practice particularly [but I happen to live in an old Japanese building, so ... well, tatami and paper screens!} Some things I think are just dumb (except symbolically), like the Kyosaku stick. Incense is great, until it was recently shown to cause cancer. Many beliefs of Buddhism are rather superstitious things that were picked up here and there. I abandon many of those.

The outer wrap of Zen Buddhism is changing greatly as it moves West. The greater emphasis on lay practice over monastics, the greater democracy in what was a feudal institution (arising in societies where the teacher's word was law ... oh, those were the days! ), giving the boot to a lot of magico-supersticio hocus-pocus bunkum, the equal place of women ... heck, the use of the internet to bring teachings that were once the preserve of an elite few into everyone's living room.Those are good and great changes to the outer wrapping (you can read about them in books like this one (author interview here: http://atheism.about.com/library/boo...olemanChat.htm). The coreless core, however, remains unchanged.

Do not throw out the Baby Buddha with the bath water. Many completely "Japanese" practices which seem silly at first are worth keeping. ...

... other things, like some of the arcane incense, bell & drum filled rituals, take 'em or leave 'em.

Gassho, J

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR4XNqrqxrU

[Koushu]

I haven't figured out how to copy only selected parts so I will just, everything that you have said I agree with. To that as for myself I think there is at least in my practice the use of the traditional elements at least many of them if understood in the right spectrum are beneficial, again in my practice. For example the Heart Sutra, I too lived in Japan, so some reason even though I understand the Heart Sutra in Japanese, when I recite it in English I seem to focus on the words rather than the core which is hard to explain because I don't understand it with my mind but rather my being.

Again I agree with you. I personally think that at least the kesa and some of the other elements if done in practice like when we sew our rakusu could be of benefit to an individual's practice. This is why I posted this link.

Gassho
拡手
Koushu

Satoday

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[Jundo]

That sounds like a good attitude, Koushu.

By the way, many of the elements in that link you shared would only be for a Japanese monk in a monastery or on pilgrimage.



When I recently went on "Takuhatsu" ritual begging with some Japanese priests, I had to borrow some of the gear such as the leggings and special straw hat ...


AnnonjiTakuhatsu.jpg

I did see that the page you linked to featured a picture of my Dharma Grandfather, Niwa Zenji, former Abbot of Eiheiji and "Pope" of the Soto-shu, wearing a Okuwara style Rakusu, a kind of large Rakusu worn over the shoulder. That is only for bigwigs like Popes. He was quite a dresser though.



The article also does not seem to cover much about Nyoho-e style, which is what we Practice here. The cut of the Rakusu and Kesa is not the same as the Soto-shu standard.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jwroberts27]

That sounds like a good attitude, Koushu.

By the way, many of the elements in that link you shared would only be for a Japanese monk in a monastery or on pilgrimage.



When I recently went on "Takuhatsu" ritual begging with some Japanese priests, I had to borrow some of the gear such as the leggings and special straw hat ...


[ATTACH=CONFIG]3937[/ATTACH]

I did see that the page you linked to featured a picture of my Dharma Grandfather, Niwa Zenji, former Abbot of Eiheiji and "Pope" of the Soto-shu, wearing a Okuwara style Rakusu, a kind of large Rakusu worn over the shoulder. That is only for bigwigs like Popes. He was quite a dresser though.



The article also does not seem to cover much about Nyoho-e style, which is what we Practice here. The cut of the Rakusu and Kesa is not the same as the Soto-shu standard.

Gassho, J

SatToday

Hi Jundo, just wondering, what are the differences between the two rakusu styles?



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[Jundo]

Hi Jundo, just wondering, what are the differences between the two rakusu styles?

Shingen, sounds like a question up your alley.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Mp]

Hi Jundo, just wondering, what are the differences between the two rakusu styles?

Hello there,

Well actually there is no difference at all. The Rakusu or the Okesa is the Buddha's body and mind, therefore there is only one. =)

That being said there are some variety when it comes to Rakusus. Here in Soto Zen we have two styles, one is the SotoShu styles and the other is the Nyoho-e style (which is what we practice here at Treeleaf). Below you can see the two Soto styles. The one on the left is a SotoShu style and the one on the right at Nyoho-e. Can you see the difference?

teachers-rakusu.jpg79238045_o.jpg

If you look at the pattern in the middle you will see the difference. Each comes from the same source, where Shakyamuni Buddha asked Ananda to create a garment that would help identify his disciples ... this pattern was inspired by a rice field that Shakyamuni has seen. The measurements and pattern maybe slightly different, but what the Buddha's robe represents is the same. Also the SotoShu may have a ring on the left Sao (like the Rinzai rakusu below), in the Nyoho-e tradition a ring is not used.

Below is a Rakusu from the Rinzai tradition ... here you will see that they are almost exact to the SotoSho style. There is a slight difference in the pattern, but not by much. Also you will notice that in the Soto tradition we have a broken pine needle on the Maneki (the flap at the back attached to the Sao), where as the Rinzai tradition have a mountain.

rakusu-black-large.jpg


Soto Broken Pine Needle
79238041_o.jpg

Rinzai Mountain
3.jpg

But again, even though there are some difference, they are the same ... they are the Buddha's body and mind. I hope that helps. =)

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[Jundo]

Let me add that most of the Soto-shu style Rakusu are sold and purchased from specialized "Ho-i" or "Dharma Tailor" shops in Japan, and almost all would not be hand sewn. In the sewing circle here we introduced some scholar's articles about how the Nyoho-e tradition developed among many teachers, including around Homeless Kodo Sawaki, and that tradition emphasizes hand sewing. The Nyoho-e developed in part as an attempt to get back to a more "original" or "authentic" type of Kesa from the Soto-shu mandated style, although it is questionable whether either style is exactly the cut of Kesa or Rakusu worn by Soto or other Japanese or Chinese monks of the past. Nonetheless, the sewing tradition is lovely and powerful, much more than buying some fancy suit "off the rack" I feel.

The Rakusu and Kesa from the Dharma Tailors can also be incredibly fancy, with prices to match! For example, this one, although not particularly the fanciest I have seen, runs about US $200.

http://www.myoshinji-shop.jp/fs/myoshinji/10613

Although sewing the Buddhist robe is an
ancient practice described in early vinaya and sutta (scriptural) sources, these
sewing groups are creating new traditions that address contemporary Japanese
religious and social concerns. The fukudenkai [sewing circles] allow mixed groups or lay and
ordained as well as male and female believers to participate in sewing Buddhist
robes together, a practice that almost certainly was unheard of in premodern
times. Fukudenkai also challenge the dependent relationship between commercial
robe manufacturers and contemporary Buddhist institutions. Contemporary
Japanese Soto Zen clergy routinely order robes from catalogues of robe manufacturers
at prices ranging from approximately $850 to $3200 for a seven-panel robe,
and nine-panel robes used for ceremonial occasions can cost as much as $22,000
for an embroidered robe (Matsumotoya 2003, pp. 1-65). The clergy order by
phone and have little if any direct contact with the robe maker, nor can they
alter the design of the robe or ask for alternate fabrics as the Soto Zen organization
(Soto Shumucho 曹?同宗務庁）has established strict guidelines for the robe
makers. Fukudenkai present an alternative to the commercial relationship to
robes that the Soto organization recommends.
The first half of this paper briefly outlines the history, key figures, and texts
that provided the scholarly grounding for two twentieth-century teachers: Sawaki
Kodo and Hashimoto Eko. Their interpretation ofDogen5s 道元(1200-1253) view
of the robe and subsequent Tokugawa-period Soto research on the robe was
implemented and expanded by their disciples and has become the foundation for
the practice of hand sewing the Buddhist robe as an integral part of Buddhist
practice.

https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/2849

Folks also ask about the ring, found on some (but not all) Soto-shu style Rakusu, but not in Nyoho-e. Well, a circle can be given all kinds of meanings of wholeness in Zen, of course, like the circle of the Enso ...



But really, the origin is not so fantastic. It was the connecting hook to tie the Kesa together ... a hook holder.



I have also heard it said that, in some Western Sangha, "only teachers are allowed rings." That is not so in Japan, but the rings are not part of Nyoho-e anyway.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jwroberts27]

Let me add that most of the Soto-shu style Rakusu are sold and purchased from specialized "Ho-i" or "Dharma Tailor" shops in Japan, and almost all would not be hand sewn. In the sewing circle here we introduced some scholar's articles about how the Nyoho-e tradition developed among many teachers, including around Homeless Kodo Sawaki, and that tradition emphasizes hand sewing. The Nyoho-e developed in part as an attempt to get back to a more "original" or "authentic" type of Kesa from the Soto-shu mandated style, although it is questionable whether either style is exactly the cut of Kesa or Rakusu worn by Soto or other Japanese or Chinese monks of the past. Nonetheless, the sewing tradition is lovely and powerful, much more than buying some fancy suit "off the rack" I feel.

The Rakusu and Kesa from the Dharma Tailors can also be incredibly fancy, with prices to match! For example, this one, although not particularly the fanciest I have seen, runs about US $200.

http://www.myoshinji-shop.jp/fs/myoshinji/10613

https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/2849

Folks also ask about the ring, found on some (but not all) Soto-shu style Rakusu, but not in Nyoho-e. Well, a circle can be given all kinds of meanings of wholeness in Zen, of course, like the circle of the Enso ...



But really, the origin is not so fantastic. It was the connecting hook to tie the Kesa together ... a hook holder.



I have also heard it said that, in some Western Sangha, "only teachers are allowed rings." That is not so in Japan, but the rings are not part of Nyoho-e anyway.

Gassho, J

SatToday

Shingen and Jundo, thank you very much for answering my question, and un-asked follow up! I agree this is a beautiful tradition, and I've been trying to learn more about it.

Gassho,
John
#Sattoday


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