Hello, everyone. It’s not really like me to start threads, but I’ll give it a try. I’m also not sure if this is the right category, so mods, please feel free to move this wherever is appropriate.
I’m looking for specific instructions on the use of the robes that might be found in the Suttas or the Vinaya (rather than in later commentarial sources). For context: in our tradition, the three robes are described in a particular way and distinguished by how many pieces they are made of: the 5-piece (antaravāsa), the 7-piece (uttarāsaṅgha), and the 9-piece or higher (saṅghāti). The 7-piece robe is what you see on most Zen monks, the 5-piece robe has mostly become the small bib-like garment known as rakusu, while the 9-piece robe is used mainly for ceremonies, such as conferring the precepts and ordinations, and is more closely associated with fully ordained monks or transmitted teachers.
Most of the information we have about the robes comes from a blend of sources, such as the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, some material from the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a great deal of oral transmission, and what has been passed down from teacher to student.
What I’m interested in is whether there are specific instructions within the EBTs that describe when and how each of the three robes should be worn.
I hope this isn’t a foolish question. Please understand that our traditions can differ quite a bit in certain respects.
It’s not a foolish question at all! It’s right in our wheelhouse.
From my recollection, the number of panels is never specified in the early texts. Just that they can’t be a single piece. CORRECTION: at least one of them can’t be a single piece.
There is also very little about when the robes are to be worn other than:
You can’t be naked
You need to wear the upper robe covering both shoulders when in “inhabited areas” outside of a monastery
There are, of course, plenty of other rules about the robes and cloth in general.
I would cautiously recommend the Buddhist Monastic Code 2 chapter on the robes:
I say cautiously because these books often present a confusing mixture of root text and commentary. My advice would be to depend on the links that take you to the original sources.
There are some non-cannonical practices that have developed. For example most monks believe that you have to wear (or at least have within arms length) all three robes for the Patimokkha recital. No such rule.
In Sri Lanka a monk would never be in a public place within the monastery without wearing an upper robe. No such rule, but it’s strictly observed.
And oddly, in Sri Lanka most monks don’t cover both shoulders when in inhabited areas outside the monastery. I’ve heard the reason given that they consider the whole island to be a monastery. But don’t quote me on that.
I should also note that bhikkhunis may have other rules about wearing robes (and robes in general) but the above book won’t cover that. Hopefully one of our more knowledgeable venerables here can explain.
Thank you, first of all. I think I’ve seen this particular resource before—facepalm!
It does say that two of the three robes can be made from uncut fabric with a frame, which is also how we know it in our tradition. There are other possibilities as well, depending on how much fabric is available. For us, the saṅghāti is also double-layered. Well, mostly… mine is, and so are most folks’ I know, though I have heard of European monks/nuns who skip the second layer because it’s too hot.
As a sidenote, I was amused when some time ago, I showed a friend of mine, who’s a Theravada monk, my Okesa (uttarasanga) and he was so surprised, cause he had no clue we actually wear the robes.
As far as developed practices go, yes—convention is important in all traditions, and over time, things naturally evolve in certain directions. That’s how the robe has become mostly a ceremonial item in Chinese Buddhism and Japanese Zen. The inner robe wasn’t practical in the Chinese climate and was replaced by other styles, while in Japan and Korea, the inner robe became more like a bib.
I teach robe sewing and am quite familiar with certain rules and traditions, but I’ve seen very few direct quotations from texts, which is what prompted my question.
Speaking of conventions, I forgot the rule that only one has to be cut from pieces. It’s unusual to see someone with a sold robe other than a bathing cloth or a work robe.
Although not all monks and nuns were rag robe wearers, you can kind of get a better sense of the rules if you keep in mind that this was the ideal. Specifying the number of panels doesn’t make a lot of sense if someone has to cobble together a robe from scraps.
I have also heard some odd things about westerners and sanghatis. Like determining their sleeping bag as their sanghati. Not common, though.
I actually wear both the 7-piece and the single-piece, but they both have frames and ties. Because of how our ties are made, they determine a specific way in which the robe can be worn. Our robes are also smaller than what I’ve mostly seen in Theravada monks, though I know some who stick to what is closer to the EBTs in terms of size (I believe). My friend, Bhante Joe has a great discussion with a couple of other venerables on this topic here:
Regarding the number of panels and sizes, amounts of fabric, etc., I have been taught there are many different allowances made by the Buddha regarding that, so there are different ways of making the robe from cut pieces, as well as different ways of stitching them together. I made a robe that has a specific style of stitching called bird feet, which creates openings in the vertical and horizontal strips between pieces.
Precisely because of all these things, I am so interested in seeing the source material.
Bhante, thank you for your informative post. I also have a question regarding monastic attire: I have observed some Venerables abroad, such as in Australia and India, wearing T-shirts underneath their upper robes. I found this quite bewildering—why is it allowable for Bhikkhus to wear lay clothing? Could you please provide some insight on this? Thank you for your time.
If I may interject, I’m fairly sure the Buddha didn’t anticipate Spanish, Chinese, American, or German Buddhist śramaṇas living and practicing in climates completely different from his own. In China, for example, in the mountain regions, a single robe wasn’t enough to keep people warm, and they also had to do physical labor, which required other kinds of clothing. So they kept some parts of the traditional attire and modified others. The same goes for Tibet, for example.
These days, a T‑shirt under a robe hardly screams luxury or extravagance, and as I understand it, it still respects the spirit of the rules, even if not the letter. That’s a very important distinction, I think.
But, I speak from my own understanding, and coming from a tradition that’s slightly different than the Theravada, so I am sure someone else more knowledgeable will come offer an asnwer.
On the worksite it’s generally accepted that we wear clothing that is safe and appropriate to the task. In this photo I’m actually wearing a work sabong, but having spent a lot of time jumping over joists, it’s better to wear trousers. For one thing, I’m likely to expose my private parts and I’m often stepping on it as I climb up and down. Same thing goes for ladders.
That said, at Kusala we often wear t-shirts instead of the Thai style angsa. If you find that a bit sloppy, then I apologize. No one here has ever complained. Personally I find the angsa immodest in Australia.
We’ve had a whole thread on monastics wearing T-shirts
I’ve been told that bhikkhunis wearing T-shirts is immodest. As an Aussie and a t-shirt wearer; I disagree.In the end, it’s all about cultural context.
In Sri Lanka it’s common to see monks (mostly temple monks I guess) wearing a fitted long sleeve shirt with a Nehru collar. I don’t think I have ever seen a female monastic not in one. But I never see monastics in short sleeve shirts of any kind. In the upcountry where it is cold I see monks in long sleeve knit material for warmth.
I could only speculate as to how this came about. Perhaps it was a colonial influence (or a push back against it). It’s certainly not an issue of climate in the majority of the country.
I’m a bit slack not wearing a long sleeve t-shirt at work. The combination of extreme UV and a lack of skin pigmentation is a major killer here down under. On the other hand, a long sleeve t-shirt on a 40C day isn’t so pleasant either.
Honestly the long sleeve/short sleeve thing makes no sense to me. I suppose in Sri Lanka it’s because long is more formal. Otherwise I don’t see any objective reason why long is more appropriate. Except for sun.
Because of how our ties are made, they determine a specific way in which the robe can be worn. Our robes are also smaller than what I’ve mostly seen in Theravada monks, though I know some who stick to what is closer to the EBTs in terms of size (I believe). My friend, Bhante Joe has a great discussion with a couple of other venerables on this topic here:
As an Aussie and a t-shirt wearer; I disagree.In the end, it’s all about cultural context.