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Thread: Shaolin monk robes

  1. #16
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    Can a dog have Buddha nature?

    And if a dog could be Buddha, what about a poseur?

    One of the fundamental precepts is "a disciple of Buddha is not possessive of the teaching". In the same vein, a disciple of Buddha is not possessive of the fashion.

    Sticky stuff, this zen.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  2. #17
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    my eyes hurt when i see americans wearing shaolin monk robes.

    its just a trapping is all. a fixation. there is no reason that an american would need to wear them. there are so many more options that are not only available but much more so appropriate.

    i can see the monks that are now living in america. possibly their students, if its required of them. but thats about it.

    hell im part native american and i dont walk around with a feather to block the sun and mockisans to warm my feet. ive got sneakers and a baseball cap if i need.
    For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    In the same vein, a disciple of Buddha is not possessive of the fashion.
    its only a "fashion" to non-monastics who like to dress up.

    for the buddha, it was meant for his disciples to stand out from the general public as followers of the buddha, so that they may teach or be requested. and in that case the precept follows, "a disciple of the buddha should not be stingy with the teachings".

    so the robes are reserved for monastics. now if just anyone dresses up this way, it defeats that purpose.

    but understandably, being one who markets these robes as costumes, its difficult to not find a way to make it seem fine. it could cost one sales or a job.

    Quote Originally Posted by David Jamieson View Post
    Dharma doesn't need protection. Part of it's lessons are the discernment of what is and what is not illusion.
    sure, but the point is that non-buddhists dont often know about it.

    they simply see the appearance and assume the person is a buddhist monk. then when that person's actions are not in line with or even go against buddhist ideals (or monastic precepts), then that damages the image of the dharma, turning people off to ever learning about it.

    so there is definitely a reason why monastic robes are reserved for the ordained, (not that all monastics are worthy of it).

    but the lay robes really arent that bad:

    jushifu- layman/ meditation clothing;
    http://www.xp333.com/uploads/WaterMa...2310595207.JPG
    haiqing- layman/ ceremonial robes;
    http://www.amtfweb.org/art%20of%20bu...hai%20qing.JPG

    why not this? why monastic robes??

  4. #19
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    I'm a robe salesman, guilty as charged.

    I'm a Shaolin shoe salesman too. Making your living by the sword is kind of hard nowadays, so I have to take on some extra jobs.

    I may have been one of the earliest marketers of Shaolin style robes to America. The founder of our mag, Roger Hagood, originally produced and sold his own interpretation of both Shaolin and Wudang style robes, so he's really the first. I first brought over robes after my first trip to Shaolin, initially for WLE, and then later for Tiger Claw. These were both initially based upon direct imports from Shaolin.

    At Shaolin, literally thousands of students wear robes. Not all of them are Buddhist. Taguo, the largest private school in the area (and surely the largest in the world) is run by card-carrying communists. They'll all robe up for mass demos and such. You can get robes made to order at Shaolin. Many of the martial arts stores carry them in a blindly array of colors (I still regret not getting a neon orange set I saw there years ago) as well as an assortment of styles. These are sold to students, tourists and the occasional pilgrim. My closet is full of robes. Seriously - I must have a few dozen of them, but not just from Shaolin. After all, I did take refuge elsewhere too.

    It's worthy of note that I've traveled Buddhist sites in Asia beyond Shaolin and found robes available at almost all of the significant sites. One of my most treasured set of robes is one I had tailor made for me at Bodh Gaya, where Buddha was enlightened. In many countries, donning monk robes is commonplace for initiates. It's encouraged. What's more, monks can 'disrobe'. While some monks will enter the monastery for the rest of their lives, many will only don robes for a short period, and then return to the world. In my experience, Buddhists are more than happy to get more people to robe up, just like they're happy to get people to read free literature.

    Monk robes aren't sacred. If you look at their origins, you'll realize that they are quite the opposite. "Excrement sweeping cloth"? Come on now. Who the heck wants to wear that? Buddhism arose from asceticism. Sure, there's some misconception issues in the west when they see someone wearing robes. There's a lot of misconceptions about Eastern religions. But that's really an issue of the west, a cross cultural issue. These issues are somewhat parallel to the martial arts uniforms in general.

    Of course, we all dislike frauds in the martial arts or in the religion. But I'm not going to deny a beginner his or her first uniform.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  5. #20

    Buy your robe and be a monk

    It's America and you're free to be what you want. There's a monk that has kids by several different women in America. There's a monk that drives his disciples to suicide. Anyone can be a Shaolin monk now in America. Just learn some wushu and buy a robe from Gene.

  6. #21
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    Now, now, I don't certify Shaolin monks

    Just because you have a robe doesn't mean your a monk. That's a major leap in logic, and at the heart of all the trouble here really.

    I do certify nacho ninjettes. Any interested applicants can contact me directly.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  7. #22
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    I'm getting this ad on Facebook...

    ...as if I don't have a closet full of these already...

    Imported Buddhist Men/Women Monk Robe



    Please choose the size that suits you according to your height range!
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    High-quality pure cotton plus high quality yarnmaterial, soft and smooth, draped and elegant. The sleeves are wide, the back is double-layered, and the midline is opened below the waist. Exquisite workmanship, solemn as the law. Multiple colors are available.

    Knead repeatedly 30 times without creases, put it on, so that your practice will no longer crease

    The drape is more solemn and the materials are selected carefully and responsibly. The drape of the Buddha clothing alone has been tested for 99 times. The drape makes you more solemn.

    Opaque prevents the underwear from showing through, carefully select more delicate and compact fabrics, wear it to prevent the inner underwear from being exposed

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    The workmanship is upgraded, and the service life is longer. A Buddhist clothing is a lifetime. Wearing it is like the sustenance of the soul.

    Buddhist monk saffron full robe suit Theravada monk missionary novice uniform

    Beautiful monk robe. This is a set of work clothes specially made for spiritual monks in countries that follow the Buddhist sect.

    A set of robes for devotees to the Buddha. The original robe was made of fabric. These are stitched together to form three rectangular pieces of cloth, which are then attached to the body in a specific way.

    It is an outer gown used in various occasions. It crosses over the tops and underwear. It is usually the most conspicuous clothing in the image of Buddha.
    There are more pix and more colors. I'm guessing it's a Halloween play.

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    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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