By Ashi Gawsaka

I would like to write about the robes worn by Theravada Buddhist monks, taking my reference from the Pali scriptures.
In the beginning of the Buddha’s lifetime all the monks wore only the robes made of discarded pieces of cloth (panthukula civara) sometimes taken from rubbish heaps or even from the cemetery and sewed and dyed by themselves. Why did they wear such unattractive old robes? Because they wished to remove all the impediments to the solitary life.

The number of Buddhist monks increased day by day. In later years the Buddha allowed monks to accept robes offered by people. But if the monk practiced the austerity of wearing old rags he had to wear only robes made of these and never an offered robe. In those times most people offered a strip of cloth. If there was not enough to make a robe, the monks went on collecting until there was. Up to about 1955 this tradition was carried on in Burma and Sri Lanka. The Buddha taught no attachment to beauty, nor did he encourage unnecessary ugliness, but rather a simple approach to dress that would give the right impression to devotees.

What colour were the monks’ robes and how did they dye them? In the Buddha’s time a few monks dyed their robes with animal waste and mud. So they were ugly in colour. The Buddha was told about it and he said to the monks, ‘I will allow you to dye with six things: roots, boles, barks, leaves, flowers and fruits.’ Thereafter some monks dyed their robes in cold water. But the robes stank of the dye. When this was reported to the Buddha, he allowed the monks to boil the dye in a small pot. The Mahavagga Commentary lists the names of improper things for dye. But most of these only existed in Asia so it is difficult to understand.

Monks could dye robes to get between yellow and brown-red with any of the six materials allowed. Bright yellow like saffron, dark-brown and bright red were not allowed because they were considered beautiful and used to satisfy personal vanity. You can see where the monks lived in the Buddha’s lifetime and which suitable trees or plants were easy to get dye from for the robes; they were not exactly the same as today. Nowadays people offer ready-made robes so that monks have no need to sew and dye their own. But they keep on wearing the traditional colour.

In Burma some Buddhist sects alter the robe to be more in accordance with the rules of the Vinaya. If they think the robe is not close enough to the traditional colour they will dye it again. When I was living in my village’s monastery as a novice my teacher collected three or four different barks and boiled these together and put the ready washed robes in the dye’s boiling water. He also put in some alum and catechu for setting the colour. He told me that some trees had an astringent taste which meant they were good for this task. The robes were washed and dried carefully to avoid loss of colours. The robes held their colour for some two years but I found the colours didn’t hold as well as in present-day clothes.

Why don’t monks wear ordinary clothes? Well there are nine listed faults in such clothes. These disadvantages relate to expense, maintenance, keeping clean, durability, restrictions of size and style, unsuitability for a life of simplicity, social implications, motivations of attractiveness and finally clarity of duties relating to dress. There are also twelve qualities of the robes listed. These relate to cheapness; simplicity of making, of wearing, of mending and of fitting; suitability for a monk’s lifestyle; ease of wearing and packing; not breaking any precept in their manufacture; causing very little envy; low temptation to thieves; low satisfaction to personal vanity and, finally, that there is less sense of personal possession. When you compare these robes with those of other Buddhist traditions you may gain more insight into Buddhist ideas.

May you understand the Dhamma. May you love the truth. May you be happy and peaceful.