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    8 views13 pages

    Kieschnick Robe

    Uploaded by

    Claudio Henrique

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Jony xrescunres ‘The Symbolism of the Monk’s Robe in China INTRODUCTION: ROBE AS EMBLEM 1 China, a8 elsewhere, the Buddhiet monk was defined in pact by his belies, hi writings, and hs otstory. Busta imporant to the monk's ‘denny war the way he looked, Even when seen from a datnce, monks {and nuns. China have slvays been ready dferemated rom other pes ‘of people. The most vse of distinguinhing characteris was the shaven pute tradidonal Chin, lag hair was always the fashion, whether among ‘men of women; oulsde of monks and nans, only criminals had shaven heads! The costom of saving the moni head es be traced back tothe sles accounts of ordination tals in Ladin Buddha und va pntce ‘Bat Chinese monks have continued te thi day Inthe sme way, the monk's lothing has always been an emblem ofthe profession, whether im ancient India oF China. When biographers of Chinese monks nate thei jer’ decision 1 “leave the family" and become 1 monk, they do 30 withthe phrase *he cutoffs heir end donned the black robes of the monk” Had 5 not been forthe distictive aray of religions profesional in ancient Indi, ofr the porvtent studs of Chine towards clothing and nu (the robe would noc have acquired such importance Founders ofthe Buddhist monastic order had many options when de termining proper attire for monks, ranging from elaborate gowns to 20 clothing + all In ancient India, rome Jane went completely naked — 3 rte stalwart Juin aeatics have continued to this day while ates tual specialists were expect co wear garment of grea! refinement? The ‘Teas on the Pefesion of Great Wisdom a text now avaiable ony Chi neve but probably tansated ora lest based on « medieval Indian org ral ~ reflects the predominant Buddhist postion on clothing in medieval Sie Fan isn fon) Mi, “changing sting be po Sanggan e yugaengang” REUEORAM arid fea ony sel ep trees 1 ee Pal Deen Jom don Restle. JOHN KIESCHNICK Lai when i states: “The white robed [Brahe] forthe ake of pleasure beep various sorts of garments In conta fle eligionst inthe natn of suceicinm go shamnalovly naked Te for this reason thatthe dieples of the Buddha reject oth extremes and practice a middle way? Passages like this dneloue the need fo dsuincuan, for marking outa place for the ‘mouk inthe socal hlerarcy of ancient India deed one of dhe reaens the monastic regulations give for forbidding mons to bathe naked wat that they would ik being wate for sadn ascetic ater than Bud hist monka* In other words, in India the monk's rabe was sig of pr det asec, placing he Buda menk neatly between the well desed [aban and the nebed Jon {Tn Chin, the distinction between the Buddhist monk andthe redial acetie was pever important. Chincre ha from very eatly on shunned mi ity, and there was no ascetic movement i China comparable to thoze im India strong encngh to challenge the taboo. The prominent seventh-cents ry Chinese monk Daoxuan if gave a more immediate justification for ‘loshing in hiv inflental guidebook for monastic ie, che Nott on Paci, withthe words “As our body abides amidst the entanglement the world, ‘we mist atend to comportment, snd fr shielding oneself rom ust and ‘Sain nothing surpanes clothing” Later in he same text, a compendia ‘of quctations form various versons ofthe moneae regulations organized by theme, Dacxancetirne to the serena ne of elothing as «shield from the cal. For Chinese monks ike Deoxuan clothing wat akon for granted: the posbilty of « naked clergy wat not enerisined. But while Chinese ‘monks didnot, like thelr Indian counterparts, have to negotiate a deliate balance between worldly decadence and excomve ascetic zea, they sl nesded to distinguish themseves fom other guts, religious and secale, in Chinese sci Dace WIE Shs Madarjtp rein) 38 Tae 08 ol 898.938 “oan Wyuna, dha More fing eof he De en (chtnge Coeig’ Brg =e erp SS RRB Fae a Eibworne ya mn scnestoe bees hl wade aia BARS eens Sie AWN mlb ae we sles Te eoate Pye AUER BHE Nene Dvn nokeha ton wae AMATO BST ale RL aie ie poh 9 BE tiiewentaree 7 ond Fae" hab ae maine: The Symon of he Rasy Stab A Wiogeaphy of the grt cighth-cencury exegete Zhaasan FRA de seriber his decision to abandon a premixng career ae an offical forthe Vite af amonk ne change of clothing, ying simply that he removed his scholars robe and registered as monk.” Ina similar ease dating tothe Tang era, te monk Zhengong 2" (540-824), alee pusing the ev ser ice examinations, was on die verge of begining a carece a) an oil, “ut before he ha donned the official robe ofc, he fll ita a dine sion of profound principles with ssremana, and decided to wear instead {he rober of a monk.” Both passages presume the existence ofan estab lished thetrie of thing in China meant to mirror the socal bizare, sonia were one category of people among many — official, elder, peas Gn = cach marked by aditncive uniform, Certainly thers was mara to itingulsh« monk ftom «scholar fil than clothing, but when sare Jing forthe most concite symbol to mark the diguncton, whiter tuned 16 the robes they wore, Jat as monk's be ~ in Chinese lake BE (fom the Sensi Aijyo}~ disingulshed him fom a8 ofa, warations i the robe alto distinguished differen ypes of monks Is India, monks belong ing to different schools wore dilereat-coloced robes, eanging rom red tnd ochee to ise and black, while medieval Chin, monks rom die ft regions were recognized by the calor oftheir robes ~ pte lack In the Jiangnan region, brows inthe area azund Kaifeng, and soon Th thert, the mooi’ robe were eae imporant ea mack of dane: tion in China ar they were im Inds. Chinese monks fey wed to their [Bacldhiat dentiy dd aot give up ther robes without reluctance, and we fave many seco of monks who red peeteation rather than sucen der their tober. Converely, for enemies of Buddhism the monk's vabe became a locus of criticism and ridicule A tling cate of the dangers of donning the monsric robe is ace inthe persecution of Buddhism during the reign ofthe Tang emperor Wang (842-849). In China, monk ia _gencal wore black bes: indeed, fem a least the Tang on, woke were inom fn nie ian iow eos * Segara 0 1 Satsomesan op se 1am one ode a gage 8 88, To. cu vel gp. nsec fle Rc ul a din ete ag joun nteseunicn cen sefered to simply a8 the “back obed ones” (i 4). During Wu: ong’ reign, becatne of «prophecy that *blacked-robed emperors” woul ‘ne day rae the lant he culo of monks robes was cited ax reaton «ny forthe elimination ofthe entice monate order! Ieper representatives Continued to pay patisalr attention ea the robes ofthe monk ensigns of ‘he monastic ile in the perscition tha followed. One imperal edict an ouced: “The black clothing ofthe monks and the suns ofthe ln who have been ened tly Ife should lib cslecte and bared by their rapetive prefecearee and subprlectare Is fare tha! he ofl. ave used Their ewes to ide (monks snl uns) in heir private homes an that tect mots and man sco hs Dc rebes These should be rshsaly| onfscnted and al burned and the matter reported tothe throne, I afer ‘he burning tore be monks or nine who wer their Back ober and have ‘otaiven ther all up ane these be tose who protect monks and mans at {he ime of the invesigaton they shall be sentenced te death in acon ‘Bac with the Imperial ic” Given the importance attached to the monk's robe even by those ox side ofthe clergy, i i no wonder that Teading Chinese monks devoted. Cnsidcable attention to peseibing the prope form monastic bes should take In theory, this wae not quetion of novation but rather of corect pretation ofthe admonitions ofthe Buddha, as recorded inthe sip trot, which contained ample information on the robes ofthe monk, The deal monase garment propagated in Indian Buddhist texts s comprised of lee pesos a retangslar piece of cloth wrapped around the waist 30 hac covers the lower body, another rectangular garment draped over the Teft shoulder and a hed rectangular garment draped over he ashe wo {figure 1!"The toner robe (Sk. antrodi) was wore tall times and could bbe worn without the ther garments when working inside the monastery Con hot days. The upper garment (atarerenga was worn on most other 0€ sft 9 Ei ae ben HR aa Sg "Ewin ©, Retchanes, Ent Fase in Teng Ching |New Yor Th Ronald Breve Com pasys roe bon een Ease Tupelo je rhe ARISE PLE ajcbeany Hatin wey chante itl pga a Re a ‘Aches Fem Coney ssh pegs mba ut “Tsee Ab Genel “Polgmes he Sy fb Bhs Dri Cee Seal swe tr neh bp Bos ‘gure The Tre Raber ‘ations. The outer cobe amghai) was to be worn when in public, seh 8 Alring alm rounds or when in the presence of high officials * Given the simplicity of the basic design =the rectangular pisces of loth ~ the rules goverting the composition ofthe robes ate surprisingly complex The outer be, fr instance, was made up af variously five, 2. Co ce Li ‘en: ine three, fen or tore ep of elath, with each snip divide into several segment figure 2). Dilfeent texte provided diferent guidlines fo I the number and s2e ofthe rips The ULE) Obemarspestacinaye, for instance, Jd recommended 3 tbe of five vertical rt The Onur Rabe ateipa HE mae up often square path Teascelecompiad fj iy 02 butt a allowed fora Stace sat pe The Sere seragon. vl 4p: 8978 's Gr le te ete peal, andthe.” an sae" ladon end Chg i jhe Hage TSF yo, Tan a8 sl mp satan asp Re jouw xieseuniex sadovnaya vides robes nt tres type, withthe “lowest grade” having 9. ‘oor 19 srips the “medi grade” 15,175 0rrgvand te “highest grade” {io ag.or 9, aldhough the Diermagupatarnay difles on tis pont, sat ngs soe made of mote than 19 rips ie tfawal!™ There were also aEcot preteipions for how tose the hem of each robe including the ‘Sn ofthe hem and the typeof stitching wo be used. The petches and ps vere oto be sewn with sah line, bu eather in either a squared gna, row athe thorseteth ste RGR” on wiangular zigzag known 38 the chidefoot sth B42." The robe was tobe made of heavy, e098 trate and so forth. Robes were to be ade fom loth donated by po (rons in a apecial ceremony held at fixed Ges By the middle ofthe ‘Tang dynasty al ofthe eta ofthe monastic rgulations that were to affect Chinese svoniks had been senlated ito Chinese and were widely avail She, proving ample mater forthe invesigetions of learned monks Vor Chinese monks looking fr quick summary of the prope robe, work ike Daoweat’'s Neon Practice prosided x handy collection of re ‘oipions fom the various monastic regulations on aezily how the robe sear be made, Yet even Daoxuan's work dd not resolve the knotiest problems in the proper composition ofthe robe, and controversies contin ted «rage ove calor, hemrstching and fabric. The monk Yoanchso 7 Hi laogh 1110), fonstance, defended Deoruan's stance on the ae of sk agains a more ocent detrcor, wile Zanning 3 {gx9-1001} complained BF ehinese monks who were rebos dyed pth back .—a color he claimed, svar unuapported by the monastic regulations ~ rather than dhe more extho Toe “pray black #8" In sum, much ink was spl over what is revopect tem at frst the most rvial of utters Ofcourse the fact that monks sud qed the composition of the robes wih sch intense serutiy tells ws cha for them thowe matters were far fom trivia. The impetus behind all ofthis ‘meticulous attention to detail was mote than a need fr datinetion, Nor Tani be explained by an even more nebulous “ore of train.” Tow “Srsand the fl signifeance othe robe, we must appreciate yeni pnts pn pre RB BLE Sh Sngnademaatin «Tea 48 salsa: Sage 8558 mpuratn Say of etna wT bare NUECES, Trego, sah 4a AGEN Sng st 4 THE ROBE AS ASCETIC SYMBOL The arangement of three robes probably derived from indigeno Indian clothing, bot monks were quick te discover specifically Buddhist symbolic impleations in the mimbar three, The thre robes we are told represented abandonment ofthe “lives poitons” (reed, anger, and igno ‘ance, with the inner garment repreneating the eliméaatlon ofthe greed Df dhe body,” the apps garment the sanger ofthe mouth,” and the outer f8tment the "ignorance af the mind Fleewhere, the cobes re said (0 Symbolize Buddhas f the “thee mes” (past, preset and fare) *” With thers ug symbolizing the sap, the monk’ robe symbolizes the dma aya or oliateaxpect of «buddha But there sa arbitrary quality (© such pranoancement, Civen the prvalence of numbers in Buddhist wt Ing twas a snple mater for Baddbitoxegete of even modest erad tion to assign symbolic equivalents tothe three robes when stempting 10 explain why monks ware what hey ware. There s aothing inberen in the {abe that sggent the “vee polnons” or the "thre des" These are com ‘entional groupings of doctrinal concepts commen throughout Budde, Iiteratere, Commentators could jst a enily have turned the “thee forms of being =F" the “vee assembles ofthe Buddha = "the ee realms 2.9," or any of dozens of common sss of threes” aa Buddhist doce Nor need we give undue sguifience to the member three: doctrinal or relates could jue ss cally have been found forfour, Five, Tn cont or ten robes to sich offthecal assignation of symbols the notion thatthe monk's robes ayinolize a ie of mendicancy and atenty i xpparent the robe tself, in the way the fabrics cut and dhe way the robe i worn ‘And unlike the symbolic interpretations mentioned above, this interpre tation ofthe robe ata symbol of enunciation af spears persistent in var history Ih and comfort — 1 types of writing throughout Buddhist Best eg enn i VBL RT fonenng png ROE Se el sata Fon yooh 9 1 igh on do IE Th Se ig ee BERENS, Too. 8 a 4 pea arnsenraings Mnt te RRSI lete: Tegg et “Goted habs 5 JOHN KiESCHNICK Chinese discusions of mente property Frequently evoke an ideal expounded in ancient nian Budde texte a whic the monk was to ow Ship a fow base ecesstion all of which could be eared with him dang. Ii fe of wandering, The most common such set of postessions consisted ‘of si objects, unaly glven a: the teee articles of clothing making up a ‘toni’ garment ihe alms bowl dhe water strainer [aed to ensure hat the honk dows not consume invects with his drinking water, and » small rug fon hich the monk could sit Carsfal study ofthe archeological record feveals that thi ist cepresent only ep ideal Indian monks in Tae por Seeed all anne of personal property In Cin tin acheologjcal evidence show thet theve too monks owned private prop ny = ftom books and images to gold slave and even Tended estates* Bur segardless ofthe shared wealth af the monastery or even how much personal property individual monks possessed, the elements of «plata Tomastic ion consisting of afew simple objets consistent played an Important symbolic ole in the fe ofthe mank andthe perception ofthe smank by show oatide the oro. Tn other word, wile {have emphasized she emblematic function of ‘the mons robe asa marker of diineton, he sobe was more than simply ssi of diference: the sabe meaat something much mare specifi. Made Di simple material, teed together fom rough rage and dye dll im ple col, he robe was readily recognied a the minimal clothing ofthe rece For covering oneself, nothing could be simpler, nothing more ‘humble, than thee drab ecanguar pecs of oth wrapped around the body ‘Textual evidence as walla curly kage of Chinese monks reveal that the tice part obe was brought eo Chins fom abroad, But while this deal ‘vast amount of extal amon Abe Bo of dan io fe Sema art Ma an Lite gl fe ecu Ste BE. ay Sip a tp ss ai nh eh hom stacker he EERMGotabe' cust Miers ota ee, Sal Daye Ree Yeariuee at ee Teta edn = he onli Ua Mara P93) 99 5 nh anes eh ene ace word fr cole” ppd became tonya Wh he moo rove Rabon Boia cena 2p 6 ‘niforescontnaed to hold «prominent place inthe minds of leading Ch ese monks for centuries the history ofthe monaric robes in China ea history af adaptation and compromise. Modein Chinese monks and nurs in geveral no longer wear the thee robe, x custom that monks mina ‘ouuths in which Theravada Buddhism i practiced; Chinese monks and nuns now wear sleeved robes and offen wea rousers a8 wel, While tila Felatively dimple typeof clothing, the Chinese monk's sleeved-robe and trousers require a degree of design ~ pieces of cloth have to be at and ‘sewn ofits widening the gap between the deal of x pesiptei, im poverished sete, anda more comforable elit. “This slow shift fom the rectangular inner garments of medieval India tothe sleoved robes of modern Chinese monks begin medieval times I 4 detailed, partons plea to Chinese monks to adhere to Indian monastic pracuce st the cr end manner of wearing monastic robes, sevend-certay tmonk Ying 48 complained ofthe practice of Chinese monks wearing ermente with sleeves But Viing'sremonttrations did at carry the day, fd by the end ofthe Tang we can easly spot sleeves beneath the outer rab in images of monks, asthe sleeved robe gradually tok the place of the more cumbersome three rectangular pieces of cloth which needed to be eafullyweapped, cocked and held in place ‘Nene’ robes wore perhaps even more suceptble to innovation, Ae cording to Ving prescription: bared on canonical precedent nuns hold have worn essentially the spe garments as monks. Bat because such robes sre not firmly secured and run the risk of exposing the right breast ens twers prone to feel “ashamed before men,” and hence developed 2 more secure form of ative. As Ying puts, “The Chinese dess of the 0 5 ‘hat of ordinary women, and the exiting mode of wearing i mich agains the proper ralen"= Ageln Yang’ pleas were ignored, and mins depleted In paoting and scolptare from the medieval period on invariably wears (her sleved gowns ora high skirt that cover the breasts (gure ‘Yee the seotc del persisted, nd even afar the Tang, monks and suns conineed to make regular use ofthe outer robe - worn over a eeved tobe of even «shit and toaters. This outer robe continued fo attrac exe {gctical attention, even afer the tparite uniform had been replaced. Ifthe {ymbolim ofthe tree pice robe the scot’ simple uniform had been cone meant Te srl up cn | Tle seein Pace hd yt Ca kee ae nef. 1Gns Teh Rad fe Bl al p a Figur. os Tenth CeteryPoeing fom Dunne Note the separte garment coverg ihe bess lost, this yall could at let be cater robe ‘Ar we have seen in Chins a in Indi the outer be wn away made I pieces of cloth, stitched together ino = single retangalas pat ‘ment. But what was the point of this practice? The modem scholar Mohan ‘Wijayaaina has suggested that when making thir robes Indian monks ore up the whole cloth in order to reduce tz commercial value toa minima ‘tat they wished to render the fare wortlees* Perhaps more impor tant was the even more revere acetic ideal to which the patched rebe ean De tried: the ideal monk's robe wat pleced together fm discarded tags — clear gesture of renunciation of standard Ideals of fie clothing. fn prac {ice however at Teat i China, this seme ealdom to have heen the ease: ‘ort robes were peepare from new whe cloth which was clita steps snd then sea ogeer into the recanguls doth that comprised the mons ‘outer robe. Again, despite the fact tha thi outer robe was not rally patchwork of disarded rag, ial conveyed an image of arctic rigor "The post Zhang. #498 (1. 798), for instance, once praked a vallant monk ‘who "practices the Fone pare Regv tobe of seven rips" The azips are “pase” because they represen the ‘uncompromising detachment ofthe monk from secular pursuls, The sym ‘olism was heightened i th “tobe ofa hundred patches” EMV, made up of smal patches ofdllerent fabrics and colors Even more than i the ‘hse of ordinary, seven strip robes, these robes were recognized by monk tnd layman aie asthe mark of antere self caivation and renunciation = ‘Again, such ees were symbolic representations of poverty eather than ¢ consequence of poverty lief: many such rabes wore especially made of fine mater | We ste the same sort of anxious compromise a the methods wed to fast the monk's robes. The simplest version ofthe tree robes i bl in place by ticking the robes once they are wrapped arouad the body. At ‘mer «ash was aed to wocure the ner garment The most vile device 1d in the appearance ofthe ions and protects the pity of his “* Wipyraen, dt None if» 96 Zhu Song Min eng S08, an Tenge BAY se pasee [See gs "Dushs veg” SEM, be Tongs pt Xe Ning FM: Os Fomae AER dro tun, se ORRIN, Tage et Se for securing the over vbe was risbom tached to he pr ofthe genet that draped over the back whieh wasted toa knot or cing stached to the part ofthe cloth draped over the front (gure 4)- Ax this was one ofthe ont conspicuous pars ofthe monk's robe, st atracted the attention of ‘Monks and others concerned with the age f the monk. The chi oa gee Ming Cart Peig Yongle sign (nqoe=a4)- Note he ing wed a afi the robe. ‘cer wat to show tl there wae canonical precedent for the ring. While a some point even leading Chinese monks had to amit that the three-part tube Hed given way toa sleeved garment over which an othodon, eectan tla garment wis draped, these sate monks could rest annie that there twas precedent; he ring, they Innsted, was perfectly oxthodox, and aot tr ‘the alip aay from the ares ideal tovarda amore deca form faite ‘Mot enonksjtfied ting sd sen wil tris drawn from varios canonical texts, stating that originally monks dd not make use of any’ de vice to secure their robes, but simply tucked heir robes im around thei bodies. Because ofthis, the robes tended to ang, becoming “disorderly.” Critics, this apologetic goe, egan to ideale monks by saying that they Toated like “laciviour women” At other times, the robes could even fall off eniely,foreing the monk to quickly tt his alms bowl on the ground ‘and seramble co reassemble the robe, prompting ridicule of the “sordid nest" ofthe maak. For all ofthese reasons, the Buddha is sid to have intervened and permited the ve of ring and abbon Si We sence in such dlacusions an anxiety over theidels the robe represented I monks ‘could not win every bate inthis stragle for symbole equivalence, they ‘contd st enc win the moet vibe ones, Daoruan and cthers warned agua, the tse of silver and other precious metals forthe ving, akhough into the ‘Song and beyond, monks of means contiaued to wae siver and even gold far the ring, a the atete ideal pevistently sipped from the contol of ‘even the mow exacting monk," Tn addition to the quertion of how one fastened he rabe, monks alo debated the proper material forthe rabe, Dioxin, a4 we have see, de- ‘owed considerable attention i the question af monastic roben dacusting them at length in bis handbook on monastic regulations, and even compor tng a treative devoted entirely tothe subject ofthe monks robes. A Taree section ofthis teate castes the wee af ito make monastic bes, The sag ung as. uh ti tar a sop Se: Gen sicoiqes pty sak ke eR NTN BS Mleabeded ne in Si yin 12 HW. Dosen ces apunge om he Meum saree rhea W BVH, Toa gy tl 4h NaN Cheng Dace MEM dm Yeon ding HERE Hap Rimventeng. 989 ct. sae Coe Joun kiescumick macuactreof sik nocessrily entails lig shworms in oder to extract the silk rom thee cocaons, vot the practice of wearing alk was common tang monks in Dacxuan's day. Ax Daossan notes, rom the time Chins rive the teachings of Badd], works have had noting todo with thea cng). The syste whereby meats forbidden has long been in prac tie. ye probions agains ak have not been adopted."™ That iy sles gue iling for ones personal comfort were aot applied consintenty, Tater in fe, Daoavan experienced «series af von in which he com svessed with Buddhist prt The opie af most oftheir conversation, daly Tecorded by Droxtan, concerns the monastic regulation. At one point this emrkable book the spirits comment on how much they enjoyed rend ing Daoxuan's work on monaste rbex. They ae particularly impresed (ith his admonitions against sik, an ack him how he eame to his sable, Cotret new, Dassen replete bgaa to have sopiions bot silk Schon tending x passage n the Tete oth Percton of Great Wid that Trenarka on te ough cloth oft Buddha's obe, Laer, Doxa contin, ‘he questioned monk rude West who told him that they did act wen si "Whither this ext represent calealated fabreaton or a genine vi son, the pesiage sugges that, however mach is sists might ave ap proved of is sand, Daoxan met with resistance among fellow monks, ha that consciously or unconsciourly hi visions served to vindicate Wi ance Yijgs who wasn his early dies atthe Gime of Daoxan’s death, ‘wat among thove who objested to Daoxtan's rejection of sik. Yijing ar [pod that ak wes ie many ences move readily available than other ypes of fabric ane that twas improper for mogks to be overly fastidious when rceplng gif of robes from donot. “Why should we reject the ail cht rcanty obtatued and seek te ine linen that is difcl to procure Fi thon the use ofeny kind of fabric, including eoton at some evel involved {he aking of fe, as worms aed sich are killed when the els are culva ded Where. Ying asks, does this excessively rigorous Interpretation of the ‘ona regulations end? “If oa atempis to protect every being, there sil be ne meens of misting oneel and one has to give pif witho cason.. There are some who do nat eat ghee oF Teather boots, and do net put on any sir cotton, All dese are de same ‘cans of people as are mentioned above.” Yijing’s views on silk seem 10 1 ig sg Se ar “nee gestae p29 Taha, en of th RG ingh nae ed ome man ech a, haave found widespread acceptance. While it is true that rome monks in later periods eschewed the ute of ik in monastic robes in China avoid sce of ilk wa neva a prevalent at dhe wegearan diet, bated on similar ‘tical concerns, and monks continued o cept gle f silken garments Cieary the debate over silk involved more than symbols for & monk like Daoxn, sk was wrong because it involved the aking oflife. The sil question involved complex qua legal race af ehical culpabiliy, and not [ste image the monk projected tothe outed world, This being si, the ‘ict imptlte seems also o have played 2 role in the debate, with Daoxu {an intraing tha just a 2 monk renounces the pleasures of meat he should {lo renounce the pleaures of silk, and Ying countering tha the renunct ‘on of ilk was hardly am atcte at ince ilkwas infact easier and cheaper to procure dan other materials” [Lvking bebing all of these debates, commentaries, and admonitions was an elusive ascetic ideal beyond the reach ofall but the most deter ‘mined monk. Ifscolarly monks ike Daoxuan could not achieve an aus tere ideal of poverty and eremiierenunclation in practice, they could Achieve i to'n degree, through caefolatention to symbolism, both ia their erudite testes and in the very eles they wore, This being said in (China the monk's robe was not aways a symbol of asceticism onthe cs teary some robes were marks of prestige and inflence. This tendency i sloatestin the carious history ofthe purple obe, to which we sow ten THE PURPLE ROBE According to an eatly legend, the monk Sanatiin, one of Anande's scipes, was born wearing a monk's robe A enth-

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