An Example of Buddhist Robes

A painting that displays numerous buildings with grey tile roofs and multicoloured fabric banners. In front of these buildings is a line up of Buddhist monks wearing yellow robes. At the front of the line, the monks are being served rice. These buildings are located near water and trees and there are crowds of people surrounding them.

Detail from Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Seven: Wuxi to Suzhou, 1698; Wang Hui; Ink and colour on silk; Mactaggart Art Collection; University of Alberta Museums; Gift of Sandy and Cécile Mactaggart; 2004.19.75.1

The typical type of vestment that Buddhist monks wore has several names depending on where they were from: keshaya or kesaya in India, jiāshā (袈裟) in China, and kesa in Japan. The garment followed the traditional design and pattern of Indian Buddhist robes that used patches of discarded clothes donated by laymen and practitioners. Eventually, the pattern for Buddhist robes was codified to be a rectangular textile with columns of different patches of clothings. The humble material of the mantles and robes symbolize a Buddhist monk’s vow of poverty and renunciation. [1]

In scroll seven of Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour the cities of Wuxi and Suzhou are depicted showing people gathering in the streets to welcome the Emperor Kangxi [2] and merchants and shop owners engage with customers. Amongst the busy marketplace, merchants give rice to Buddhist monks in an alms procession wearing identical yellow Buddhist mantles. The act of giving rice reflects the Buddhist belief that benevolent acts of charity help Buddhist believers, practitioners, and supporters gain good merits.

As seen in the procession of the Buddhist monks in the marketplace, Buddhist robes or mantles are worn asymmetrically, covering the left shoulder and tied under the right arm with a cord, leaving the right shoulder bare. [3] Depending on regions, other inner robes can be worn underneath the outer mantle.

A man in a light blue robe and a red and black hat pours rice into the bowl of a Buddhist monk. The monk wears a brown and yellow robe.

The act of giving rice reflects the Buddhist belief that benevolent acts of charity help Buddhist believers, practitioners, and supporters gain good merits.

A Buddhist monk stands in line with a brown and red robe. He has a white beard and a red tapered hat. Other monks in yellow robes stand in front and behind him.

The Buddhist priest is wearing a red robe with a grid lacking symbols.

Introduction

Symbols and Meanings

Sources Cited

[1] Vollmer, John E. and Thierry Prat. Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Costumes and Textiles, (Paris: Myrna Myers, 2003), 138; Rutherford, Judith, and Jackie Menzies. Celestial Silks: Chinese Religious & Court Textiles (Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004), 47.

[2] John E. Vollmer and Jacqueline Simcox. Emblems of Empire, 1st ed. (The University of Alberta Press, 2009), 174.

[3] Vollmer, John E. and Thierry Prat. Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Costumes and Textiles, (Paris: Myrna Myers, 2003), 138.

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