Kesa
The kesa is a monk's robe, a piece of clothing that expresses belonging to a Buddhist order.
A kesa consists of strips of fabric that are sewn together by hand. According to tradition, the first Buddhist wandering monks made their robes from discarded scraps of cloth, shrouds, etc. and dyed them ocher. The kesa gets its spiritual meaning through the recycling of old clothes, fabric donations, fabrics for certain applications and the sewing and coloring by hand. Particularly in Zen Buddhism, great importance is attached to making a kesa before being ordained as a monk or nun.
It is also worn by members of the " Western Buddhist Order " (WBO). In this case, it is a wide strip of fabric with three flaming jewels sewn onto both ends as symbols of the " three jewels ". The kesa is white in the usual ordination. The color expresses purity. If the order member wants to take up the additional practice of " brahmacarya " (sexual abstinence), they are given a gold-colored kesa. However, this does not represent a higher ordination in the WBO and can also be withdrawn.