Rakusu
The rakusu ( 絡 子 ) is a traditional piece of clothing in Japanese Zen Buddhism , which, due to the reception of Zen in the West, can also be found more often in this country. It is worn around the neck and resembles a bib.
Classification of Buddhist ritual garments
The Vinaya (Buddhist monk rule) allows the monk a set of three garments as goods for daily use; they are the first three in the following list. In Japanese Soto Zen , an expanded classification of five ritual garments is currently in use, which in this order represent an increasing religious education and responsibility:
- rakusu , the small five-stripe robe that is worn on a ribbon around the neck by laypeople in formal situations and by clergy in informal situations;
- kesa, a seven-stripe robe worn by recently ordained clerics;
- o-kesa as a nine (or more) striped robe worn by clerics who have received a Dharma transmission (“shiho” literally means “passing on the robe”);
- shosan e , a set of three miniature robes with symbolic meaning, as well
- funzōe , the rag garment that is sewn together from pieces of discarded fabric.
Rakusu
The rakusu consists of a rectangular piece composed of numerous individual strips, about 35 centimeters wide and 24 centimeters high, which is worn on a wide band around the neck. The neck band is provided with an embroidery, which represents belonging to one of the Zen directions:
- "Broken pine" at the Soto school,
- a mountain-like triangle at the Rinzai school ,
- a six-pointed star at the Obaku school .
The front, which is made up of individual strips, is framed by a fabric frame, while the back has a white field on which the teacher writes the new Dharma name of the student and any other information.
However, there are no strict rules about the exact design or the colors of the fabric. In Soto Zen it has become common practice that laypeople wear a blue rakusu, priests a black one, and clerics who have received the Dharma transmission wear a brown one. The clerical organizations of the Soto and Rinzai sects promote the use of standardized robes from commercial production. These rakusus have a flat wooden or plastic ring incorporated into the left shoulder strap. However, the Fukudenkai movement, which prefers the sewing of the robe by the user himself, omits this ring.
Religious meaning
In the Fukudenkai movement, the automatic sewing of a garment is viewed as a spiritual act that corresponds to a profound meditation exercise. The precision of the stitches when joining the individual pieces of fabric is regarded as an indicator of the meditative concentration of the sewer. A student who is considered by the teacher to be sufficiently mature to take on the bodhisattva vows sews his rakusu himself as part of a “sewing sesshin” and is awarded it in the jukai ceremony with the taking of the 16 vows (jujukai).
According to legend, while looking at rice fields , Buddha Shakyamuni had the idea of putting together the Buddhist robe from individual strips. This symbolizes the penetration of reality through the teaching ( Dharma ), how the (channeled) water penetrates several rice fields. For the production, used pieces of fabric were preferred, which came from old clothes, shrouds or other consumer goods.
The special bib shape of the rakusu could be traced back to a Chinese influence or it could be due to pragmatic aspects: manual work, especially in the forest and field, is difficult with a large robe, while the small rakusu can also be worn under a jacket or the like can be, but still ensures compliance with the monastic rule never to part with his robe.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Diane E. Riggs: Fukudenkai. The Sewing of the Buddha's Garment in Contemporary Japanese Buddhist Practice. In: Japanese Journal of Religious Studies No. 31/2, 2004, pp. 311–356 (original translation)
- ↑ a b c Sr. Candana Karuna: The Tradition of Buddha's Robe. In: urbandharma.org. September 24, 2006, accessed February 16, 2019 .
- ↑ RAKUSU - July 07 - PDF.pub - Rakusu_Instructions_2007.pdf. (PDF; 6.5 MB) In: sanfranciscozencenter.blob.core.windows.net. July 2007, accessed February 18, 2019 .
- ↑ Michael S. Diener (ed.): The Lexicon of Zen . 1992, Munich: OW Barth Verlag.