I. The name of the cassock
Of all the monks' costumes, the most famous is probably the cassock. Even if you don't know what cassock is, you can learn that monks wear cassock through film and television works or literary novels.
The cassock is actually Sanskrit, and it was not until the Jin Dynasty that Ge Hong wrote Zi Yuan that it was rewritten into the Chinese character "cassock". The Chinese translation of cassock means that it is not colored or dyed, so cassock is called a bad color dress, which means that it cannot be made of blue, yellow, red, white and blue. Because the cassock must be put together with many small pieces of cloth and then stitched together, it is also called chop suey or tailoring. At the same time, it is said that the cassock was sewn by the venerable Buddha Ananda to simulate the shape of rice fields. The field of the world grows grain for health, and the field of vestments grows up for health and wisdom, which deserves to be called Futian in the world, so it is also called Futian clothes.
Second, the origin of Buddhism Sanfu
According to Buddhist scriptures, monks initially wore only dung-sweeping clothes, that is, worn-out clothes picked up from garbage dumps or graves, which were sewn and put on. This shows that one person can cherish happiness, and two people can drive away their greed for love, which is conducive to the growth of Tao. Later, the number of monks gradually increased, and the Buddhist system allowed monks to accept the support of laymen at home, including clothes. Therefore, it is stipulated that Buddhist costumes have three kinds of clothes:
Antuohui: Wufu, commonly known as Wufu, is underwear worn by monks in the Buddha's era; It is also said that it is used when sweeping the floor at work, so it is also called work clothes.
Monk Yuduoluo: Seven clothes, commonly known as Seven Clothes, are used by monks when listening to and chanting scriptures or attending mass gatherings, so they are also called clothes.
Sinhalese: Nine to twenty-five (odd) pieces of clothes, commonly known as ancestral clothes, are the formal clothes of monks, also known as solemn clothes. They are the clothes that monks must wear when giving lectures, saying stories, meeting their elders, being summoned by the king or queuing for food in the street.
This is the earliest Buddhist monk costume formally stipulated by Buddhism, which is different from the general secular costume.
Third, the evolution of Buddhist cassock in Han Dynasty
India is a tropical region, so you can only wear one dress. After Buddhism was introduced into China, customs and habits were quite different because the climate was colder than that of India. Therefore, great changes have taken place in the costumes of Buddhist monks, and the number and types have also increased.
In the Han dynasty, when Buddhism was just introduced, monks became monks according to their teachers and changed their surnames. They still wore secular clothes instead of robes. Later, Master Daoan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty formulated the Sangha Code, which stipulated that all family members should take Sakyamuni as their surname, and asked monks to wear vestments at Buddhist activities, lectures and other dharma meetings. In addition, after Tan Wude and others translated the codes of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, monks took the precepts as their teachers, and everything they did was based on the precepts.
As a result, monks in China not only have three clothes, but also clothes that ordinary people in the Han Dynasty wear as underwear, that is, robes and haiqing, which monks usually wear today, but their colors are different from ordinary people. The layman can use positive color, and the monk can only use bad color, so the monk's clothes are called "Fu Yi" (Fu Yi is black), which is also the reason why later generations point out that the family is based on Fu Yi.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, because the court gave the monk Dade purple clothes and mourning clothes many times, the color of the cassock gradually diversified. The costumes of monks in the Yuan Dynasty were changed to yellow. For example, Ouyang Xuan, a scholar in the Yuan Dynasty, said: "Monks were originally black, and deep benevolence made them yellow." In the Ming Dynasty, more detailed regulations were made on the colors of monks' costumes. It is recorded in the manuscript of the Ministry of Rites in the Ming Dynasty: "In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, monks and nuns were all colored, and Zen monks were all dressed in brown robes, blue stripes and jade robes. It's about the monk's jade cassock, green stripe and light color cassock. Teach monks to wear soap, black stripes and light red cassock. It can be seen that the costumes of monks in the Ming Dynasty can be divided into three types: Zen (Zen), preaching (Tiantai, Xianshou, Dharma) and teaching (praying for blessings, eliminating disasters and mourning).
Four. The wearing of cassock in contemporary Han Buddhism.
There is no difference between monks' underwear and laity's underwear now. The robe outside kept the form of the Han Dynasty. The Zhongshan suit and the small Zhongshan suit are all changed from the long Zhongshan suit, just for the convenience of work. Only the cassock is a symbol of Buddhism. But now the Kosaya written by monks is different from the inherent form of the Indian Buddha era, but Chinese.
Generally speaking, monks in Buddhist temples in the Han Dynasty wear brown robes, and only monks with anklets are eligible to wear seven clothes. Wear nine clothes when you are in the flame thrower and attending the amphibious meeting, so nine clothes are also called underwear. Article 25 of the big red cassock, known as the ancestral costume, is generally only qualified for the abbot to wear in the morning and evening classes in the temple; In important Buddhist activities and dharma meetings, monks who advocate Buddhism generally wear ancestral costumes.
In addition to these, there is also a vestment called a brain garment, which is made of a large piece of whole cloth. It is worn by first-time monks (nuns) who have not been ordained at home and by men and women who have been ordained at home. As far as lay people are concerned, because they are not forbidden to become monks, they can't be blessed on earth, so they can't tailor Tianxiang. And because the novice monk is not familiar with the method of cutting and making clothes, he also wears clothes.
Fifth, the merits of the cassock and the blessing of clothing.
The cassock is a symbol of Buddhism, which is covered by wise men and has extraordinary merits. According to the Chinese Sorrow and Music Sutra, the Buddha made a vow before the Buddha, and when he became a Buddha, he had five merits:
A, into my law, committed a felony, such as Jaken respect heart in a read, will be recorded in three times.
Both, if Celestial Dragons can respect this cassock and score less points, he will get three times and never come back.
Third, if there are ghosts and gods, people will get cassocks or even four inches, and there will be enough food.
Fourth, sentient beings * * * go against the sky, read the cassock and seek mercy.
Fifth, if you hold this (cassock) with no respect, you will never win him.
According to Ten Circles of Hiding Earth, a prisoner was sentenced to be tied up and abandoned in the wilderness, and the cassock pointed to his head, so as to avoid ghosts. There is also a record in the scripture that a macaque played with the cassock while the monk was away, jumped down happily, fell into the valley and finally died in the air.
It is precisely because the cassock has such extraordinary merits that it is incredible that the cassock can bless the Buddha and the monk.
During the reign of Buddha, King Van Moda of Polonaise had a daughter named Jia Suntuo Li, who was upright and upright, and was born wearing a cassock. With the growth of age, Sun Tuoli's clothes have become bigger. One day, she went to Luye Bay to play games. She was very happy to see the Buddha's lover and light, so she went to worship the Buddha's feet. The Buddha spoke for her, and she was enlightened and got the fruit of Sudoku. Sun Tuoli then asked the Buddha to let her become a monk. The Buddha said to her, "Come to Bhikuni, your hair will fall, and the Dharma will obey you." 」
From then on, Sun Tuoli studied hard and soon won the certificate of Siraitia grosvenorii, which was admired all over the world. Someone therefore asked the Buddha: Why did Sun Tuoli have such a karma? The Buddha said to the public, "In the past, Kanagamu Buddha often led monks out to practice sentient beings. At that time, the daughter of a king was very happy to see the Buddha, so she offered sacrifices to the Buddha to serve the monks. After the support of four things, they also provided wonderful clothes. Because of this merit, there are always noble families in heaven and earth, and Kesaya is often born. The royal daughter is now Suntory Bhikuni. 」
If you want to know where the cassock is, you can get the blessing of Buddha power and the protection of Tianlong Babu, and all the disasters of fire, water and sword are well known. Clothing is a great virtue, we must respect it and practice it diligently.