Traditional Korean Zen Clothing Set (한국 전통 선/명상 승복)

Description

When Korean nuns and monks meditate, they wear roomy, baggy pants that support the many hours of sitting cross-legged on the ground, that support the practice of doing 108 bows, that enable the reverential bows we do during daily chanting. The gray robes worn by a monastic declare that one is a practitioner, and represent the spirit of no belongings, letting go of all worldly desires. Another mark of the Zen nun or monk is to wear old clothes covered with patches, layer upon layer.

Our Traditional Korean Zen Clothing Set is the age-old version of this important element of practice, but updated slightly for the modern age for ease of cleaning and maintenance. These clothes are not some mass-produced knockoff made in some anonymous factory in China or somewhere: They are made of pure cotton by Korean seamstresses who dedicate their lives to clothing only monks and nuns. The Traditional Korean Zen Clothing Set consists of the baggy pants (with pockets) and a velcro-fastener for ease of wearing. There is an outer jacket with wide sleeves that is roomy enough for wearing a thick sweater inside for cold winter days. The generous length of the jacket allows the fabric to cover the legs during sitting, keeping them warm on chilly mornings.

The only distinctive monastic version of this ensemble is the gray color, as a mark of asceticism. Such garments show detachment from material possessions, being “in the world, but not of the world.”