Laundry Kyokun -- Yang
While going over some old photos I came across this image of a woman (or a girl, possibly) washing clothes in what looks like a lake.
It is either at sunrise or sunset, and she is completely against the light. From the contour we may roughly make out that she is squatting on some long and narrow wooden structure, with a basket behind her. We cannot see her hands, but the ripples emerging from them unfold beautifully in light and shadow. The water further from the action looks completely tranquil -- the bright reflection of the sun (or is it a lens flare?) shines on it, wrinkleless.
I then started to imagine what it would look like if Dogen ever wrote a Kyokun (訓誡) on clothes-washing. What would the Monastic Standards for laundry and cleanness be?
Below are some imaginary Laundry Kyokun. Join me in the Comment area!
"Always fold with care the dirty robes, shawls, kimonos after you take them off. Put them away in a bamboo basket before baths. In summer time or in humid days, take the basket and a wooden laundry beater to the riverbank and wash daily."
"Go at a time when nobody is fetching water from the river. Avoid upstream. When meeting villagers outside the monastery, greet and bow to them respectfully. It is good to engage in friendly conversations, but avoid idle chatter."
"Set up a wooden panel and walk to the middle so as to avoid muddy water near the bank. Squat down only when panel is steady and you find balance on it. Once starting to wash, focus you attention. Use your own hands, your own eyes, your own sincerity. Wash one piece at a time so other pieces don't float away. Clothes are your skin. Rinse them with care. At the same time, let the cool, clear stream water flow into your heart and cleanse the inner temple."
"Once you come back to the Monastery, spread the washed robes on a laundry rope, leaving some space in between. Let the wind shuttle through the sleeves. If your kimono is saffron-dyed, avoid direct sunlight. While the soft fabric slowly lose moisture to the air, let your heart rejoice."
-- Yang
I'm reminded of the sort-of haiku in the middle of the Grateful Dead song Ripple:
ReplyDeleteRipple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow
ReplyDeleteA Delightful read. Thanks for applying your imagination to these other tasks that the Zen Monastery might reasonably have standards around. I have been trying to think about the vastness associated with the practice, and your post helped me think more about that.
I wonder if there would be one monk like the Tenzo assigned to washing everyone's clothes? It would seem to me then that no one could hold such a position with much spiritual hubris. You would be approaching washing the dirty laundry as an offering to all monks!
“While clothes are being dried, stretch your limbs to dispel fatigue. A weary body cannot support a cheerful heart. Take sufficient rest, but be mindful of the weather. If it looks like rain, remove wet clothes to dry by the fireplace. Rearrange thick robes to prevent moldiness.”
ReplyDelete“Still your hand while taking down dried clothes. Clotheslines are your heartstrings. If they are agitated, your work might come to nothing. Avoid trailing the skirts of longer garments on the ground. Place each piece gently back into the basket.”
“Dust off the bamboo folding mat with care and reverence. Cleanliness is an offering to the monks. Check for tears and moth holes before folding. Set aside items that require mending for the seamster of the monastery. Sort by type, size, and color as you fold. Avoid creasing.”
“Do not despise coarse materials, and do not rejoice at fine materials. Treat faded, worn-out work clothes with the same sincerity as you would newly-made ceremonial gowns. Taking up a linen undershirt manifests the Buddha's sixteen-foot golden body; take up the sixteen-foot golden body and display it as a linen undershirt.”
“Store folded clothes carefully in the vestry. Place scent sachets. Clean garments should be as pleasant to the smell as to the sight and touch, but avoid luxury. Return your bamboo basket, washing board, clotheslines, and folding mat to their proper places, as a sculptor would his hammer and chisel and a physician his medicine pouch.”