Sewing Rakasu

For the past six weeks or so I have been working on a project called "Rakasu". In Buddhism, when your teacher has witnessed your commitment to study and practice, you are asked (or, in some schools, you may have to request) to take part in a ceremony called "Jukai". The jukai ceremony is considered a lay ordination, and is similar to Christian confirmation. During Jukai, you publicly vow to uphold the Boddhisatva Precepts. There are 16 precepts and they are simply a guideline for ethical behavior:

The first three are Taking refuge in the Three Treasures- the Buddha, the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings) and the Sangha (the community in which you practice).

The 3 Pure Precepts:

Not to do evil

To cultivate good

To work for the liberation of all beings

The 10 Grave Precepts:

1. Not killing

2. Not stealing

3. Not misusing sex

4. Not lying

5. Not abusing intoxicants

6. Not discussing faults of othhers

7. Not praising yourself while abusing others

8. Not sparing the Dharma assets

9. Not indulging in anger

10. Not defaming the Three treasures

The ceremony concludes with the student being given a copy of the lineage of their school, and being given a new Buddhist name.

So, the rakasu. We are told that our small rakasu (about the size of a laptop computer, and worn with straps around the neck) is a small version of an "okesa", a robe which is worn by Buddhist preists. Originally, in when a person became a follower of the Buddha, she or he gave away all their clothes and went to a "junk yard" to collect scraps of fabric. These scraps were sewn into a patchwork cloak, the basis of which is our patchwork robe. The Buddha tells us that this robe is protection from the weather, from insects and viscous animals, that it can deflect even a fire-breathing dragon. In reality, it is a way to be mindful of our vows, to remember that no matter what we are doing, we are part of the Dharma.

During the 4 months leading up to the jukai ceremony, we are to be sewing rakasu as well as reading a selection of books recommended by our teacher, writing a paper on the practice of the precepts and generally preparing ourselves for taking the precepts.

When I was asked to sew rakasu, my teacher gave me a large peice of blue cloth. and a set of very ambiguous directions. First, you cut your piece of cloth into smaller pieces:

Then you arrange them in the proper order:

Then you pin them together:

Then you sew them together to form the basis of your rakasu.

It's hard to see in this picture, but the robe is sewn with very tiny (1/8" stitches). Each time you make one of these stiches, you say "Namu kie Butsu", "I take refuge in the Buddha". Thousands of times. The entire process is meant to be a meditation.

Here is the back side, upon which my teacher will write my new Buddhist name:

And, the final product, with straps:

This feels like a very ambitions undertaking, especially for someone with no aptitude for sewing. And, indeed, the process has included (for me) the pulling out of nearly as many stitches as went in. The taking of the vows is somewhat intimidating, but the Buddha assures us that keeping the precepts is much less important that taking them at all. It is the process that is important- the daily practice of striving to maintain the precepts just like the daily process of sewing a robe. I look forward to my jukai ceremony in April and will post pictures then.