How to Wrap a Buddhist Robe
Buddhist robes represent the heart of simplicity and detachment from material possessions. Buddhist robes are layers of three separate robes, which may be worn separately or coordinated as a single robe, called the tricivara. Learning how to wrap a Buddhist robe is a fundamental lesson for Buddhist monks.
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Instructions
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First wrap the uttarasanga, or standard monk's robe. On the website Urban Dharma, Sr. Candana Karuna describes traditional ways Buddhist monastics may wrap these robes. The monks wrap the large rectangle, which is several feet long and wide, around their torsos. They may drape the cloth over the right shoulder, exposing the left shoulder.
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Put on the traditional antaravasaka, a lower robe. Monks wrap this garment around their waists and tie the sides together in a knot at the waist. The lower robe is knee-length.
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Fold two layers of fabric for a robe called the sangati. Buddhist monastics use the sangati as an over-garment for warmth. Often, monks carry folded sangatis on one shoulder.
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Monks wrap themselves, figuratively, in the Buddha's robes. Regardless of how Buddhists monks and nuns of any Buddhist tradition wrap their robes, they must release attachment to the idea that any one method is better than the other. The essence of Buddhism is to end suffering, which is caused by attachment--even attachment to the way the Awakened One, Sakyamuni Buddha, wrapped his robes.
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