AFTER I WAS ORDAINED as a priest by Suzuki Roshi in 1970, I asked his wife to order a new linen robe (okesa) for me. Originally, the robe was black. Later, after completing the formal ceremonies of dharma transmission, I was given brown robes. I had the idea to bleach that linen robe, and it came out a lovely, uneven, almost mangy dull brown color. However, I didn’t do a good job with the bleaching, and the fabric was weakened. It gradually started to fall apart in various ways. Even now, it continues falling apart.
Since then, I and many other dharma students have made efforts to care for this fragile robe. A kind person skillfully sewed a new backing on
