Fashion Buddhism is a new take on an old practice. There are many Buddhas, those of compasion, love, and wisdom to name just a few... but how many have heard of the Buddha of Fashion? Whether you are a Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Hindu, Esodiest, Agnostic, or Atheist chances are that you will or have at some point in your life wanted to look good. Why not look good for enlightenment? This site will discourse such topics as the Buddha's affinity for name brands, as well as general color/textile themes and appropriate accessorizing. Content will not only be philosophical and spiritual in nature, but also practical in its application. When it comes to enlightenment, please, look no further. Let's dress for success.

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An excerpt from the Fashion Sutra

Monk 1: Buddha, do you determine what looks good and what doesn't?

Buddha:

The aesthetics of anything must be determined from within, by each living being. There is no final authority on what looks good, but there are parameters on Fashion. Rules and combinations will come and go, but the student on the path will feel the ebb and flow of the tides.

Monk 2: Buddha, did you invent the way of Fashion?

Buddha:

To say that I invented the way of Fashion would sound full of myself, or egotistical, and as the diamond sutra told us, there is no room for ego on our journey. We simply do what we must. I merely follow a path. There are others that I have met along the way, following the same path, but many involved in Fashion seem confused about an end goal, if you could call it that. It is not money. It is not praise. It is not enlightenment, because we cannot seek it, for it is not an attainable goal if we do.

Monk 1: So, how does one become enlightened through Fashion?

That is an excellent question. The keys to enlightenment are many-fold, but let me focus on the two ideas that have gained the most popularity in recent years. The first is through the perfection of anything. This can be pouring tea, sword fighting, shooting arrows, meditating, chanting, shopping, dancing, socializing, dating, or any of a thousand other daily or seemingly unremarkable tasks. "Perfection of any one thing" - this is important - gives insight into all things. This insight, in turn, allows virtual mastery over everything. Thus, true perfection permits an understanding of one thing/act/idea, which then penetrates all things/acts/ideas. So, it doesn't matter what you perfect.

Monk 3: Buddha, does...

Buddha: Wait. A second contemporary notion in enlightenment...

Monk 3: Oh, yes, please...

Buddha: (nods)

...is that you cannot be looking for enlightenment or much of anything else. You must simply focus on perfection. Let's say you master one of the tea ceremonies of Japan (or China). For 40 or 50 years, every day, you pour a cup of tea over and over. You learn the weight of the cup, the exact temperature of the liquid, the texture of the ceramic, the curves of the steam... everything is taken into consideration. In time, if enough attention is paid this simple act, enlightenment is attained. But enlightenment is not a static state, it only begins with a realization that may later deepen.

Monk 2: Why have you chosen Fashion?

Buddha:

I have chosen to pursue Fashion, as it is not merely clothing or styles, but the comprehensive expression of oneself, or one's identity. It is the underlying identity that is expressed externally with linens and accessories. This is my daily act that, which I have chosen to perfect. The concept of Fashion is an ephemeral discourse, even among Buddhas. It fringes on a designer archetype, a derivation of the self. This concept/though-form/entity is the embodiment of the union between an individual and a collective. Fashion is the term applied to this simple task of expressing one's self. Fashion can be anything, but it is true that if one perfects the self, one attains enlightenment.

Monk 4: Buddha, why call it Fashion, if it is so much more?

Buddha:

What we see on the outside is only the most superficial layer, but we have to start somewhere. From the surface, we move in three directions: out, in, and tangentially. Expanding, contracting, and expressing ourselves until we truly understand what we are, and thus our relationship with all others. Fashion is the wind. It changes constantly... in it is a koan, a final paradox, a riddle that must be solved. The riddle itself is the latest fashion or what the next years lines will bring.

Monk 5: Buddha, how can I begin this path?

The way of Fashion is simple: daily laundry, daily ironing, bathing, liberal use of heavy silks or polyesters, and meditating on the delicate balance of meeting expectations while expressing your true self. But dont stop there, for this path is not merely visual every sense must be considered and every accessory noted as a topic of conversation. You will know the way.

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Monk 1: Thank you, Buddha. We will contemplate your teachings.

Special thanks to the British Library for the security and availability of these sacred texts.