Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Either silk or common cloth is used as the material for a robe, according to the situation. It is not necessarily true that common cloth is pure and silk is impure. On the other hand, it would be unreasonable and laughable to exclude common cloth and only choose silk. According to the usual practice of buddhas, the robe of discarded cloth is regarded as excellent.

There are ten types of discarded cloth, including burned cloth, cloth chewed by oxen, cloth chewed by rats, and cloth from corpses. People throughout India throw away such cloth on streets or fields, just as we do with excrement-cleaning cloth. So, a robe of discarded cloth is actually called a robe of excrement-cleaning cloth.

Practitioners pick up such cloths, wash them, and repair them for use. There can be pieces of silk and common cloth among them. Give up discrimination between silk and common cloth, and study the meaning of discarded cloth…

There are teachers in the Lesser Vehicles who groundlessly say that threads are incarnated bodies of the tree god. Practitioners of the Great Vehicle should laugh about it. Which thread is not an incarnated body? Those who have ears to hear about incarnated bodies may not have the eyes to see them. Know that among the cloths you pick up, there can be common cloth and silk. Because cloth is made differently in different regions, it is difficult to identify the materials. Eyes cannot see the difference. Do not discuss whether the material you pick up is silk or common cloth. Just call it discarded cloth.

Even if a human or a deva turns into discarded cloth, it is not sentient but just discarded cloth. Even if a pine or chrysanthemum turns into discarded cloth, it is not insentient but just discarded cloth. Discarded cloth is actualized only when you accept that discarded cloth is beyond silk or common cloth, not gold, silver, or a pearl. Discarded cloth is not yet dreamed of by those who have not yet given up discrimination between silk and common cloth.’ (Shobogenzo Kesa Kudoku)