Clothes make the man? or Don't judge a book by its cover? A view from Japan

Conclusion first: I think Japan would go with 'Clothes make the man.'  As part of the 'hippie' generation, I used to think this was a very shallow view.  I much preferred the other proverb.  But I am beginning to see things a bit more in the Japanese way.  Originally, I saw it as a surface thing--a man who wears expensive clothes will be perceived as better.  We resist the notion that a good person who can't afford fancy clothes is maybe less of a person.  But the Japanese view is a bit different: clothes are a reflection of your personality, or even your will or intentions.  The soldier strapping on armor before battle feels a congruence between the act of putting on the armor and the will to prevail in battle.  This is by no means unknown in the west.  Football players must feel something like this as they put on their gear before the Friday night or Sunday afternoon games.  Ancient Greek warriors described in Homer's epic works are always 'girding their loins' --this is a metaphorical way of expressing the mental preparations for battle. But the Japanese white-collar worker also feels this putting on his necktie before charging into the morning commute.  Many years ago, I was surprised that so many Japanese would spend so much time and money on their appearance.  Much of it is just 'image,' but that is no trivial matter.  How you look determines how people will treat you, and ultimately, it is tied in with your destiny.

The more serious the chef, the snappier the whites

Japan is big on uniforms.  A majority of school kids wear a school uniform somewhere along the line.  Department store greeters that push the elevator buttons are always dressed in snappy uniforms.  Sushi chefs are required to wear whites, while most other Japanese chefs also go for the snappy look.  We expect police, pilots and other safety-oriented workers to wear uniforms.  In Japan, this applies down the line to the lowliest train platform crew.  The public is reassured by this.  But this is nothing shallow.  There may be some deep-level influence of Buddhism in this.  Many Buddhist traditions mention the importance of body/action, speech and mind.  These are the source of actions that determine your karma.  Ideas originating in your mind can become speech.  Speech can become action.  Action is your karma, so paying attention to all three is necessary.  It is the intention comes to the fore.  To what use will you put these forces?  Unfortunately, there are lots of people don't give it a second thought, or even a first one.  

Early on, I noticed that Japanese people do not react to sarcasm.  Much of my sense of humor relies on sarcasm, but they just didn't get my jokes.  I have come to believe that the intentions implied by speech are not trivial.  The worst case would be joking about killing or violence toward a friend or family member.  This is pretty unthinkable for most Japanese.  (I do a lot less sarcasm these days.)  Likewise, pranks do not really work here, because of the intent to make someone look foolish.  There was a show like Candid Camera here, but the targets of the pranks were always celebrities who had been set up.  Ordinary members of the public were never targeted.  

These notions can overlap a bit into the realm of magic, including spells, mantras and other vocalized esoteric practices.  I was involved in some musical performances at a hospital, where I was advised, as a matter of common sense, not to program Chopin's piano etude no. 3.  The reason?  It is known in Japan as 'Wakare no Kyoku' or the Song of Farewell.  No one would want to plant the seed of farewell in the mind of anyone in a hospital.  Speaking of hospitals, one should never bring a potted plant as a gift to a sick person--the disease could 'take root.'  (Cut) flowers are a much purer expression of hopes and good wishes.

Girding my loins before a performance

Speaking of music, musicians here pay lots of attention to their clothes.  For traditional Japanese music, performers always wear traditional clothing, usually on the formal side.  There are similar traditions in the west--major European orchestras often perform wearing white tie/tails.  In pop/rock genres, the Japanese also give considerable thought to their appearance, no matter how casual it appears.  Ya gotta look the part.  

These ideas have given me a lot of insight into some of the differences in attitudes and thinking that I have encountered in Japan.  There is a famous Buddhist saying: If you can understand the mind, you understand everything.  Even my superficial investigations of the esoteric Buddhist theories of body, speech and mind have given me a lot to think about.  I also must say, there are a lot of people in this world who would benefit from a bit more attention and care in these realms.  

New Year Celebration III

On January 3, I went to the Koyasan Tokyo Betsuin, the Tokyo branch temple of Koyasan Shingon esoteric Buddhism. They have had ceremonies at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM for the past three days. So I dropped into the 2:00 ceremony today, to see the goma ceremony, when a fire is built in a special altar to invoke the power of Fudo Myo O, the unmoveable god of light, also known as Acala. The temple has a hard floor with chairs and a tatami area closer to the altar. As I was sitting in a chair waiting, a priest came out and invited everyone to move up to the tatami area. I thought maybe I could see better from there, so I moved.

Before the start of the ceremony, a very loud bell was rung as a signal. Then, a procession of four priest moved into the temple, with the first priest ringing a hand-held bell. Three of the priests were wearing the usual Shingon-style kesa, but one was wearing a brown robe that looked similar to robes that southeast Asian monks wear. The chief priest sat at a square altar right in front of the statue of Kukai Kobo Daishi. There was another square altar just behind that. The extra altar had a kind of canopy over it, and this is where the fire was built. I don't know if the canopy was a ritual necessity or maybe a way to control the smoke. Another priest hit a large drum and the fourth priest rang the large bell. Actually, several bells of various sizes were rung during the ceremony. After some invocational prayers, one priest took a microphone to encourage everyone to join in reciting the Heart Sutra. We recited it three times--I didn't know it was ever recited more than once. As the flames grew higher, one of the priests invited us to make incense offerings, noting that we might want to think of any special wishes or prayers while making the offering. Then, we started reciting the mantra of Fudo Myo O. That went on for a while, with the pace gradually speeding up until it was pretty frenzied, accompanied by the large drum. Then there was another mantra, one I couldn't identify, and another one that sounded like the mantra of Shakyamuni, but different from the one I know. All through this, the priests were passing ritual tablets through the flames and also adding more materials to the fire. Then, we were invited to join in the Gohogo, the invocation of Kobo Daishi. The ceremony ended after a few more prayers, and then the priests recessed, again led with a hand bell. Finally, they brought out the tablets that had been passed through the flames to present them to believers who had made special offerings.

There were three or four large casks of sake off to one side, with ladles and paper cups. I was hoping...but for some reason, they didn't offer me any! I don't know who got to drink that. But it certainly was a satisfying ceremony. I will see if I get my wish!