Seven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō kesa) with Lotus Arabesque

Seven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō kesa) with Lotus Arabesque

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The transmission of the Buddhist master’s vestment (kesa) to the disciple represents the transmission of the dharma (teaching), especially in Zen Buddhism. The only person able to recognize that the disciple is on the way to enlightenment (or has reached it) is the master, who has already experienced it. Kesa are treasured and associated with those who wore or owned them. Small, rectangular pieces of fabric are joined together to form one kesa. Many robes have been created from cut-up religious offerings, reflecting the idea that what is worthless in the secular world translates into the sacred in the Buddhist realm.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Seven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō kesa) with Lotus ArabesqueSeven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō kesa) with Lotus ArabesqueSeven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō kesa) with Lotus ArabesqueSeven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō kesa) with Lotus ArabesqueSeven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō kesa) with Lotus Arabesque

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.