Recommended attire when visiting a place of Worship

[Jessie Fong]

It is taught that when visiting places of worship, we are advised, as a mark of respect, to wear decent clothings to cover the body appropriately.

How often do we see that this is not adhered to?  Nowadays we see ladies turning up in shorts and sleeveless tops .... is it acceptable, as this is the common dress attire of the lay community?

Apart from "disrespectful" attire being distracting to people who are there to pray / meditate, is it applicable in modern times to follow the dress code of wearing something "appropriate"?

[Midakpa]

These days, it is not easy to get people to go to temples. It could be that these ladies were visiting the temple for the first time and did not know about the appropriate way to dress. One should rejoice that they come into the temple at all. They should be made to feel welcome and that they have come to a place where they can find peace and kind people who do not judge them. 

However, this can be a problem if there are sangha around. One should show them respect by dressing neatly in clean clothes. In such cases, it would be good, if the temple authorities set up a dress code and put a notice at the entrance of the temple. This will prevent people who are "inappropriately dressed" from entering the temple.

[Benny]

I agree with Midakpa , we should rejoice for the mere fact that people are still wanting to go pray in a temple, in these day and age they tend to be more ignorant of the dress code . So we should just simply remind them or educate them in a polite and friendly manner the proper attire to show respect to the place of worship. Most places of worship has the dress code signage placed at the entrance to remind devotees of this . However , the enforcement of such codes should be done tactfully and sensitively to avoid "chasing" away a potential devotee or refuge seeker.

[dondrup]

There is a dress code to follow in every occasion and situation.  It is a guideline that is shaped by culture, ethics, social norms, rules, job requirement, sports and etc.  It makes sense and practical to follow and adopt the dress code.  Contravening the dress code would be unskilful, outright disrespectful and showing a lack of concern for others.  It will bring inconveniences to others. It might endanger oneself.  Hence dress code is established to help us and it is advisable to adopt the dress code in all occasion and situation.

[psylotripitaka]

Jetsun Milarepa and many yogis and mahasiddhas such as Gyelwa Ensapa were naked, wearing loin cloths, covered in cemetery ash, or wearing bone ornaments.


Point is, though there may be a common idea of what is acceptable, different cultures will accept different things, and it is important to accept everyone for many reasons as illustrated by many stories such as in the Life of Krishnacharya. One guy even showed up dressed as Darth Maul of Star Wars to a blessing empowerment of Shakyamuni Buddha. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche said to definitely let him in.

[Q]

Jetsun Milarepa and many yogis and mahasiddhas such as Gyelwa Ensapa were naked, wearing loin cloths, covered in cemetery ash, or wearing bone ornaments.


Point is, though there may be a common idea of what is acceptable, different cultures will accept different things, and it is important to accept everyone for many reasons as illustrated by many stories such as in the Life of Krishnacharya. One guy even showed up dressed as Darth Maul of Star Wars to a blessing empowerment of Shakyamuni Buddha. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche said to definitely let him in.

Oh my goodness... that certainly is an entertaining sight! hehehe...

What you said is true. There is really no dress code when it comes to Buddhist lay people. Buddhism is the type of 'religion' (for lack of words...) that blends into one's cultures easily... so if people are wondering what to wear for Buddhist ceremonies, then just use the best traditional outfit they have.

However, I do encourage others that wish to dress casually to the temple to always wear at least a 3/4 pants or skirt. It's not so much of a control or loss of freedom in one's dressing, but as a sign of respect to the Three Jewels. Of course the Buddhas will not be offended if you decide to wear a mini skirt to the temple, but based on ethics... we don't even wear a mini skirt to work so why wear it to a temple?

There are actually many reasons why to dress modestly in temples.
1) It's far more comfortable to seat in a meditative position with a 3/4 pants/skirt than with a short skirt.
2) Dress neatly and clean, so that you don't disturb others around you.
3) Motivation. Are we here to mediate/practice or as a social club/gathering? And even if our motivation is for practice, then the least we can do is to protect other's minds.

And these applies to both male and female.

[apprenticehealer]

There should be some dress code for people entering a temple, or any places of worship. I think it is more common sense than that of a particular ruling .

Places of worship are places that one goes to pray, meditate, make offerings - all  done with respect. Even if one enters a place of worship as a tourist or for sightseeing, one should have the common sense to dress neatly and properly and decently.

Places of worship are exactly that - places of worship , not a beach resort or club that one goes to show off their latest wardrobe or flaunt their partially exposed bodies !

[WisdomBeing]

As the world gets smaller and people travel for tourist purposes, they may wish to enter Buddhist temples out of curiosity. I would not want people to be turned away from a temple just because they were not appropriately dressed. They may not wish to come in to pray or meditate but simply to look around. i don't see it as a bad thing if their intention is mere curiosity because they can at least receive some dharma imprints to be opened later. Of even by coming in and seeing the holy images, they could open previous dharma imprints!!

Perhaps the temples can come to a middle way and provide shawls to cover people's shorts or mini skirts or off shoulder outfits. They can lend them out for a small donation of any amount, so it's not commercial but just to cover laundry etc.

BTW, i love that Darth Maul story!

[dsiluvu]

Darth Maul? Now that is interesting though I would not dare to wear like this myself, unless it was a theme party or if my Guru ask me to do so to cut away my ego...which I have witnessed students getting this training. That's a whole different story.

But yes I do agree a temple is not a beach club... it has it's guide lines just like any place of worship and should be respected not because you are bad, just in general not to disturb anyone's mind especially the Guru's.

Practitioners are of so many different levels that come to the teachings, instead of focusing on the teaching, they end up focusing on the clown dressed in whatever... not too good in this sense, though you can also argue to say well, it is their fault for not being able to focus, but then again you created that cause. So it takes two hands to clap kind of thing.


I have seen very beautiful girls wearing short skimpy clothes who came to the centre the first time, I mean u'd think "common sense" girl, this is a place of worship... but later over the years, their dressing changed and they are probably one of the best practitioners in the centre, more so then those stereotypical Ms.Daisies


I've also seen of many western Dharma centres that are very casual and liberal and does not focus so much on one's attire. And everyone seems to be okay with it. So if your Guru and centre is okay, then cool, but I would definitely say follow the temple/centre's guide lines on dress code, that is the safest for you and others. But please watch your mind and not judge others from the way they look.

[Tenzin K]

A proper dress code should in temple is important to keep out scantily dressed visitors.
It is inappropriate and disrespectful to visit any temple, mosque or other site that is used for religious purposes  wearing tank-tops, shorts or short skirts, yet many tourists do. The basic dress code in temples and other holy sites is: shoulders must be covered (easily done with a scarf or a shawl) and trousers or skirts must cover at least knees. It is best to avoid anything too tight or too short, and generally it is better to wear too much rather than too little when visiting a religious site.

In Thailand you will always be judged on appearances! all Thais put a great deal of effort into being well dressed and well groomed. If you want to fit in, you will need to do the same. To Thai eyes, if you wear the casual dress beloved of Western holiday-makers, you look like you’ve crawled out of an old laundry basket.

[jessicajameson]

I really like what Midakpa said. It's a very kind approach - and it shows that you really want to spread Dharma to others no matter what.

I think that people should dress appropriately at any place of worship.

If you were to go to a church, you would dress in your best Sunday dress. If you were to go to a mosque, you would dressed covered up. So why not a Buddhist temple? It's not about conforming to anything, but a form of respect. It's just good manners to dress appropriately.

It shouldn't be a strict rule, but people should dress appropriately through education. Why should you dress respectfully? Why should you not come in a tube top and short skirt to attend an initiation?

[diablo1974]

In the ancient civilisation, it was said that it is disrespectful to show a person foot or exposing parts of our limbs to anyone. And this cultural practice and norm at that time were followed by the monasteries, temples and even churches. I totally agree that visitors should not be scantily clothed to religious premises. Its a form of respect one's show to the religion and the people who has faith towards them.

[buddhalovely]

When visiting any holy site or religious neighborhood one should dress modestly. For men this means long pants, a nice shirt, and head covering. For women it means a below the knee skirt, a shirt with elbow-length sleeves, head scarves and no exposed cleavage. This applies to churches, mosques, and synagogues, as well as the Temple Mount and Western Wall.

[pgdharma]

A temple is a place for worship and one need not be a Buddhists to visit Buddhist temples. But just because one doesn’t practice the religion doesn’t mean one shouldn’t respect it. So when visiting temples make sure to show proper respect to the tradition by dressing in conservative and clean clothes to these places.

It is not very difficult to follow a few simple guidelines on the do’s and don’ts when visiting temple. These guidelines can easily be found on tourist brochures or website tips. Monks are holy beings and we should show respect to them. Just as we would not walk into a Catholic cathedral wearing inappropriate clothing, we should also do the same for temples and mosques

[Tenzin Malgyur]

I believe it is respectful to be dressed appropriately when one visit a place of worship. Although there is no set of rule on how to be dressed when visiting a temple, it is best not to be dressed in revealing clothings. True, there were days when people roam about in loin cloths and tree barks revealing parts of their body. But in these days, we are expected to clothe ourselves. Some other religions expect visitors to their place of worship to be dressed in such a way to cover up parts of their bodies, otherwise their entry could be refused. So, when one have the intention to visit a temple, it is best not be dressed like going to the beach.