Unleash Inner Peace with Samue: The Ultimate Zen Wear

Yoga: The Origin of Zen

Zen originated from yoga. These days, many people practice yoga, making it a big market, too. Yoga has a very long history, originating in India. According to one of the theories, it is even said to date back to the Indus civilization, which flourished from 2500 to 1800 BC. The famous founder of Buddhism, the Buddha, is said to have practiced yoga and attained enlightenment. From ancient times, Yoga has been practiced as a method of meditation and self-realization. Today, yoga is practiced by many people around the world, regardless of religious beliefs, and has become more like a new type of exercise. Most people participate in yoga lessons for fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

This method of meditation was passed down from Buddha to one of his disciples, and more than 1,000 years later, a great monk introduced it to China. This is what is known as Zen. Much later, Zen was introduced to Japan throughout the Nara period to the Heian period (710-1185).

Zazen: Meditation leads you to self-realization and enlightenment of life

Zazen, a form of seated meditation, is at the very heart of Zen practice. Zen is known as the “meditation school” of Buddhism. Zazen is the study of the self. Master Dogen said, “To study the Buddha Way is to study the self, to study the self is to forget the self, and to forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.” To be enlightened by the ten thousand things is to recognize the unity of the self and all things. The Buddha sat in meditation to realize his enlightenment, and for 2,500 years this meditation tradition has continued, passed down to us from generation to generation. The Buddha’s meditation practice spread from India to China, to Japan, to other parts of Asia, and then finally to the West. The essential aspects of zazen are fairly easy to communicate and are important for both beginning and mature practitioners. At the same time, a person’s experience of meditation can change profoundly if they practice consistently. With consistent practice, zazen transforms our mind, heart, and life.

Samu (chores at Zen temples) + e(clothing) = Samue

Many people know about kimono, but most people don’t know about samue.

Samue is originally worn by Zen priests. In Zen Buddhism, in addition to zazen meditation, some practices involve working outdoors, and these are called samu. The "samue" is worn when performing this work, and is generally divided into upper and lower garments. The history of samue is surprisingly short, and it is believed to have originated in the Edo period. Originally, it was called "nagasamue," or "long samue," and was generally worn with an upper garment that reached to about the knees, as is now worn by temple priests. Inspired by the "monpe" worn during World WarⅡ, the samue was made with the top and bottom separated for ease of movement, as we see today.

Master the Zazen Posture with Our Samue for Comfort and Ease

Zen can be practiced in everyday life. It is a way of disciplining oneself, appreciating all things, eliminating waste, and rethinking one's way of life. These fundamental principles lead to Zen and Zazen's practice.

There are three key ingredients of Zazen. Posture, breathing, and adjusting your mind. Here, we focus on unraveling the importance of the "zazen" posture and introducing the perfect zazen clothing: samue – your key to unlocking tranquility and comfort. When it comes to practicing zazen, it's not just about the right posture – the clothing you wear matters too. And that's where "samue" comes into play, ensuring the perfect blend of comfort and tradition.

Imagine a posture that naturally eases tension, allowing your body to relax and your mind to find calm. Zazen is all about achieving a comfortable and spontaneous position and samue helps you gently release the muscles that tend to hold onto stress.

For instance, samue are supposed to wear loose. So, you won’t feel tightness in your arms, chest, waist, and legs. That’s why your whole body feels at ease when

practicing Zazen. Also, you can adjust and loosen the waist size with the threads to feel more relaxed. On the other hand, if you feel like you want to sit straight through the practice, just tighten up the waist threads a bit.

Moreover, we have two types of samue. You can choose a samue with loose sleeves if you want to feel more relaxed and don’t want to feel tightened while practicing Zazen. Or you can wear a samue with elastic sleeves and hem if you want to feel relaxed and make yourself a little straightening up at the same time.