S.M. Celestial Clothes – Fashion of the Golden Age, Part 6 of a Multi-part Series

The 1995 S.M. Celestial Clothes Fashion Show garnered much media attention at the time and was covered by many newspapers and magazines. “The Newcomers News” of New York did a comprehensive coverage on the event with the headline, “Reluctant to Stay Only in Heaven, the Rainbows Manifest as Resplendent Attire to Glorify the World; The Supreme Master Ching Hai's S.M. Celestial Clothes Fashion Show Has Caused a Great Sensation in New York.” On this event, “Tin Tức News” of Paris reported: “Master Ching Hai is seeking to express ‘the harmony within and without,’ so She created a revolution in the field of clothing lining by choosing high quality fabrics for it.”

As the fashion show travelled from city to city, generating great interest from the public at each event, Supreme Master Ching Hai accepted interviews, held press conferences, gave seminars, and also attended vegan after-show parties where She took the opportunity to talk about Her thoughts on Her designs and expounded on the topic of spiritual practice when the questions arose.

“(From a religious perspective, many people may wonder why a nun still wears clothes that are so fashionable?) It depends on what you do. If you're crossing your legs and practicing spiritually in the mountain with only a few disciples around, enjoying the bliss of nirvana, then you certainly don’t have to do anything. But I need to be in contact with the world, if I want to help a lot of people. I just think that we should be in touch with people. That’s all. But our Self-nature should remain the same all the time. Yes. Our Self-nature shouldn’t depend on clothes to show greatness, tranquility or purity.”

Sometimes it comes from inside, mostly. I call them fairy clothes, because I think it’s the fairy who gives me the inspiration. I think I myself cannot do anything except from the Father, from the Original Power, from the Buddha Nature, that inspired me and gives me this talent. So, anything I create, I call them Heavenly products. Heavenly jewelry, for example.

(I’m going to ask You, what do You feel right now, as the Being that You are, is one of the most important things that people need to know right now, the road to, or evolve to, or whatever?) Well, I think just as the fashion, if there’s no person behind the fashion, then the clothes are not so meaningful. Similarly, if there’s no awareness within each of us, of the being, then I think we are just like the empty clothes. So, the most important thing is to strive to remember who we really are, the greatness that we truly possess, and not the material life, or the material garment, or things that we are possessing right now, and identify ourselves. This is not the Truth.”