Editing Orange (colour) (section)

===Hinduism and Buddhism===
A wide variety of colours, ranging from a slightly orange yellow to a deep orange red, all simply called [[saffron]], are closely associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, and are commonly worn by monks and holy men across Asia.

In Hinduism, the divinity [[Krishna]] is commonly portrayed dressed in yellow or yellow orange. Yellow and saffron are also the colours worn by [[sadhu]], or wandering pious men in India.

In Buddhism, orange (or more precisely saffron) was the colour of illumination, the highest state of perfection.<ref>Eva Heller, ''Psychologie de la couleur: effets et symboliques'', pp. 158</ref> The saffron colours of robes to be worn by monks were defined by the Buddhist texts. The robe and its colour is a sign of renunciation of the outside world and commitment to the order. The candidate monk, with his master, first appears before the monks of the monastery in his own clothes, with his new robe under his arm and asks to enter the order. He then takes his vows, puts on the robes, and with his begging bowl, goes out to the world. Thereafter, he spends his mornings begging and his afternoons in contemplation and study, either in a forest, garden, or in the monastery.<ref name="Henri Arvon 1951 pg. 61-64">Henri Arvon (1951). ''Le bouddhisme'' (pp. 61–64)</ref>

According to Buddhist scriptures and commentaries, the robe dye is allowed to be obtained from six kinds of substances: roots and tubers, plants, bark, leaves, flowers and fruits. The robes should also be boiled in water for a long time to get the correctly sober colour. Saffron and ochre, usually made with dye from the [[curcuma longa]] plant or the heartwood of the [[jackfruit]] tree, are the most common colours. The so-called forest monks usually wear ochre robes and city monks saffron, though this is not an official rule.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Buddhist World: The Monastic Robes. |url=http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/robe_txt/ |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=buddhanet.net |language=en-US}}</ref>

The colour of robes also varies somewhat among the different ''vehicles'' (schools) of Buddhism, and by country, depending on their doctrines and the dyes available. The monks of the strict [[Vajrayana]], or [[Tantric Buddhism]], practised in Tibet, wear the most colourful robes of saffron and red. The monks of [[Mahayana Buddhism]], practised mainly in Japan, China and Korea, wear lighter yellow or saffron, often with white or black. Monks of [[Theravada Buddhism]], practised in Southeast Asia, usually wear ochre or saffron colour. Monks of the forest tradition in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia wear robes of a brownish ochre, dyed from the wood of the [[jackfruit]] tree.<ref name="Henri Arvon 1951 pg. 61-64"/><ref name="Anne Varichon 2000 pg. 62">Anne Varichon (2000), ''Couleurs: pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples'', p. 62</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Child monk group.JPG|Young Thai Buddhist monks
File:Sadou Kathmandu 04 04.jpg|A Hindu sadhu, or ascetic wandering monk or pious man, in [[Kathmandu]], [[Nepal]]
File:Buddhist monks of Tibet7.jpg|Buddhist monks in [[Tibet]]
</gallery>