Wearing the monks' robe is not just a tradition or something we do so that people can recognize us as monks. It's more to remind ourselves who we are, what we are supposed to do, and how we should interact with others. It helps us to choose our speech wisely, to avoid overindulgence, and to remember to strive for peace with those around us.
(Gunaratana is, in case you aren't aware, the author of that wonderful classic Mindfulness In Plain English, which i recommend you find online and read. Several times.)
Bhante's words also apply to the traditional garb worn by henro who walk the trail on Shikoku. A fully outfitted henro would be dressed in white almost from head to toe. Most henro, however, (at least the vast majority of non-Japanese henro) have settled on just two essentials: the hakui (a white over-vest) and the kongotsue (a wooden walking stick).
Both could be used and worn simply because that is the tradition; because they are what set you apart from non-henro you meet throughout the day; because they signify what you are doing in an easily accessible way for all to see.
However, i think Bhante is correct. What the hakui and walking stick were meant to be are reminders to you, the henro. Items that constantly remind you throughout the day of what you are doing and why.
When you put the hakui on each morning, you do so fully aware that once it is on you have changed who you are — from the outgoing foreigner who shared a beer, a great meal, and some laughs with other henro at dinner last night, to a pilgrim walking the henro trail, working your way, step-by-step, from one temple to the next, from one life experience to the next, from mediocrity to enlightenment.
As you walk, you are mindful, at all times, that the stick you carry isn't just a walking stick, used to aid your steps along the trail. Rather, you are constantly mindful that it represents the Daishi himself, ever present, always available, and unceasing in his desire to help you and all others.
By keeping these thoughts always right at the edge of your conscious mind, where they are seen at the slightest provocation, they will change the way you interact with the non-henro that seek you out, that want to talk to you, that want to offer you settai. And these interactions with others are what will, after all is said and done, define your pilgrimage.
As Bhante says about the monks' robes, the hakui and the kongotsue are tools used by the henro to "remind ourselves who we are, what we are supposed to do, and how we should interact with others. It helps us to choose our speech wisely, to avoid overindulgence, and to remember to strive for peace with those around us."
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