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Four
Harmonious Brothers - Four Faithfull Friends |
 
Thanka
= Thangka (religious scroll paintings)
Thanka
painting is one of the major science out the five major and five minor
fields of knowledge. It's origin can be traced all the way back to the
time of Lord Buddha. The main themes of Thanka paintings are religious.
During the reign of Dharma King Trisong, Duetsen the Tibetan masters refined
there already well developed arts through research and studies of different
country's tradition.
Thanka
painting's lining and measurement, costumes, implementations and ornaments
are all based on Indian style. The drawing of figures are based on Nepalese
style and the background sceneries are based on Chinese style. Thus, the
Thanka paintings became a unique and distinctive art.
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Four
Harmonious Brothers |
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Once
upon a time an elephant came upon a giant tree in the forest by the river
bank. He rested under its shade for a rest. Soon a monkey came to
rest there also.
The elephant said, "This is my tree. I found it first."
The
monkey replied, "Do you see any fruit on this tree?"
"No"
said the elephant.
The
monkey said triumphantly, "Ah! I was here before you. I ate up the fruits
on this tree before you got here."
The
elephant then bowed to the monkey,
"OK,
you're my big brother, since you came here first."
"Wait
a minute" said the rabbit that hopped by, "When I saw this tree,
it was just a sapling with only a few branches and certainly not any fruit.
So I was here before both of you."
Then
the elephant and monkey bowed to the rabbit: "OK, you're our big brother,
since you were here first."
Just
then, they heard "Ha! Ha! Ha!" from a partridge on the treetop:
"This tree wouldn't have sprouted if I didn't spit out the seed from a
fruit I had eaten. So I was here before all of you."
Then
the elephant, monkey, and rabbit, all bowed to the partridge, "OK, you're
truly our big brother, since you planted this very tree."
Then
they decided to share the tree together in peaceful harmony - enjoying
the beauty of the tree's fragrance, the nourishment of the tree's fruits,
and the bounty of the tree's shade.
Other
animals in the forest often see them together with the partridge on top
of the rabbit who is held up by the monkey who rides on top of the elephant.
Henceforth,
they were called "the four harmonious brothers", and by their example,
peace reigned throughout the jungle.
In
one of the Buddha's previous lifetimes, in the forest of Kashika, there
lived four noble beings - a bird, a monkey, a rabbit, and an elephant.
The four, who drank at the same spring, soon became friends. One day they
decided that it would be proper to show the greatest respect for the eldest
among them. To determine their respective ages, each one recalled the height
of a nearby nyagrota tree when he had first seen it.
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The elephant
said, "I must be the oldest. I remember that when I was born the shadow
of the tree fell across my body."
The monkey
said, "I must be the older than the elephant. When I was born the tree
had the same size as me."
The rabbit
said, "I must be older than either of you. When I was born, the seed
of the tree was just sprouting. I took a young leaf and ate it."
The partridge
said, "I am older than any of you. When I was born I ate the fruit
of a tree south of this spring. The seed of the nyagrota tree passed through
my body as waste. So I planted it." |
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The
four then showed each other respect accordingly.
The
elephant placed the bird on the crown of his head, the rabbit on his neck,
and the monkey on his back.
Then
the bird said, "Now we must keep the five basic disciplines throughout
our lives."
This
they did, and to insure that all other beings did the same, the bird initiated
all those with wings, the elephant initiated all those with fangs, the
rabbit initiated all those with paws, and the monkey initiated all those
with fur. Even today, these animals are depicted in Buddhist art as a portrait
of harmony, especially in buddhist monastery wallpaintings.
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People's
belief in Bhutan |
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Partridge |
The
partridge is sowing. |
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Rabbit |
The
rabbit is fertilizing. |
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Monkey |
The
monkey is watering. |
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Elephant |
The
elephant is watching. |
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