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Four
Harmonious Brothers - Four Faithfull Friends
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Understanding
the symbolism of Thuenpa Puen Zhi
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Farmer
Rinchen has a brand new painting of the Four Harmonious Friends or Thuenpa Puen Zhi on the wall of her altar room. Hotelier Nima has a
huge painting of the same on his restaurant wall. A beautifully done Thanka
or Thanka (scroll painting) of the Four Friends hangs from the
sitting room of Karma, a Thimphu businesswomen.
To
Richen, the painting would ensure harmony in the family, to Nima, it means
peace, and to Karma, it is a "beautiful art" for decking up her cozy sitting
room. The painting of the four animal friends - an elephant, a monkey,
a rabbit, and a bird - positioned on top of each other varies in size
and in fact, the bird looks different on all the three paintings and the
monkey on Rinchen's wall has a phallus painted in glowing red. |
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Differences
in shape, sizes, colours, and the simplicity of the painting aside, the Thunpa
Puen Zhi forms one of the first and lasting impressions of Bhutanese
paintings.
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The
four harmonious friends
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But
even as the painting takes its place in most Bhutanese homes, lhakhangs
and monasteries, and dzongs in the form of a wall painting or a Thanka,
there are few who understand its real connotations.
While
many believe that the painting symbolises harmony and unity in family or
society, it has a world of meaning contrary to its commonplace perception
as an obvious symbolism of harmony.
According
to a Bhutanese scholar, Dasho Lam Sanga, the Puen Zhi can be traced back
to various life cycles Lord Buddha attained before his enlightenment.
"It is in the context of the teachings of Lord Buddha," said Dasho Lam
Sanga.
"It
symbolises interdependence despite the difference in size and strength
of the animals. It is an epitome of friendship, cooperation, good relation
without considering hierarchy, strength, power or even size. It depicts
the virtues of Buddhist morals. At a single glance one will know that four
different species of animals are united in harmony."
He
explained the animals are representations of Lord Buddha himself and his
close advocates: the bird is Buddha himself,
the rabbit is Sheribu (Shari Putra), the monkey Mou-Gelgi-Bu (Mugyalyana),
and the elephant Kingau (Ananda). "The
painting teaches most of the Bhutanese values of etiquette like respect
for elders, cooperation, and generosity. You need not become a monk or
a nun to practice religion, the four animals can be an example," said Dasho
Lam Sanga.
In
modern Bhutan, the concept of the Puen Zhi can also be interpreted
as the basis of His Majesty's concept of Gross National Happiness, according
to the scholar. "To achieve Gross National Happiness we need harmony
and unity among the people. The four animals can be compared to the four
pillars of GNH," he said.
The
principal of Institute of Language and Cultural Studies, Lopon Lungten
Gaytso, says the painting of the Puen Zhi, like many other Buddhist paintings,
depicts Buddhist morals. "It depicts harmony, unity, and integrity despite
their sizes and strength," he says. "It can be interpreted as the need
of unity in the country despite having different races. People paint the
four friends at home with a belief that there will be no separation, discord,
and partition within the family."
Although
the origin of the painting is difficult to trace scholars like Lam Sanga
trace the origin to the forests in present day Varanasi in India. "It is
a Buddhist concept because no Hindu epics say anything about it although
the story took place in India," he says.
The
story of the four friends was an account Lord Buddha narrated to
his disciples. The story goes thus: Once in a forest in Varanasi, four
animals, an elephant, a rabbit, a monkey, and a bird (partridge) disputed
about the ownership of a tree where all of them happened to come to feed
on. The elephant claimed it was his because he saw it first.
The
monkey said that it was his because he had been feeding on the fruits of
the tree. The rabbit claimed that he had been feeding on the leaves of
the tree when it was a small sapling. The partridge who had been watching
the argument said that the tree belonged to it because the tree wouldn't
have grown if it had not spit out the seed from fruit it had eaten.
The
elephant, monkey, and rabbit, all then bowed to the partridge and regarded
it as their bigger brother. The four animals became friends and 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 saw them together with the partridge on top
of the rabbit who was held up by the monkey who rode on top of the elephant.
Henceforth, they were called "the four harmonious brothers". The four animals
were looked upon as an example and peace regained in the forest.
According
to another account, 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 banyan tree when he had
first seen it.
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 ensure 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. Thus, these animals are depicted in Buddhist art as a portrait
of harmony.
There
are about five different version of the story, but according to Dasho Lam
Sanga, they all had the same moral- respect to elders, love and affection
to live harmoniously. "None of the animals were primarily concerned with
themselves," he said. "Each of the animals was concerned with trying to
help the others rather than being dominated by selfish concern."
According
to a former Dzongkha lopon, wherever a picture of the four brothers
is displayed, the ten virtues will increase and the minds of all will become
harmonious. "The painting is an example of cooperation, unity and harmony,
as such it is painted in places like lhakhangs where people gathered,"
Thinley Wangchuk said.
While
the story of the painting originated from the forests in India, nobody
knows who painted the first Puen Zhi or where it was done.
Internet
sources say that Tibetan families used the picture of the painting as letters
of advice to families who were going through difficult times. "The four
friends are often used as an example of how the family needs to stay together
and help each other," an Internet source, Vinayavastu (foundation of Discipline)
says.
Bhutan's
renowned painter, 73-year old Lhadip Ugen Lhundup says that the paintings
could have originated in Tibet and came to Bhutan when Shabdrung Ngawang
Namgyal brought along Lhadips with him in 1616.
Lhadip Ugen Lhundup who started painting since 1950 say the paintings of
the Puen Zhi was there on frescos of dzongs and monasteries. "It could
have done during the era of Gyelse Tenzin Rabgye who renovated and
reconstructed many dzongs and lhakhangs in Bhutan," he said. "The theme
of the paintings could have originated from the Kanjur and the Tenjur."
Unlike
western art, Bhutanese arts, especially paintings are difficult to trace
since paintings were considered an act of devotion, according to the Lhadip.
The co-founder and tutor of Bhutan's only art studio, Volunteer Artist
Studio of Thimphu (VAST) Kama Wangdi agrees.
According
to Kama Wangdi, a traditional Bhutanese artist never signed his finished
work because it was not serving the artistic value. "Traditional artists
were viewed as religious icons. Their perspective was not important as
long it served the religious purposes," he says.
One
reason why painters never signed their work could be because most painters
were commissioned to work, Kama Wangdi adds. "When a painting or a Thanka
is commissioned, an artist considers it as a gewa (doing virtuous deed).
Signing it would distort the importance of the work. The value of artist
loses after he completes his work. Once the painting or the Thanka is consecrated,
it loses the art value."
This
is why Farmer Rinchen only hangs her Thanka during her annual rituals and
painted the Puen Zhi on the wall of her altar room. "If you pray to this
painting, it will pacify conflicts and bring harmony in the family," she
says.
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This
article was contributed by
Ugyen Penjore , KUENSEL, Bhutan's National Newspaper |
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