“Thuenpa Punzhi / The Four Harmonious Friends” is one of the most popular story in Bhutan. The manifestation of the story appears everywhere in Bhutan, including the monastery, walls, hotels or restaurants. You may feel interested in this story from the Jataka Tales.

One day, an elephant, a rabbit, a monkey and a bird is discussing which of them is the oldest one. The elephant claimed that the tree was only a tiny bush when it was a calf. The monkey said the tree was merely a shrub when it was a baby monkey. The rabbit argued that when it was young, the tree just grew the flower. Finally, the bird ensured that it swallowed the seed and the tree was sprouted from his droppings. All of the above provided the clues for their age , which the bird is the oldest, following with the rabbit, the monkey and the elephant accordingly. The animal kingdom returned to its harmonious state after the discussion. It manifested the ideology of respecting for seniority. It is similar to the ideology of respecting for seniority in Confucianism.

There is another way to understand this picture: the bird drops the seed to the ground; the rabbit digs fertilizing the soil for providing a better environment for the seed to grow; the monkey uses its skills cooperating with the elephant’s power to pick up the fruits. Only when the four animals utilizing their specializes together, they can taste the fruit of success.

Accordingly, the story may have the deepened meaning: the four animal represent four different important qualities of our life, including strength(the elephant), smart (the monkey), emotion (the rabbit) and vision(the bird). It is not only focused on the physical level but also in the spiritual level.

In Bhutan, the influences of this story is very powerful from the interpersonal relationship of the citizens, seeking harmony with the animals and the nature to the unity of different cultures or families.

 

在不丹最常看到的其中一個畫像，相信是這「四個好朋友」 – 象、猴、兔、鳥。

Caiwang：「這個故事在不丹十分流行的。」

這是一個來自本生佛教的故事。

從前有四隻動物：象、猴、兔、鳥在爭論誰是他們之中最年長的。

大象說：我還是嬰兒時，這棵樹只是一棵小樹苗。
猴子則說：我還是嬰兒時，這棵樹才剛成樹苗。
兔子說：我還是嬰兒時，這棵樹只是剛開花。
最後，鳥說：這棵樹的種子是我放下喔。

謎底終於解開了：最年長的是鳥，然後依次序是：兔、猴、象。從此，動物王國就又回復和諧了。偶意就和中國傳統：長幼有序類似，要尊敬長輩。

對於這幅圖畫，我們又可以有另一個解讀：

大象強壯加上猴子敏捷才可以摘到果實，但如果沒有鳥放下種子，兔子挖鬆泥土，又不會長出如此甜美的果實。意指各人利用自己所長，通力合作，方可以豐碩的成果。

也有說法指象、猴、兔、鳥分別代表：力量（象）、智慧（猴）、精神（兔）、願景（鳥）四個元素，引申出的意思是：一個人必須要有健康的身體，良好的精神狀態，利用智慧，加上對未來有願景，如此四者俱備，方可以成功。

依我之見，這裡想說的或者是「平衡」。身體、精神、智慧、願景四者得到平衡，恰到好處，成功之道。我們常會說「Work-Life Balance」: 工作和生活得到平衡，才是理想的人生。套用到國家/ 社會之上，兼顧環境、經濟、民生、社會等各方面平衡，才是較長遠可行的發展模式。

我想不丹這個國家也依從這個平衡的方針慢慢發展著。

References:

http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/debbysdepartures/2012/04/08/four-friends-in-bhutan-the-spirit-of-cooperation/