4 Harmonious Friends - Premium Thangka Painting

4 Harmonious Friends - Premium Thangka Painting. Natural stone colors and other pigments create traditional sacred Buddhist art that aids meditation and transformation. Carefully packed and shipped worldwide in a strong hard tube.

The Story of the Four Harmonious Brothers

Four animal friends lived harmoniously in the jungles near Varanasi. They realized the lack of respect for elders in the world and decided to uphold the tradition of Dharma.

The four animals made offerings and paid homage, with the younger carrying the older on his back to show respect. Standing on each others' backs, they reached the first limb of the nyän dro da.

The pheasant taught the others how to follow the moral conduct of not taking lives, not taking what was not given, not speaking deceptive words, not committing sexual misconduct, and not taking intoxicants. Then each animal led similar types of animals to themselves on the path of morality. Happiness and comfort increased greatly in the world.

At that time, the king, his ministers, and the general population had the proud belief that the good times were due to their own merit. In order to determine who was responsible for the peaceful times they gathered together and asked a hermit to tell them the cause of their happiness. Through his clairvoyance the hermit explained that the countries’ wealth was not due to the power of any of the people but to the merits of the four animals in the forest who were keeping the five precepts of moral conduct and leading the other animals on that path. He advised them that they, too, should behave like these animals.

Following this advice most of the people in that region began to keep the five precepts, and as a result, after they died, they were reborn in the deva realm.

It is said in the Vinaya teaching Dülwa rlung and the discourse Do de nä kyang rlung that the pheasant was an incarnation of the qualified destroyer gone beyond Shakyamuni Buddha and the others were disciples – the rabbit was Nyi gyä (Shariputra), the monkey was Päl na kyä (Maudgalyana) and the elephant was Kungawa (Ananda).

Displaying the four brothers' picture increases the 10 virtues and creates harmony. It promotes respect for elders and brings auspicious events.

Colophon: Originally told by Shakyamuni Buddha as recorded in the Vinayavastu (Foundation of Discipline). Translator unknown.