Numerous renditions of the Vinegar Tasters painting exist depicting the three major elders of Asian philosophy. It is an allegory of the traditional Chinese religious teachings. The conception portrayed in the painting symbolizes the core founders of China’s philosophical and religious traditions: Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. All the three sages in the painting are aged and express a vast depth of wisdom. From the painting Confucius, Lao Tzu and Buddha are portrayed besides a vat filled with vinegar. They are all revealed to be dipping their fingers in the vat and taking a taste of the vinegar. Each man has a distinct and unique facial expression indicating his reaction with regards to the taste of vinegar. The expression on each one of them emblematizes a given religious and philosophical teaching. The very essence of life is captured in the taste of vinegar and the philosophy represented by each facial expression gives a general overview of life and its quintessence. Notably, Confucius is portrayed with a sour facial expression, the reaction of Buddha depicts a bitter countenance, yet Laozi’s countenance reveals satisfaction through a smile.
The vey substance of life is sour as revealed in the perspective of Confucianism. Owing to the fact that Confucius was concerned about the outside world, his view of the vinegar equated to that of a polluted wine. In essence, a greater need for rules is deeply expressed so as to restore humans from their degenerative acts. An expression is made that federal government lacked perspective on the true way of the universe. In other words, the world’s remedy lied in the reverence of the ancestors and their traditional practices.
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Confucius believed that the present was out step with the past. Furthermore, the heavenly ways, as outlined by the government of universe, were completely out of place in the earthly government of men. This formed the basis for his emphasis on reverence of ancestors with their ancient practices like ceremonies or rituals. In such ancestral rites the Son of Heaven, which is the emperor of the government of the universe, served as the mediator between limited earth and infinite heaven.
The modern practice enshrined in Buddhism was greatly shaped or rather influenced by Siddhartha Gautama. While growing Siddhartha lived a very extravagant and privileged life. When he was about thirty years of age he got an insight of how ugly life is in this world. He was obliged by this notion to enter into a quest of seeking the true illumination. It is recorded that he achieved such enlightenment when he hit thirty five years of age. Numerous interpretation has been fronted with respect to the very meaning of the reaction of Buddha upon tasting the vinegar.
Foremost, concern for self is one of the interpretation projected in Buddhism. Owing to the concerns attached to self, vinegar (given its powerful and extreme flavor) is seen as a body polluter. Given its state of impurity, it contaminates the body upon entry. This sentiment depicts the notion of purity captured by Zen Buddhism in their quest of purity through meditation – the purity of soul and mind in the course of such tranquility. Secondly, the next interpretation according to Buddhism is journalism life for what it is which a more pragmatic way of viewing life.in this sense life is reported for what it is without impartiality, that is, vinegar just tastes as vinegar. In essence, the taste is not smooth on the tongue, but extremely bitter upon tasting with no sweet sensation at all. Emblematizing vinegar as sweet which metaphorically means life would be irrational. There is no prudence in quoting life as sweet since this sentiment is far from the very truth which surrounds the matter. In reality life is bitter.
Accordingly the portrait depicted in Buddha’s expression reveals the bitterness which surrounds the life of human beings. Life on earth is surrounded by many attachments and numerous desires that only leads to anguish if not actual suffering. The way of life is ensnared with many loopholes, producing funny illusions, and serving as the wagon of pain for all men under the sun. Transcending is the only avenue towards attainment of peace from the perspective of Buddhism ( Alexander , 2017 ). For it is the only sure way of overwhelming the world of dust in order to reach Nirvana (a place of no wind). Nevertheless, the notion borrowed from native Indians significantly changed optimistic attitude expressed by the Chinese Buddhist. These devout people insisted that the way to Nirvana was ever interrupted by this routine bitter wind in every aspect of living in this world.
Contrary to the disturbing expression seen in the above sages of Eastern philosophy, a smile is revealed in Laozi’s face (Simpkins & Simpkins, 2010). A bright countenance depicting satisfaction. According to the extract in the work of Benjamin Hoff, “The Tao of Pooh,” to Laozi, the harmony that reigned within the realms of the heavens and the earth from the very start can still be found even in this present time and at any time, however this is not in line with the rules outlined in Confucianism. In essence, earth was but a mere reflection of the heavens, governed by similar rules, not by laws of men. These rules influences even the actions of the birds in the wilderness and the fish in the oceans as well as revolution and rotation of the planets at a distance. Laozi’s perspective reveals that the more humans disrupted the universal rules and the balance produced by nature, the further away harmony withdrew into the space. Irrespective of the weight, speed, dryness or wetness, nothing lacked its own nature within it. And difficulties had to arise upon their violation. Struggle became inescapable upon imposing arbitrary and abstract rules from the outside; only then did life become sour.
Basing it on Laozi perspective, the world was not ensnared with loopholes but the master of valuable teaching. In other words, people needed to learn from its teachings and follow its laws after which everything would be well. Instead of quitting the world of dust as projected by the Buddha, Laozi advice is to embrace the dust of the world. What was unveiled in the heaven’s and earth’s operation he termed as “the Way” (Tao) (Lin, n.d.). From his teachings it is clear that the operations of the universe cannot be fathomed in mere words, and attempting to comprehend the way of the universe with words would be an insult to its limitless power as well as to the intelligent mind. For it is best understood by those who cared the most about it, and the life from which it was inseparable. Emphatically, when an individual live in harmony, in accordance with Tao or life, then the negative perspectives projected by the teachings of Buddhism and Confucianism would be transformed into positive aspects. In other words, bitterness and sourness only emanates from the intrusive and ungrateful mind. Thus, when used and fathomed for what it is, life in itself can be sweet.
In a nutshell, the three founders of Chinese philosophical and religious teaching holds onto their diverse belief of life. They use the taste of vinegar to explain the way of life and the reality of life. Confucius makes us believe that the world’s predicament or rather filth results from defying the Son of Heaven and its rule of the universe as is evident in the ways of the governments of the earth, a sentiment which may or may not be the fair way of presenting the truth. Buddha’s notion of polluting the body with ingestion of Vinegar is rather unfair in the true sense of life. However, the perspective that vinegar and its bitterness represents life for what it is would indeed be a fair way of what life is in the real world. Nonetheless, Laozi notion bears some pragmatism and truth in it making one know that life can be really good if disturbing elements are eradicated.
References
Alexander , S. (2017). Book Review: Mastering The Core Teachings Of The Buddha.
Hoff, B., Shepard, E. H., & Timur, F. K. (1982). The tao of Pooh (pp. 64-65). New York: Penguin Books.
Lin, D. Tao Te Ching Online Translation : Taoism.net. Retrieved from https://taoism.net/tao/tao-te-ching-online-translation/
Simpkins, C. A., & Simpkins, A. M. (2010). Back to the Future: From Eastern Philosophy to Western Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ian_Evans5/publication/273816039_Back_to_the_future_From_Eastern_philosophy_to_Western_therapy/links/551083230cf2a8dd79be5679.pdf
