11 The Three Vinegar Tasters

The Three Vinegar Tasters

Three famous sages are standing around a large bowl holding vinegar. The first man has a sour expression, the second a bitter expression but the third person is smiling. The three are Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu. 

 

To Confucius, life seemed rather sour. He believed that the present was not in harmony with the past and that the government of man on earth was out of harmony with the Way of Heaven. Under Confucianism, the use of precisely measured court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases all added up to an extremely complex system of rituals, each used for a particular purpose at a particular time. A saying was recorded about Confucius: "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit."  

To Buddha, the second figure, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of illusions, a revolving wheel of pain for all creatures. In order to find peace, the Buddhist considered it necessary to transcend "the world of dust" and reach Nirvana, literally a state of "no wind." 

To Lao Tzu, the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and earth from the very beginning could be found by anyone at any time, but not by following the rules.  According to Lao Tzu, the more man interfered with the natural balance produced and governed by the universal laws, the further away the harmony retreated into the distance. The more forcing, the more trouble.  

To Lao Tzu, the world was not a setter of traps but a teacher of valuable lessons. Its lessons needed to be learned, just as its laws needed to be followed; then all would go well. 

Why is Lao Tzu smiling?  Because the vinegar is as it is meant to be it is that part of life it has been set to be. All is well, life is going with the flow.