This work of art is a valued representation of religious beliefs of a certain society. It has been copied many, many times for the teachings of traditions through the facial expressions of 'Three Wise Men'. Who are these men in the picture, what are they doing and what three 'reactions' are being depicted?

zbeckabee

"The Vinegar Tasters" is an allegorical image representing Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and generally favourable to Taoism and critical of the other two. Reportedly, the original "Vinegar Tasters" was painted a long time ago, and has been copied many times. It depicts three men dipping their fingers in a vat of vinegar and tasting it; one man reacts with a sour expression, one reacts with a bitter expression, and one reacts with a happy expression. The three men are depictions of K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius), Buddha, and Lao-tse (Lao Tzu, Laozi), and represent the three traditions of China -- Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Each man's expression represents the predominant attitude of the religion: Confucianism saw life as sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people; Buddism saw life as bitter, dominated by pain and suffering; and Taoism saw life as fundamentally good in its natural state. Wiki May 22 06, 8:44 PM

peasypod

Yes, zbeck, yay for you, but a photo of this visual perspective might be nice... So, um, perhaps a direct link to Wiki might be in order? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar_tasters May 22 06, 10:43 PM

zbeckabee

How very remiss of me!!! The following link has much more concise visuals. (Scroll to the very bottom for color.) http://www.edepot.com/taoism_3-vinegar-tasters.html May 23 06, 3:06 AM

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