Four Wise Monkeys 🙊🙉🙈🐵
The origins of the 3 monkeys of wisdom
It is difficult to estimate the exact origin of these three wise monkeys.
It was a monk named Xuanzang, one of the most important Chinese translators, who introduced their appearance into Buddhism in the seventh century. According to legend, this monk was always accompanied by a monkey during his travels, especially when he left China to explore India in search of new Buddhist texts to translate. Although it was not he who invented this figure of the three mystical apes, he introduced them to China and helped popularize them.
The first trace of their existence is linked to a very famous Chinese thinker of the fifth century, a certain Confucius, in his book "Analects (Interviews) of Confucius". A maxim that was reinterpreted centuries later by the German philosopher Nietzsche with his quote "When your gaze penetrates for a long time into the bottom of an abyss, the abyss also penetrates into you", implying that when we are confronted with evil, evil can also take hold of us.
Another legend would assume that these three monkeys are descended from the Japanese Koshin belief. The latter would be based on the idea that each human would have a part of evil represented by three evil "worms" called the "Sanshis".
Every sixty days, the Sanshis leave our bodies to repent of their evil deeds to a higher deity called Ten-Tei. The latter would punish humans by shortening their lives according to the severity of their misdeeds. It is by adopting a good behavior, similar to that of the three mystical monkeys, that one could avoid punishments.
If the origin of this metaphor is more Chinese, the use of the three little monkeys in decoration is the idea of a Japanese sculptor, Hidari Jingoro, who adorned the temples of Nikko in Japan in the sixteenth century.
The meaning of the three monkeys
The three monkeys are called the "Sanzaru". In Japanese, "san" means three and "saru" monkey. Over time, the saru becomes zaru hence the name. Moreover, zaru also brings a negative form, which is why we can interpret the symbolism of the three monkeys as "not seeing, not hearing and not speaking".
These monkeys each have their name: Mizaru for the blind, Kikazaru for the deaf and Iwazaru for the dumb.
If we take the first symbolism of the three mystical apes, it would mean "seeing nothing, hearing nothing and saying nothing". But wouldn't that be a bit too simplistic?
According to the Koshin cult, the three monkeys could mean "not wanting to see what could be a problem, not wanting to say anything about what you know so as not to take a risk and not want to hear so that you can act as if you don't know".
Another Buddhist approach includes the idea of evil: "not seeing evil, not hearing evil and not saying bad things." It's as if every time we witness something bad or hear something bad, our body can absorb it like a sponge.
These three little monkeys would therefore be a call to refuse perversity, and to ignore the wrongful conduct of others rather than denounce it, as if we were aware of everything around us, but we chose not to let ourselves be reached.
Meanwhile, forgotten Sedzaru embodies the principle of “do not commit evil,” and the arms cover belly or crotch area. Since the Japanese consider the number 4 unlucky, fourth, though the most important monkey, is mentioned very rarely. Undoubtedly, the four wise monkeys have become the real inspiration for artists and craftsmen all over the world.
S. https://vsuete.com/four-wise-monkeys/
Saya baru tau ada nombor 4. Hohoho 😎
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