The philosophy of vinegar

My daughter came back excited from school one day, talking about her Geography class in which she was studying religious practices and philosophies from around the globe. While referring to a painting, she repeated the story her teacher had discussed in class, and I was deeply intrigued with the message it conveyed.

The Vinegar Tasters, a well-known painting in Chinese philosophy and religion presents an interesting perspective of China’s major religious and philosophical traditions. The painting depicts Buddha, Confucius, and Laozi standing around a vat full of vinegar, each one dipping their finger into the vat to taste the vinegar. While the vinegar is said to represent life itself, the reaction thus represents an understanding of life and its essence. Buddha’s face illustrates a bitter look, Confucius has a tart expression, however, Laozi is wearing a sweet blissful smile.

Buddhism is said to read life as it is, in which vinegar is vinegar, with a bitter taste. Buddha’s reaction represents how life truly is; difficult. Confucius saw life as sour, as he believed humans had no understanding and reverence for the laws of the universe. They needed conventions to correct this decline. Confucius, being concerned with the outside world, viewed the vinegar as tart and polluted.

To Laozi however, the harmony that naturally exists between man and nature, between heaven and earth impacted not only the distant planets but also the activities of the tiniest creatures in the forest and the colourful fish in the sea. Laozi said the more man interfered with the natural order and universal laws, the further he moved away from harmony. Everything had its own nature, which if violated, would disrupt everything and life would indeed become sour.

However, if one lives in harmony and in accordance with the life and the Tao, understanding the purpose of life and things being the way they are; everything becomes sweet and blissful.

When life is allowed to flow unchallenged and we flow one with nature, even what appears as negative becomes positive. “The vinegar” my daughter concluded “is naturally sour, but because it stays true to its nature of being sour, in its natural state it becomes sweet”.

I had to bow down to this superior wisdom.