The Wisdom of the Four Harmonious Friends

In Bhutanese folk art, they are among the most common motifs: the pheasant, the hare, the monkey and the elephant, forming a living tower one on top of the other. They can be found on temple murals, stupas and everyday objects. The «four harmonious friends» also appear again and again in other Buddhist regions. But who are they, and what do they mean?

The story of the four friends (མཐུན་པ་སྤུན་བཞི།) is told in different versions, but the message is always the same: every being has its own strengths and weaknesses. Only when these are united and we meet one another with respect can we achieve what would be impossible alone.

In one version, a pheasant plants a tree. As long as the tree is small, the pheasant can live on its fruit. But the taller the tree grows, the harder it becomes for the flightless pheasant to reach food.

Then the hare appears: he waters the tree, eats what falls to the ground and carries the pheasant on his back so that it can reach the lower fruit. But soon the tree outgrows them both.

The monkey helps further: he fertilises the tree, climbs up it and throws fruit down to the others. But he, too, cannot reach the very top.

Finally, the elephant joins them. He protects the tree and carries the other three on his back. Together they can now reach even the highest fruit – enough food for everyone.