The title comes from a famous Chinese painting which shows three sages standing around a vat of vinegar tasting it. All three have different expressions on their faces as they have just tasted the vinegar. The three sages are Kang Fu Tze (Confucious), Buddha and Lao Tze and the vinegar represents human life.

Kang Fu Tze, in line with his basic philosophy, has a sour expression. He believed that the ‘present’, life on earth, is out of step with the past. Life on earth was out of harmony with life in heaven. He therefore emphasized reverence for ancestors and strict rituals. Conformation to rigid procedures and rituals was the method to try and bridge the gap between heaven and earth – to become one with heaven again. The sour expression represents that we keep trying our hardest to conform but, perhaps, never quite make it.

Buddha has a bitter expression, as he believed that life on earth was bitter – full of attachments and obstacles towards attainment of a state of enlightenment and bliss – ‘nirvana’. So one was continuously fighting against desires and attachments leading to suffering, unhappiness, pain, misery etc. as the path to total detachment is not an easy one.

Lao Tze has a happy expression even though the vinegar tastes sour and perhaps even bitter. To him the harmony that naturally exists between heaven and earth can be found but must be discovered by each individual. The more man interferes with this natural balance or ignores that reality, the more pain, suffering and disharmony each experiences. (Tera bhana meetha lagai, Naam pedarath Nanak mangai). Earth is not a ‘setter-of-traps’ but a teacher of valuable lessons. It is up to the individual to learn from these tests. One must accept hardships as lessons, as ‘hukm’ and within this ‘hukm’ find ones contentment (Santokh) – be happy with one’s lot in this life but strive to improve. One must be able to appreciate and savour each passing ‘moment’ of this wonderful life and accept pain and suffering as part of it – to be able to always appreciate the brighter side of life at all times – CHARDHI KALA!!

There is nothing wrong in following any of the above sages, as millions of devotees are doing. Each in its own right, or each with bits of the other two are very noble pursuits in this lifetime. The above oversimplification of each’s philosophy should, in no way, detract from the lofty ideals propounded by these three venerable masters – philosophies which have stood the test of time!

Sikhi has elements of all three and there are Sikhs who get caught up in one of the three general ‘expressions’.

There are Sikhs who like to believe that our lives are out of kilter with the lofty ideals set for us. So, one must punish oneself with rigid disciplines and conformities – (kheneo tikhi, valon nikki). That we are travelers on the sharpest and narrowest of paths to God. It is a matter of understanding this philosophy rather than just adhering to rituals. For example, a good friend in Singapore was driving me on his motorbike in the evening when he asked whether I minded if he did his Nitnem. I was in fact delighted because I wanted to do my Rehras too. Then he proceeded to do his JapJi, Jaap and Sawaiyay and being especially staunch, his full Anand Sahib and then Chaupayi. We never got to Rehraas as we reached destination. I asked him why he was doing the morning ‘banis’ in the evening. I thought perhaps he operated in a different time zone or something. His explanation was that due to other very pressing matters since 3am he has been unable to do his morning Nitnem – so he was trying to finish it. I was impressed but at the same time asked him that if he misses a week of Nitnem then would he set aside Saturday or Sunday to do the whole weeks Nitnem. He said that had happened – he had been very very ill for a week and when he recovered, he worked out how many Nitnems he had to do and set aside a whole weekend to do them. So there are Sikhs who can take the ‘kheneo tikhi, valon niki’ principal to extremes. I wonder whether he also took an ishnan before commencing on a new Nitnem on that weekend!

There are Sikhs who appear very bitter in life and are always lamenting that they will never attain enlightenment because of all their attachments. They forget that even our ‘Guru Sahibs’ raised families and remained aloof within all attachments. They set a great example for us all – that we ‘can’ attain detachment within all the ‘attachments’ of this lifetime without being bitter or renouncing all materialism, family etc. Another friend, the son of a former venerable Bhai Sahib in Malaysia told me that he never ever took Amrit – (in fact he is clean shaven,) because his venerable father had told him that one should never take Amrit because if one is not able to ‘keep’ it then all the wrath of Waheguru will descend upon his head!! Words like ‘bay-adabi’, ‘tut javega’ (will break) ‘kurahitia’, ‘sinner’, ‘papi’, ‘tankhaiya’, ‘apostate’ etc. came thick and fast in his explanation of why he never considered taking Amrit. Strange, I asked him if he thought Waheguru was happier in the state he was in rather than ‘attempting to become a Khalsa? “Well”, he said, “at least I am not ‘breaking’ these lofty ideals!” A rather bitter outlook to Sikhi I think!

Sikhism has elements of all three of these philosophies but I believe it is closest to Lao Tze’s ‘happy’ view. (Nanak satgur bheteo, poori hovai jugt. Hesendhean, khelendhean, painendheyan, khevendhean, vichai hovai mukt.) There is enlightenment in every day living, playing and revelling in materialism and family. Be happy! In Sikhi!

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