together these three monkeys are said to embody the proverbial principle of see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
the origin is thought to have come from china around the 8th century. confucius is quoted in saying something very similar....
"Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety"
propriety:
the customs and manners of polite society
rightness or justness
correct or appropriate behavior
hmmmm.....okay......this particular definition of propriety, to me, is saying that people should follow a certain set of social rules or customs in order to be appropriate. to follow a particular conduct in order to be correct. to stay within the acceptable outlines of the box given to you.
so, i am not crazy about this quote and the black and white meaning of propriety.
i like to color outside of the lines...on a continual basis...SO....
i think that this quote is merely saying, abstain from impurity and you will express purity.
okay....so whats up with the monkeys?
the concept of the monkeys originated from a word play...the teachings have nothing to do with monkeys.
The saying in Japanese is "mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru" In Japanese, zaru, which is an archaic negative verb conjugation, is the same as zaru, the vocalized suffix for saru meaning monkey.
so, in honor of a pure life.
mizaru
kikazaru
iwazaru
