“Four Harmonious Brothers” is a popular image, which can be found on murals in Tibetan monasteries quite often. The scene refers to a Buddhist legend on four animals trying to find out who could be considered the oldest among them.
The elephant said that the tree was already fully grown when he was young, the monkey said that the tree was small when he was young, and the hare said that he saw the tree as a sapling when he was young, and the bird claimed that he had carried the seed from which the tree grew. So the bird was considered by the others as the oldest, and the four animals lived together in harmony, helping one another enjoy the fruits of man.
It is also said that wherever a picture of the four harmonious brothers is displayed, ten virtues will increase, the minds of all will become harmonious and auspicious events will occur.
