Vinegar tasters
"The Vinegar Tasters" is an allegorical image representing Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and generally favourable to Taoism and critical of the other two. Reportedly, the original "Vinegar Tasters" was painted a long time ago, and has been copied many times. It depicts three men dipping their fingers in a vat of vinegar and tasting it; one man reacts with a sour expression, one reacts with a bitter expression, and one reacts with a happy expression. The three men are depictions of K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius), Buddha, and Lao-tse (Lao Tzu, Laozi), and represent the three traditions of China -- Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Each man's expression represents the predominant attitude of the religion: Confucianism saw life as sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people; Buddism saw life as bitter, dominated by pain and suffering; and Taoism saw life as fundamentally good in its natural state.
"From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of `The Vinegar Tasters'." (The Tao Of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff)
Another interpretation of the painting is that, since the three men are gathered around one vat of vinegar, "the three teachings are one".
This painting was made even more popular when it was cited from the "Tao of Pooh" book. As mentioned in the book the scroll painting was a popular piece of art in ancient times. Even today the actual scroll painting is available for viewing and buying here: Three Vinegar Tasters Scroll Painting.