Knowing
what's right is not enough. Doing
what's right is putting knowledge into
action.
 The
lessons we learn from the Three Wise
Monkeys is ages old. The Asian adage
See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No
Evil represents a 2,500 year old code of
conduct that effectively serves as the
fundamentals for etiquette, good manners,
courtesy and a code of conduct for our
21st century.
Around
500 BC, the philosopher Confucius (551 -
479 BCE) wrote the Chinese Book of
Rites or Li Chi. "Li"
means regulation of conduct, custom and
law (etiquette), and "chi" means
book. In Li Chi, Confucius'
advice is to "look not at what is
contrary to Li, listen not to what is
contrary to Li, speak not what is contrary
to Li." He summed up the
meaning of 300 verses he edited in a
single phrase, "Don't think in an
evil way."
A
Japanese folktale tells of a Japanese
temple, inside of which is an image of a
meditating Buddha seated on a lotus
blossom. In front of him 
are three
little monkeys, one with its hands over
its eyes, another over its ears, and the
third covering its mouth. What do
these three monkeys signify? By its
gesture the first one says: "I
do not see evil and folly." The
second one says: "I do not hear
them." and
the third: "I do not speak of
them."
In the
same way, the wise man is prudent in what
he looks at, in what he listens to, and in
what he says. He considers the
consequences, thinks of the morrow, and if
he does not know his way, he asks.
Acknowledging
the benefits of the lessons of seeing and
hearing No Evil, John Redfield's Eighth
Insight in The Celestine
Prophesy states "By seeing the
beauty in every face, we lift others into
their wisest self, and increase the
chances of hearing a synchronistic
message."
Visit
the Three Monkeys website!
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