Travelling through countries with deep Vajrayana Buddhist roots, one will find a popular scene of four animals together.  The elephant, monkey, hare and a bird will be placed together with the elephant at the bottom and the other three animals stacked on top in order of size.

According to Buddhist legends, the four animals were good friends and lived in harmony.  One day they were in discussion about order and seniority, and how each of them should defer to the others. They decided to use age as a mark of honour (instead of size, achievement or intellect).

The elephant started by stating that a big tree nearby was already grown when the elephant was already young.  The monkey commented that he was able to eat off the top of the tree when the monkey was young.  The hare noted that when the hare was young, the tree was merely a sapling.  Finally the bird explained to the rest that he was the one who planted the seed from which the tree was grown.

The other three friends agreed that the bird was the most senior and they honoured and respect him for that.  This story from the Jataka Tales was meant as a fable to illustrate cooperation (ie discussion to resolve issues) and respect for seniority.

The story was cited as the basis for the importance of seniority in the monastic order.  With a suitable system in place, there will be less confusion and less opportunity for strife in the monastic community.

In an earlier version of the Jataka Tales, there were only three friends with the hare absent. (https://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j1/j1040.htm)

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