The Elephant and the Blind Men

A group of monks were arguing vehemently over philosophical doctrines. Each insisted that his view was the absolute truth and all others were foolish. The Buddha heard their bickering and called them together to tell a story.

Once, a King ordered all the men born blind in his city to be brought to the courtyard. He then had a large elephant led before them. The King instructed the blind men to touch the animal and tell him what an 'elephant' was like.

One man felt the elephant's trunk and declared, 'An elephant is like a thick snake!'

Another felt the ear and laughed, 'No, you fool! An elephant is like a large winnowing fan.'

A third felt a massive leg and shouted, 'You are both wrong! It is like a sturdy tree trunk.'

A fourth felt the side of the belly and argued, 'It is clearly like a solid wall.'

A fifth felt the tail and sneered, 'It is exactly like a rope.'

The last man felt the smooth tusk and proclaimed, 'It is hard and sharp, like a spear.'

Soon, the blind men were shouting at each other, coming to blows to defend their own experience, each completely convinced he was right.

The King laughed. 'They are all correct,' he observed, 'but they are all wrong.'

The Buddha looked at the arguing monks. 'You are like those blind men. You cling to a single, small fragment of the truth that you have experienced, and because you cannot see the whole, you argue and fight. The Awakened One sees the whole elephant. Let go of your rigid views, for clinging to partial truth is the root of conflict.'