Daye 99 / The Elephant And The Blind Men

a number of disciples
went to the buddha
saying "sir, there are living here in savatthi
many wandering hermits and scholars who
indulge in constant dispute
some say that the world is infinite and eternal
and others that it is finite and not eternal
some say that the soul dies with the body
and others that it lives on forever
and so forth
what would you say concerning them?"

the buddha answered
"once upon a time there was a certain raja
who called to his servant and said
'go and gather together in one place all the men of savatthi
who were born blind... and show them an elephant'
'very good, sire' replied the servant
and he did as he was told
when he had assembled the blind men
he said to them
'here is an elephant'
and to one blind man he presented the side of the elephant
to another its tail
to another a trunk
to another the ear
to another the tusk
saying to each that that was the elephant

"when the blind men had felt the elephant
the raja went to each of them and said
'tell me what sort of thing is an elephant?'

"thereupon the man who had fallen against
the elephants broad and sturdy side
answered 'sire an elephant is like a wall'

"and the man who had observed and seized
the elephants swinging tail replied
'an elephant is like a rope'

"the man who had been presented with the elephants squirming trunk
spoke boldly thus
'i see that the elephant is very like a snake!'

"and the man who chanced to touch the elephants ear said
'even the blindest man can tell
that what the elephant resembles most is a hand fan'

"and the man who had felt the elephants tusk
cried 'ho! what have we here? this wonder of an elephant
is very like a spear'

"and the blind men began to quarrel with each other
and dispute each others claims
shouting 'yes it is!'
'no it is not!'
'an elephant is not that!'
and 'yes, it's like that!'
and so on
until they came to blows over the matter.

"the raja was delighted with the scene
just so these hermits and scholars
holding various views blind and unseeing
in their ignorance they are by nature quarrelsome
wrangling and disputatious
each maintaining reality is thus and thus"
then the buddha
the exalted one
rendered this meaning by uttering this verse
"o how they cling and wrangle
some who claim
for preacher and monk the honored name
for quarreling
each to his view they cling.
such folk see only one side of a thing"
~ Ancient Indian Parable