Blind men and an elephant

"Monks, the wanderers of other sects are blind & eyeless. They don't know what is beneficial and what is harmful. They don't know what is the Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma. Not knowing what is beneficial and what is harmful, not knowing what is Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma, they keep on arguing, quarreling, & disputing, wounding one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, 'The Dhamma is like this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like this.' "Once, monks, there was a certain king, and the king said to a certain man, 'Come, my good man. Gather together all the people who have been blind from birth.'"

Then King said, show the blind people an elephant.  After letting those blind people to touch and feel the elephant king asked them;

“Blind people, have you seen the elephant?”

“Yes, your majesty. We have seen the elephant.” “Now tell me, blind people, what the elephant is like.”

“The blind people who had been shown the elephant's head said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a jar.”

“Those who had been shown the elephant's ear said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a winnowing basket.”

“Those who had been shown the elephant's tusk said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like plowshare.”

“Those who had been shown the elephant's trunk said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like the pole of a plow.”

“Those who had been shown the elephant's body said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a granary.”

“Those who had been shown the elephant's foot said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a post.”

“Those who had been shown the elephant's hindquarters said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a mortar.”

“Those who had been shown the elephant's tail said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a pestle.”

“Those who had been shown the tuft at the end of the elephant's tail said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a broom.”

"Saying, 'The elephant is like this, it's not like that. The elephant's not like that, it's like this,' they struck one another with their fists. That gratified the king.

Read the full sutta in here

There are some serious notes which we should understand through this story which is very important for the path of Nibbana.  As well as for the other things we do in our life.  I am going to discuss more about it through our next month Editorial.

Till then try to understand the elephant which you still couldn’t see!