An Elephant Is Like…

The Buddha relates a story of a king who had all the people in his realm who were born blind assembled together and introduced to an elephant. The king then asked them what an elephant was like.

‘Those blind people who had been shown the head of the elephant replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a water jar.” Those blind people who had been shown the ear of the elephant replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a winnowing basket.” Those blind people who had been shown the tusk of the elephant replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a ploughshare.” Those blind people who had been shown the trunk replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a plough-pole.”

Those blind people who had been shown the body replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a storeroom.” Those blind people who had been shown the foot replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a post.” Those blind people who had been shown the hindquarters replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a mortar.” Those blind people who had been shown the tail replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a pestle.” Those blind people who had been shown the tuft at the end of the tail replied, “An elephant, your majesty, is just like a broom.”

Saying “An elephant is like this, an elephant is not like that! An elephant is not like this, an elephant is like that!”, they fought each other with their fists. And the king was delighted [with the spectacle].’

The Buddha then commented upon the ‘wanderers of other sects’ who held a variety of views and quarrelled amongst themselves. He then spoke the following verse:

‘Some recluses and Brahmins, so called,
Are deeply attached to their own views;
People who only see one side of things
Engage in quarrels and disputes.’
(Udāna 6.4)

Throughout history there has always been a great diversity of views and opinions about life. The Buddha realized the futility of disputes and the delusion of holding fixed views, since they are usually due to seeing only a part of the whole picture.

Holding views is also one of the supports for affirming selfhood, the greatest delusion of all. To someone who can ‘see the elephant’, all the partial views are incomplete, and so disputing them is a waste of effort. More usefully, we can appreciate each person’s contribution to the picture (often their view says more about themselves than about what they see) and be more tolerant of the great diversity of human perspectives.

This reflection by Ajahn Thiradhammo is from the book, Treasures of the Buddha’s Teaching, (pdf) pp. 151-152, (Udāna 6.4, John D. Ireland translation, TU, pp. 93-4).