From: ah724@yfn.ysu.edu (Sundara Pandian)
Subject: A Buddhist Parable ( was Re: Thiruppaavai Verses 18-20 )
Summary: The parable "Blind men and an elephant"
Reply-To: ah724@yfn.ysu.edu (Sundara Pandian)
Organization: St. Elizabeth Hospital, Youngstown, OH
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 03:34:11 GMT


In a previous article, selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering) says:

>In article <1993Jan3.232454.18292@news.ysu.edu> ah724@yfn.ysu.edu (Sundara Pandian) writes:
>>
>>  Selva gave an interesting interpretation for the story of blind
>> men and an elephant. The original parable, `Blind men and an
>> elephant' given by Buddha has a different meaning however.

    [Some words by Selva deleted ]

>       Can you please post the original Buddha's meaning.

   I have read this parable by Buddha in a Buddhist text. I will give
you the parable from my memory.

   Buddha was once staying in a park near a place called Savatti. 
On that occasion, some sectarians and Brahmins, who were wanderers,
entered Savatti to beg an alms. They were men of diverse views
accepting diverse faiths and they had diverse opinions.  Some of
these sectarians and Brahmins strongly believed in some views like,
`The world is Eternal and only this is the truth". Some others believed
in `The world is not Eternal and only this is the truth'. They argued
with each other claiming `The world is finite' or `The world is infinite'.
Some of them believed that the body and the soul are the same thing, 
while others asserted that body and soul are different entities. Each
maintained that his own view was the truth and other views were nonsense.
They started quarreling with each other hurling abuses each claiming
he was correct.

   Buddha's disciples who went to Savatti for begging an alms watched
 these people quareling, but they did not argue with them as they were
 arguing with hurling abuses. When they returned, they reported Buddha
 what they saw in Savatti. They reported the Brahmins and sectarians
 quarreling with each other , each maintaing that his own view was the
 truth. Buddha smiled at his disciples and told them that they know
 neither the truth nor the untruth. He explained with the parable of
 blind men and an elephant. Buddha told them about a king who lived
 in the former times in Savatti. The king, once, called all blind men
 in his city and gathered them in front of his palace. He asked the
 courtiers to show them the royal elephant. 

    The king presented the elephant's head to one blind man, its ear
 to another, trunk to another,  tail to another,etc, saying to each 
 of them that that was the elephant. After  a while, the king asked
 them, 

  "Have you studied the elephant?"

   They repiled, "Yes,Your Majesty."

  Then the King asked them to describe the elephant. The blind men,
 who touched the elephant's head described the elephant as it was 
 just like a pot. Those who had touched only the elephant's ear
 disagreed with them and strongly asserted that it was like a 
 winnowing basket. Those who had touched the elephant's foot maintained
 that  it was like a pillar and those who had touched the elephant's
 tail maintained that it was like a pestle. Soon they began to quarrel
 each claiming that he was speaking the truth. They started abusing
 each other and the King was delighted with the scene.

    Buddha compared the sectarians and Brahmins to the blind men,  
 blind, unseeing, not knowing the truth, but each maintaining that
 he speaks the truth.

  This is Buddha's parable of blind men and an elephant. 


 



-- 
pax vobiscum,
sundara pandian.
ah724@yfn.ysu.edu