Indian Philosophy: The Blind Men and the Elephant

There is a well-known story found in many Dharmic traditions, known as 'The Blind Men and the Elephant', and is probably one of the most important stories anybody can learn. It goes like this. Once upon a time, there were some blind men who heard a strange tale about an animal coming to town called an elephant. Of course, the blind men couldn't see, but they were curious to find out what an elephant was like. And so they went out and they felt it. The first man who held the trunk said, 'Oh, well, okay, it's a bit like a snake.' The second man, though, who touched the ear, said, 'A snake? No, it's more like a fan, I'd say.' The third man who felt the tail said, 'A fan? Are you mad? It's kind of like a rope.' The fourth man who had his hand on the tusk said, 'No, no, no, no. Nonsense. It's more like, like a spear. It's smooth and it's hard.' In one way, the story of the Blind Men is about truth. We each have our unique position on the world, and we declare our perspective as being the overall truth. But the parable runs deeper than that, because each of the blind men reveals a degree of the truth. None of them are wrong, but their collective perspective coming together reveals more of the actual state of the matter. And so, in this way, the parable is about collaboration. It's about hearing other people's stories and swapping tales. It's about the philosophical drive to shift perspective and examine the world anew, because we are all blind men groping at different parts of the elephant, and everybody you meet will have an exciting and valuable perspective to offer to you.