The Blind Village and the Elephant
Robert Elias Najemy
Many of you will know this story and of course it is not mine,
but it is worth remembering during these days of fear and
fanaticism.
"Once there was a village of blind people (that is us). In this
village lived a blind king, five blind wise men and the rest of
the villagers who also could not see.
"One day an elephant came stumping heavily into the village, and
stood in the village square. All the villagers were quite
alarmed and anxious to find out what was this thunderous entity
which had entered their village. The king ordered the five wise
men to investigate the phenomenon and to report their findings.
Each of the five wise men approached the elephant from a
different angle. The first came up the elephant's side, and,
after feeling it, reported that it was a huge walking, pulsating
wall which had come into the village.
The second wise man got hold of one of its legs and said it was
not a wall but a walking tree trunk, which had come to visit
them.
The third came upon the tail and rejected the first two
opinions, announcing that the truth was that it was a snake.
The fourth having grabbed the ear, stated that previous
observations were wrong and that the truth was that it was a
large walking leaf.
The fifth who happened to catch hold of the trunk claimed that
the others were wrong and that the reality was that it was a
large moving hose.
The wise men and their respective followers came into intense
conflict concerning the reality of what had walked into their
village.
The blind village represents the present state of spiritual
blindness affecting all of humanity. The five wise men represent
the various major religions, who, approaching the unseen God
from various angles, have experienced God in different ways. In
our blind state, we argue about what the reality of God is, when
there is ONLY ONE GOD, which is in reality the essence of all
beings and things which exist.
Why then do we need to fight and argue between ourselves? Each
religion is a valid path to the same One God. All are correct.
All need to be respected. Each individual may choose the
religious path which suits him and move efficiently forward,
with love for God and all beings in his heart.
Let us not be blind to the truth of God?s omnipresence even in
those who have differing beliefs. Let us open our eyes and see
the oneness of all beings.
(Adapted from the forthcoming "The Art of Meditation" by Robert
Elias Najemy. His book "The Psychology of Happiness" (ISBN
0-9710116-0-5) is available at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/holisticharmo-20
and http://www.HolisticHarmony.com/psychofhappiness.html. His
writings can be viewed at http://www.HolisticHarmony.com where
you can also download FREE articles and e-books.