The part is not the elephant
Today, when you are sure you are right, remember you may be holding one part.
- Read · about 2 minutes
The blind people who had been shown the elephant’s head said,‘Your Majesty, an elephant is like a pot.’Those who had been shown the ear said,‘An elephant is like a winnowing fan.’…Those who had been shown the trunk said,‘An elephant is like a draft-pole.’…Saying, ‘Such is an elephant, not such!Such is not an elephant, such is!’ they punched each other with their fists.…Arguing, they dispute,the folk who see just one part.”Ud 6.4 · The blind men and the elephant · “Followers of Various Other Religions (1st)” · tr. Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0)
From the text
Blind people who were each shown one part of an elephant describe it differently: like a pot, a winnowing fan, a draft-pole. Insisting on their own description, they punch each other. The closing lines say that those who see just one part argue and dispute.
In everyday life
A 'winnowing fan' is a flat basket for tossing grain to clear husks; a 'draft-pole' is the pole that yokes an animal to a cart. Each blind person reports honestly what they touched. The trouble is not that any of them lied. It is that each took the part for the whole, and then defended it with fists. One way to take the story is that many everyday arguments are like this. Two people have touched different parts of the same situation, one has the tone of the message and the other has the deadline, and each insists the elephant is a pot or a pole. On that reading, the honest thing to say is 'here is the part I have hold of', and then to ask what part the other person has. Today's sit with the breath is a quiet rehearsal: notice how much of one breath you actually feel. It is never the whole animal.
- Sit · 3, 5 or 10 minutes
Breath Awareness
Sit comfortably upright, hands in your lap or on your knees. After reading a cue, you may close your eyes and rest with the breath until the next one appears.
- Live · during your day
The next time you disagree with someone today, in person or in writing, describe the part you actually saw or heard, and then ask them what they saw. Listen to the end of their answer.
- Reflect · this evening
In a disagreement today, which part of the elephant were you holding?
Answer on paper, or in the app’s journal, which stays on your iPhone.