Blind Men and an Elephant

Once upon a time, in a village, there were five blind fortune-tellers. One day, an elephant trainer led an elephant through the village. Taking advantage of a slow season, the five blind fortune-tellers talked to each other. The blind fortune-tellers all heard that the elephant was tall and tall and a rare animal. But each of them complained that they did not know what the elephant looked like. Suddenly, they heard people saying that an elephant was passing by, so the five fortune-tellers pooled money to give to the elephant trainer, asking him to stop so they could look at the elephant. One touched the elephant, one touched its tusks, one touched its ears, one touched its legs, one touched its tail. Then, the five fortune-tellers sat down and discussed with each other:

• The fortune teller touched the trunk and said, “I thought the elephant was like that, but it turned out to be as skinny as a leech.”
• The fortune teller touched the tusk and said, “No! It’s long like a crowbar.”
• The fortune teller touched the ear and said, “No! It’s flat like a winnowing fan.”
• The fortune teller touched the leg and argued, “Who told you? It’s as tall as a communal house pillar.”
• The fortune teller touched the tail and said, “You’re all wrong. It’s just as bristly as a worn-out broom.”

Five fortune teller, each one thought he was right, no one would give in, so they fought and fought until their heads were split open and bleeding.

The people there saw the scene and burst out laughing. Seeing everyone laughing so loudly, the monks were embarrassed and stopped. At this time, the manager explained that each monk had only touched a part of the elephant. The monks were so embarrassed that they tried to hide, and the people around had another laugh.