The Four Blind Men
Four blind men went to see an elephant. One touched the leg of the elephant and said, “The elephant is like a pole.” The second touched the trunk and said, “The elephant is like a thick club.” The third touched the belly and said, “The elephant is like a big jar.” The fourth touched the ear and said, “The elephant is like a big hand fan.”
Thus they began to quarrel amongst themselves as to the shape of the elephant. A passer-by, seeing them thus quarreling, said, “Why are you all quarreling?” They told him the problem and asked him to be the judge. The man said: “None of you has seen the elephant. The elephant is not like a pole; its legs are like poles. It is not like a thick club; its trunk is like a thick club. It is not like a big jar; its belly is like a big jar. It is not like a fan; its ear is like a fan. The elephant is all these legs, trunk, belly, ears and much more.” In the same way, those who argue about the nature of God have known only a small part of His Reality. That’s why sages say God
is “neither this, nor that.”