The Buddha asked his disciples to get a huge elephant and six blind men. After asking them to describe what an elephant looks like.
The first blind man touched the elephant leg and reported that it "looked" like a tree trunk.
The second blind man touched the elephant’s stomach and said that the elephant was a wall.
The third blind man touched the elephant ear and said that it was a fan.
The fourth blind man touched the elephant’s tail and described the elephant as a piece of rope.
The fifth blind man felt the elephant's tusks and described it as a spear.
And the sixth blind man rubbed the elephant’s snout and got very scared because he thought it was a snake.
All of them got into a big argument about the "appearance" of an elephant.
The Buddha asked the citizens: "Each blind man had touched the elephant but each of them gives a different description of the animal. Which answer is right?"
"All of them are right," was the reply.
"Why? Because everyone can only see one part of the elephant. They are not able to see the whole animal. The same applies to God and to religions. No one will see Him completely."
By this parable, Buddha taught that we should respect all other religions and their