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it is possible to view it from a limited perspective only, to make allowance for the other view-points as well. This is, in essence, the non-absolutist view or Anekāntavāda.
Several examples have been cited to illustrate the futility of the absolutist view and the utility of the non-absolutist one. The classical example is that of six blind men coming across an elephant and each feeling it from different parts of its body and forming an opinion of it according to his own experience. The first blind man who felt the elephant's trunk said it was like a banana-tree; the second one who felt its legs said it was like a pillar; the third one who felt its body said it was like a drum; the fourth one who felt its ears said it was like a fan; the fifth one who felt its tail said it was like a rope and the sixth one who felt its tusks said it was like a spear. They all stuck to their respective views and started quarrelling amongst themselves. They couldn't help it as each could not appreciate the others' views. Then came along a sighted person who heard their dispute and made each one feel the other parts of the elephant as well and thus, also made them see the others' view-points. When this happened, all their differences that seemed irreconcilable earlier were reconciled and all of them had a better concept of the elephant than they had earlier with their limited perspectives. Non-absolutism does this to all of us. It makes us open to others' view-points and enables us to have better concepts of things or issues.
In our day-to-day lives, too, we can see that the utility of the things around us and the relationships that we have in relation to others are never absolute. If we stuck to absolute view about them, we would find life difficult or make ourselves a laughingstock in front of the others. Take the example of food. Food is essential and beneficial. This is an absolute statement. If we stick to it in isolation of the other considerations and keep eating in excessive quantities, we are inviting trouble for ourselves. When we correct ourselves and make the relative statement that
172 : JAINISM: THE CREED FOR ALL TIMES
