Tittha Sutta

Blind monks examining an elephant, by the Japanese painter Hanabusa Itchō (1652–1724).

Tittha Sutta, is a sutra from the third book (Udāna) of the Khuddaka Nikaya. This sutra contains the parable of the blind men and the elephant.

Text and title

This text is found in the sixth section of the Udana (Ud 6:4).

The title of the text is also rendered as Paṭhamanānātitthiyasutta.

The title has been translated in English as:

• Ud 6:4 Sectarians (1) (Tittha Sutta) (Bhikkhu Analayo)
• Followers of Other Paths (1st) (Bhikkhu Sujato)
• The First Discourse about the Various Sectarians (Bhikkhu Ānandajoti)

English translations

Selected English translations:

• Bhikkhu Sujato, Followers of Other Paths (1st), SuttaCentral
• Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Ud 6:4 Sectarians (1) (Tittha Sutta), Dhammatalks.org
• John Ireland, Tittha Sutta: Sectarians (1), Access to Insight

Canki Sutta

The parable of the blind men also appears in the Canki Sutta, of the Majjhima Nikāya .