The Questions of King Milinda.pdf

The Milanda Panna is a famous work of Buddhist literature, probably compiled in the 1st century B.C. It presents Buddhist doctrine in a very attractive and memorable form as a dialogue between a Bactrian Greek king, Milinda, who plays the 'Devil's Advocate' and a Buddhist sage, Nagasena. The topics covered include most of the questions commonly asked by Westerners. This abridgment provides a concise presentation of this masterpiece of Buddhist literature. The introduction outlines the historical background against which the dialogues took place, indicating the meeting of two great cultures that of ancient Greece and the Buddhism of the Indus valley, which was the legacy of the great Emperor Asoka.

"Can one who has not attained nibbàna know that it is
blissful?"
"Yes indeed, O king. As those who have not had their
hands and feet cut off can know how painful a condition it
is by the cries of those who have; so can those who have not
attained nibbàna know it is blissful by hearing the joyful
words of those who have attained it."

"Have you or your teachers seen the Buddha?"
"No, great king."
"Then, Nàgasena, there is no Buddha!"
"Have you or your father seen the River Uha in the Himalayas?"
"No venerable sir."
"Then would it be right to say there is no river Uha?"
"You are dexterous, Nàgasena, in reply."

"Is the Buddha incomparable?"
"Yes he is."
"But how can you know if you have never seen him?"
"Just as those who have never seen the ocean can
know how great it is because the five great rivers flow into
it but thereby it does not rise; so do I know that the Buddha
is incomparable when I think of those great teachers, whom
I have seen, who are only his disciples."