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Homage to that Blessed One, Arahant, Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. Minor Collection The Questions of Milinda 1. Milinda by name was that king, in Sāgala, chief of cities; He approached Nāgasena, as the Ganges approaches the ocean. Having assailed the king, eloquent speaker, a torch-bearer dispelling darkness; He asked subtle questions, various ones, on right and wrong. The questions and answers, deeply rooted in meaning; Heart-touching, pleasant to the ear, wondrous, hair-raising. Steeped in Abhidhamma and Vinaya, complete with the net of suttas; Nāgasena's discourse was varied, with similes and methods. There, fixing your knowledge, and gladdening your mind; Listen to the subtle questions, which dispel the place of doubt. 2. As it is heard – there was a city of the Yonakas, a center of various trade, named Sāgala, adorned with rivers and mountains, a delightful land, endowed with parks, gardens, groves, ponds, and lotus ponds, charming with rivers, mountains, and forests, built by skilled architects, with enemies vanquished, unmolested by adversaries, with various, diverse, strong battlements and towers, with excellent and splendid gates and arches, with a deep moat and white ramparts surrounding the inner city. Its streets, crossroads, squares, and intersections were well-divided, its inner markets filled with many kinds of excellent goods, adorned with hundreds of various alms-houses, ornamented with hundreds of thousands of excellent mansions resembling the peaks of the Himalayas, crowded with elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry, frequented by beautiful men and women, teeming with people, with many Khattiyas, Brahmins, Vessas, and Suddas, frequented by various ascetics and Brahmins, served by many kinds of learned men, endowed with shops of various cloths like Kāsī and Koṭumbara, with well-arranged and charming shops of various flowers and perfumes, fragrant with perfumes, blessed filled with many jewels, its shops extended to the cardinal directions, frequented by groups of charming merchants, filled with coins, silver, gold, bronze, and stones, a dwelling of shining treasures, with abundant wealth, grain, and implements, with full treasuries and storehouses, with much food and drink, with various kinds of solid food, soft food, licks, drinks, and snacks, resembling Uttarakuru, with abundant harvests, like the city of the gods, Āḷakamandā. Having stayed here, their past deeds should be recounted, and in recounting them, they should be divided into six parts. Namely – the past connection, the Milinda Questions, the Questions on Characteristics, the Meṇḍaka Questions, the Questions on Inference, and the Questions on Analogies. Among these, the Milinda Questions are of two kinds: the Questions on Characteristics and the Questions on Dispelling Doubts. The Meṇṇḍaka Questions are also of two kinds: the Great Section and the Questions on Yogic Discourse. The past connection refers to their past deeds. 1. External Story The Past Connection, etc. 3. It is said that in the past, during the dispensation of the Blessed One Kassapa, a large community of monks resided in an abode near the Ganges. There, monks endowed with observances and virtue would rise early in the morning, take their brooms, and, contemplating the virtues of the Buddha, sweep the courtyard and make a pile of rubbish. Then one monk said to a novice, "Come, novice, throw away this rubbish." He went as if not hearing. He was called a second time... and a third time, and still went as if not hearing. Then that monk, angry, thinking, "This novice is disobedient," struck him with the broom handle. Then, crying, out of fear, as he threw away the rubbish, he made his first aspiration: "By this meritorious deed of throwing away rubbish, until I attain Nibbāna, in whatever place I am reborn during this interval, may I be mighty and greatly glorious, like the midday sun." Having thrown away the rubbish, he went to the Ganges bathing place to bathe. Seeing the surging waves of the Ganges roaring, he thought, "Until I I may attain Nibbāna, in the meantime, wherever I am reborn, may I have spontaneous insight like this wave, inexhaustible insight.” Thus he made a second aspiration. That monk, placing the broom in the sweeping hall, and going to the river bank to bathe, heard the novice’s aspiration. He thought, “Even he, whom I have inspired, aspires thus; why should I not succeed?” So he aspired, “Until I attain Nibbāna, in the meantime, wherever I am reborn, may I have inexhaustible insight like this wave of the Ganges, may I be able to unravel and untangle all questions and answers that are asked of me.” Both of them, wandering through the realms of gods and humans, spent one Buddha-interval. Then our Fortunate One, just as the Elder Moggaliputtatissa was seen, so too were these two seen. “They will arise five hundred years after my Parinibbāna. They will clarify and disentangle the subtle Dhamma and Vinaya that I have taught, by means of questions and answers, using parables.” Thus they were designated. 4. Among them, the novice was reborn in Jambudīpa, in the city of Sāgala, as King Milinda by name. He was wise, accomplished, intelligent, and capable. He was skilled in the methods of past, future, and present counsels and actions. He acted thoughtfully at the time of execution. Many sciences had he mastered. Such as: Scripture, Tradition, Calculation, Yoga, Policy, Specialization, Mathematics, Music, Medicine, Archery, Ancient Lore, History, Astronomy, Illusion, Omens, Charms, Warfare, Prosody, and the Buddha’s Word— nineteen in all. He was a debater, unapproachable, and invincible. He was proclaimed the foremost among the many sectarians. In all Jambudīpa, none was equal to King Milinda. who was not with strength, speed, courage, wisdom, rich, wealthy, greatly endowed, with endless army and vehicles. 5. Then one day, King Milinda, desiring to see his endless army and vehicles, a four-fold army array, departed from the city. Having reviewed the army outside the city, and having counted the troops, that king, a speaker of many words, a debater of worldly sophistry, with a mind curious about popular discussions, skilled and eloquent, looked at the sun and addressed his ministers: "Much of the day remains, what shall we do? Now, entering the city, is there any wise ascetic or brahmin, a leader of a community, a teacher of a group, who claims to be an Arahant, a Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, who can converse with me, and resolve my doubts? We shall approach him, ask questions, and resolve our doubts." When this was said, five hundred Yonakas said to King Milinda: "There are, great king, six teachers: Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, Ajita Kesakambala, Pakudha Kaccāyana. They are leaders of communities, teachers of groups, well-known, famous, founders of sects, approved by the virtuous, by many people. Go, great king, ask them questions, and resolve your doubts." 6. Then King Milinda, surrounded by five hundred Yonakas, mounted his excellent chariot, Bhadravāhana, and approached Pūraṇa Kassapa. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with Pūraṇa Kassapa. Having exchanged courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, King Milinda said to Pūraṇa Kassapa: "Who, venerable Kassapa, protects the world?" "The earth, great king, protects the world." "If, venerable Kassapa, the earth protects the world, then why do beings going to the Avīci hell pass beyond the earth?" going back and forth?" When this was said, Purana Kassapa could neither swallow it, nor spit it out, with downcast face, with slumped shoulders, silent, he sat pondering. 7. Then King Milinda said this to Makkhali Gosala: "Are there, venerable Gosala, wholesome and unwholesome deeds? Is there fruit and result of good and bad deeds?" "There are not, great king, wholesome and unwholesome deeds. There is no fruit and result of good and bad deeds. Those, great king, who are khattiyas in this world, they, having gone to the next world, will again be khattiyas. Those who are brahmins, vessas, suddas, caṇḍālas, pukkusas, they, having gone to the next world, will again be brahmins, vessas, suddas, caṇḍālas, pukkusas. What is the use of wholesome and unwholesome deeds?" "If, venerable Gosala, those who are khattiyas, brahmins, vessas, suddas, caṇḍālas, pukkusas in this world, they, having gone to the next world, will again be khattiyas, brahmins, vessas, suddas, caṇḍālas, pukkusas, then there is nothing to be done with wholesome and unwholesome deeds. In that case, venerable Gosala, those who are hand-cut in this world, they, having gone to the next world, will again be hand-cut. Those who are foot-cut, they will again be foot-cut. Those who are hand-and-foot-cut, they will again be hand-and-foot-cut. Those who are ear-cut, they will again be ear-cut. Those who are nose-cut, they will again be nose-cut. Those who are ear-and-nose-cut, they will again be ear-and-nose-cut." When this was said, Gosala was silent. Then this thought occurred to King Milinda: "Indeed, Jambudipa is empty! Indeed, Jambudipa is a wasteland! There is no ascetic or brahmin who can converse with me and remove my doubt." Then King Milinda addressed his ministers: "Indeed, this moonlit night is delightful! Which ascetic or brahmin should we approach today to ask a question? Who can converse with me..." is able to dispel doubt?” When this was said, the ministers remained silent, looking at the king’s face, they stood still. Now at that time, the city of Sāgala had been empty for twelve years of recluses, brahmins, householders, and wise people. Wherever he heard that recluses, brahmins, householders, and wise people resided, the king went there and asked them questions. But all of them, being unable to satisfy the king with answers to his questions, departed in one direction or another.