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The Questions of Milinda
1120 pages, Hardcover
Published May 13, 2025
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November 16, 2025
This new translation of the Milindapañhā is relatively free of the jargon and stiffness of earlier English attempts. One has to get used to nirvana rendered as "nibbana" and dharma as "dhamma", both correct transliterations of the Pali terms. There is a brief, informative introduction, and the translator has avoided the temptation to overlard the book with notes. A fine glossary and bibliography are appended.
This is a text I've wanted to read for years. It mostly consists of a dialog between a Bactrian king and a Buddhist sage which takes the form of questions and answers. The king, Milinda, seems particularly interested in seeming contradictions found in the Jatakas which the sage, Nagasena, shows to be consistent. These contradictions are called "Ram Horn Dilemmas". For example, the Buddha tells Subhadda that the world will never be empty of arhats, but he also tells Ananda that the true Dhamma will last five hundred years. The sage, Nagasena, answers by using the analogy of a reservoir brimming with water. Were it not replenished, the reservoir would run out of water in a finite amount of time; however, as long as it is refreshed by the rain, it will never be dry.
This use of analogy pervades the text and keeps it lively. There are the usual numbered lists common to Buddhist discourse. There is also, it must be admitted, a great deal of repetition. On the other hand, there are some very rewarding passages, including a few which anticipate Nāgārjuna's metaphysics.
This is a text I've wanted to read for years. It mostly consists of a dialog between a Bactrian king and a Buddhist sage which takes the form of questions and answers. The king, Milinda, seems particularly interested in seeming contradictions found in the Jatakas which the sage, Nagasena, shows to be consistent. These contradictions are called "Ram Horn Dilemmas". For example, the Buddha tells Subhadda that the world will never be empty of arhats, but he also tells Ananda that the true Dhamma will last five hundred years. The sage, Nagasena, answers by using the analogy of a reservoir brimming with water. Were it not replenished, the reservoir would run out of water in a finite amount of time; however, as long as it is refreshed by the rain, it will never be dry.
This use of analogy pervades the text and keeps it lively. There are the usual numbered lists common to Buddhist discourse. There is also, it must be admitted, a great deal of repetition. On the other hand, there are some very rewarding passages, including a few which anticipate Nāgārjuna's metaphysics.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review