King Milinda
an Abridgement of
The Milinda Panha
Edited by
Bhikkhu Pesala
Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
Overview
The Milinda Pa¤ha is, with good reason, a famous work of
Buddhist literature, probably compiled in the first 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, Nàgasena. The topics covered include most
of those questions commonly asked by Westerners such as
“If there is no soul, what is it that is reborn?” and “If there
is no soul, who is talking to you now?”
This abridgement provides a concise presentation of
this masterpiece of Buddhist literature. The introduction
outlines the historical background against which the dia-
logues took place, indicating the meeting of two great cul-
tures, that of ancient Greece and the Buddhism of the Indus
valley, which was a legacy of the great Emperor Asoka. It is
hoped that the adequate references, glossary, and list of
Pali quotations will provide readers with an incentive to
read further from the translations of the Pali texts.
Bhikkhu Pesala
Bhikkhu Pesala is an
English monk ordained in
1979 by Venerable Mahàsã
Sayàdaw of Burma while
the Venerable Sayàdaw
was on a mission to the
United Kingdom to teach
Vipassanà Meditation.
Bhikkhu Pesala has visited Burma four times to train
in Mahàsã Sayàdaw’s Vipassanà method.
After returning to the UK in 1985 he worked closely
with Venerable Hammalawa Saddhàtissa, helping him to
prepare a number of publications including:
‘A Buddhist’s Manual’,
‘Abhidhammatthàvibhàvinãñãkà’,
‘Pali Literature of South-East Asia’
and ‘Facets of Buddhism’.
In 1995, Bhikkhu Pesala founded the Association for
Insight Meditation to promote the Venerable Mahàsã
Sayàdaw’s teaching and meditation method. The Associa-
tion holds retreats and publishes literature on insight
meditation. For information about the Association’s publi-
cations or retreats (in the UK) please write to:
Association for Insight Meditation
3 Clifton Way
Alperton
Middlesex HA0 4PQ
United Kingdom
The Association for Insight Meditation was set up in Sep-
tember 1995 to promote the practice of vipassanà meditation
in the Mahàsã tradition. The Association also aims to pub-
lish selected books and booklets on satipaññhàna vipassanà
meditation to promote understanding of the practice of
mindfulness.
The Spiritual Director of the Association, Bhikkhu
Pesala, was ordained by the Venerable Mahàsã Sayàdaw in
1979.
If you would like information about other publica-
tions or insight meditation retreats in the Burmese tradi-
tion, please contact Bhikkhu Pesala, at:
3 Clifton Way
Alperton
Middlesex HA0 4PQ
England
E-mail: pesala@aimwell.org
Foreword
by the Late Ven. Dr. Hammalawa Saddhàtissa
The Milinda Pa¤ha is a Pali book written in about the 1st
century B.C. King Milinda, a Bactrian king who ruled the
northeast of India, met a learned monk called Nàgasena and
the king put to him a number of questions on the
philosophy, psychology, and ethics of Buddhism. I presume
this debate was conducted in the Bactrian Greek language,
but was later translated into Pali and Sanskrit.
This well-known Pali book, called Milinda Pa¤ha or
Questions of King Milinda, has twice been translated into
English: in 1890, and in 1969. Both translations are literary
and, in many places, literal; therefore they were mainly
confined to scholars. This present work is, however, not a
literal but a free rendering, making an abridgement and
aimed at the reader who prefers to take a short cut rather
than the long way, notwithstanding that the latter may be
very beautiful.
The framework remains the same as the original, but
in many cases the number of similes used to make a point
has been reduced.
The author, Bhikkhu Pesala, is a Buddhist monk who
has had training in Burma and Thailand and whose know-
ledge of Pali has enabled him to check areas of ambiguous
translation to compile this concise and readable work in
elegant, modern English, while his knowledge of Bud-
dhism has enabled him to clarify some obscure ideas.
This book will certainly serve its intended aim by its
uncomplicated presentation of the original work.
I started work on the first edition of “The Debate of King
Milinda” in 1988 at the instigation of Ven. Dr. Hammalawa
Saddhàtissa. A Sri Lankan supporter, Indrajit Samaranayake,
gave me the keys to his house, and I typed the first draft on
his computer while he and his wife were at work. In 1990 I
brought out the first paperback edition of 500 copies for free
distribution.
Motilal Banarsidass reprinted this first edition as a
hardback in 1991, and in 1998 they printed a revised edition.
My original intention in abridging Rhys David’s translation
was to make this important work of Buddhist literature
accessible to as many people as possible, but it is still not
widely available. Therefore, I produced a pocket edition,
published by the Association for Insight Meditation.
The Milinda Pa¤ha is ideally suited for people edu-
cated in the West. Most questions that sceptical Westerners
ask me are answered in its pages. The method of reasoned
inquiry is the one advised by the Buddha himself in the
Discourse to the Kàlàmas. However, one should keep an
open mind. Ignorance of the Dhamma is the main reason
that we have taken rebirth. The truth is concealed from un-
enlightened minds: to gain insight and right understanding
we need to practise insight meditation, which is the only
way to win liberation from the cycle of suffering.
Bhikkhu Pesala
April, 2001
Dedication
That I have been able to complete this work at all is due to
the dedication of Pali scholars like Professor T.W. Rhys
Davids and Miss I.B. Horner, who have done a great service
to all Buddhists, and indeed to all who have any true
religious aspirations, by translating the Pali texts into
English. As the great engineers and architects of Victorian
times have built great railways, canals, and bridges, so all
that remains for us to do is to travel to our destinations, or
perhaps now and then to carry out some modernisation
work; so this work of mine is only one of modernisation,
wishing that present-day readers can more easily acquire a
knowledge of Buddhism and come to appreciate the
spiritual legacy left for us by the Buddha and his disciples.
Whatever merit I have acquired by my efforts I share
with all those scholars who have dedicated their lives to
spreading the knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings.
With the aid of this merit may I have the power to
change those things that should be changed, the patience to
tolerate those things that cannot be changed and above all
the wisdom to know the difference.
Bhikkhu Pesala
November, 2000
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