Khuddaka Nikaya - Milinda Panha - The Solving of Dilemmas III

Khuddaka Nikaya - Milinda Panha - The Solving of Dilemmas III

The Debate of King Milinda
edited by Bhikkhu Pesala

Chapter 10
The Solving of Dilemmas (III)
19.Dhamma is Best
“It was said by the Blessed One, ‘For it is the
Dhamma, O Vàseññha, which is the best in
the world.’
109
Yet you say that the devout
layman who has gained stream-entry ought to pay respect
to a novice even though he has no such spiritual attain-
ment. If the Dhamma is indeed best then that custom is in-
appropriate.”
“O king, there is a reason for that custom. There are
twenty personal qualities110
and two outward signs that
entitle a recluse to respect. He rejoices in the excellent
Dhamma, he has the highest kind of self-control, he has
good conduct, because of his mode of living [on alms], he
is abstemious, he restrains his senses, he is patient, he is
gentle, he lives alone, he delights in solitude, he delights
in meditation, he is endowed with shame and fear of
wrong-doing, he is energetic, he is earnest, he undertakes
the precepts, he recites the scriptures, he questions the
learned about the meaning, he delights in virtue, being
homeless he is free from worldly attachments, he fulfils
the precepts, and he has the two outward signs — a shav-
109.D. iii. 93.
110.Untraced, see also Dilemma 62.

en head and the yellow robe. In the practice and develop-
ment of all these things a recluse lives. By undertaking this
training and developing the virtues of a recluse he is pro-
gressing towards arahantship. Thus, because he sees him as
in the company of the most worthy ones, the devout lay-
man thinks it right and proper to revere the recluse though
he may be just an ordinary person. Moreover, O king, be-
cause he sees him as one who is maintaining the monastic
traditions, so too does the devout layman pay respect to
the recluse. If a layman attains arahant-ship, only two des-
tinations await him; either he must enter the Order that
very day or else he must attain parinibbàna. Immovable, O
king, is the state of renunciation, glorious and most exalt-
ed the condition of being a member of the Order of the
Blessed One.”
20. The Compassion of the Buddha
“You say that the Tathàgata protects beings from harm and
blesses them with goodness,
111
yet when the Blessed One
was preaching the discourse on the simile of the great mass
of fire112
to the monks, hot blood was ejected from the
mouths of sixty monks. By his delivery of that discourse
they came to harm and not good so that statement of yours
is wrong.”
“What happened to them was of their own doing.”
“But, Nàgasena, if the Tathàgata had not delivered
111.Untraced but cf. A. i. 20.
112.A. iv. 128-135.

that discourse would they have vomited hot blood?”
“No. When they took wrongly what was said the
burning was kindled within them.”
“Then it must have been that the Tathàgata was the
chief cause to destroy them. If a snake were to crawl into an
anthill, and a man in want of earth were to break into it and
take the earth away, and so the snake was to die for want of
air, would not the snake have been killed by that man’s
action?”
“Yes, O king. Nevertheless, when the Tathàgata de-
livered a discourse he never did so with malice but
preached totally free from malice. Those who were practis-
ing rightly were enlightened, but those were practising
wrongly, fell. Just, O king, as when a man shakes a mango
tree, those fruits that are strongly fastened to it remain un-
disturbed but those that have rotten stalks fall to the
ground.”
“Then did not those monks fall because of the dis-
course?”
“Could a carpenter by doing nothing to a piece of
timber and simply laying it aside, make it straight and fit
for use?”
“No venerable sir.”
“Just so, O king, the Tathàgata could not, by merely
watching over his disciples, have opened the eyes of those
who were ready to see. However, by getting rid of those
who took his words wrongly he saved those who were
prepared to be saved, and it was because of their own
defects that the evil-minded, fell.”

21. The modesty of the Buddha
“This too was said by the Blessed One:
“Control of the body is good,
Good is control of speech,
Control of the mind is good,
Good is control is everything.”113
“Yet when the Tathàgata was seated in the midst of the four
congregations [monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen] he
showed to Brahman Sela what should not be shown in
public — the male organ concealed in a sheath.
114 If he did
so then the first statement is false.”
“The Blessed One did show to Sela the Brahman what
should not be shown in public but it was by means of
supernormal power that he created an image of it and only
Sela saw that image. To him, in whom doubts had arisen
about the Tathàgata, the Master showed the male organ
concealed in a sheath by means of supernormal power for
the sake of awakening him to the truth. Skilled in means, O
king, was the Tathàgata. For the sake of scorning physical
beauty the Master took Venerable Nanda to the celestial
realm to see the lovely maidens there115 and by means of a
piece of clean white cloth did he awaken Venerable Cåëa-
panthaka to the impurity of the body.”116
113.S. L 73; Dhp. v 361.
114.M. ii. Sta. 92; Sn. 103. This refers to one of the marks of the Buddha predicted by
astrology. Not being able to see this, Sela was still in doubt.
115.Jà. ii. 92-94.
116.Jà. i. 116ff

22. The Perfect Speech of the Buddha
“Sàriputta the chief disciple said, ‘The Tathàgata is perfect
in speech, there is no fault of speech in the Tathàgata con-
cerning which he should have to take care that no one else
should know it.’
117 So why did the Buddha use harsh and
abusive words to Sudinna the Kalanda and call him a
stupid fellow?”118
“That was not out of rudeness, O king, but merely to
show him the foolish and contemptible nature of his con-
duct in a way that would do him no harm. If any man in
this birth does not attain to perception of the Four Noble
Truths, his life has been in vain. The Blessed One used
words of truth, they were no exaggeration. He admonished
others only to destroy the disease of unwholesomeness. His
words, even when stern, softened men’s pride and made
them humble. They were full of compassion and aimed at
benefit as the words of a father to his children.”
23. The Talking Tree
“The Tathàgata said:
“Brahman! Why do you ask an unconscious thing,
which cannot hear you, how it is today?
117.D. iii. 217.
118.Vin. iii. 20. The rule forbidding sexual intercourse was laid down because Sudinna was
persuaded by his former wife to preserve the family line. Notably, because he was the
first offender, he was allowed to remain a monk after his offence.

Active, intelligent and full of life, how can you speak to
this so senseless thing, this wild Palàsa tree?”119
“Yet, on the other hand, the Tathàgata said:
“And thus the aspen tree made reply,
‘I, Bhàradvàja, can speak too. Listen to me.’
120
“If, Nàgasena, a tree is an unconscious thing then this latter
statement must be false.”
“When the Blessed One said, ‘aspen tree’ it was just a
conventional way of speaking, for though a tree being un-
conscious cannot speak, the word ‘tree’ was used as a des-
ignation for the deity who dwelt in it and this is a well
known convention. Just, O king as a wagon laden with corn
is called a ‘corn-wagon’ though it is not made of corn, it is
made of wood. The Tathàgata, when expounding the
Dhamma, did so by means of the common mode of speech.”
24. The Last Meal
“It was said by the elders who convened the First Buddhist
Council, ‘When he had eaten Cunda the smith’s food, thus
have I heard, the Buddha felt a dire sickness, a sharp pain
even unto death.’
121
Yet the Blessed One also said, ‘These
two offerings of food, ânanda, are of equal merit and are
much more effective than any others: that, after which the
119.Jà. iii. 24.
120.Jà. iv. 210.
121.D. ii. 128.

Tathàgata attains to supreme enlightenment; and that, after
which the Tathàgata attains to parinibbàna’.
122
“If severe pains fell upon him after taking that last
meal then the latter statement must be wrong.”
“The last offering of food is of great advantage be-
cause of the Tathàgata’s attainment of parinibbàna. It was
not because of the food that the sickness fell upon the Bless-
ed One but because of the extreme weakness of his body
and the proximity of his death. These two offerings of food
were of great and incomparable merit because of the attain-
ment of the nine successive absorptions in forward and re-
verse order, which the Tathàgata gained after partaking of
that food.”
25. Adoration of Relics
“The Blessed One said, ‘Do not hinder yourselves, ânanda,
with honouring the remains of the Tathàgata.’
123
Yet on the
other hand he said, ‘Honour the relics of him who is worthy
of honour, acting in that way you will go from this world to
heaven.’
124 Which of these statements is right?”
“It was not to all men, O king, but to the sons of the
conqueror [monks] that the first advice was given. Paying
reverence to relics is not their work, but rather grasping the
true nature of all formations, reasoning [paying attention to
122.D. ii. 135.
123.D. ii. 141.
124.Vv. 75 v 8

impermanence etc.], insight meditation, getting hold of the
essence of the meditation object, devotion to their own
spiritual welfare, that is the work of the monks. Just, O
king, as it is the business of princes to learn the arts of
warfare and the laws of property while husbandry, trading
and care of cattle are the business of householders.”
26. The Buddha’s Foot is Injured
“You say that when the Blessed One walked along, the
great earth, unconscious though it is, filled up the hollows
and levelled the ground before his feet.
125 Yet you say that
a splinter of rock grazed his foot.
126
Why then didn’t that
splinter of rock turn away from his foot?”
“O king, the splinter of rock did not fall by itself, but a
rock was thrown down by Devadatta. Two rocks came
together and intercepted it but a splinter of rock broke off and
grazed the Blessed One’s foot. A thing intercepted can easily
slip through just as water taken up in the hands can easily slip
through the fingers.”
27. The True Recluse
“The Blessed One said, ‘A man becomes a recluse by the
destruction of the floods [sensuality, desire for rebirth,
125.Untraced, but cf. DA. 45.
126.Vin. ii. 193.

personality belief and ignorance].’
127 Yet he also said, ‘He
is known in the world as a recluse who has these four
qualities: patience, moderation in food, relinquishment and
being without possessions.’
128 Now these four qualities are
also found in those who are still imperfect, in whom the
defilements have not yet been totally rooted out. This too is
a double-edged problem.”
“Both these statements, O king, were made by the
Blessed One but the first is an inclusive statement whereas
the second was said of the characteristics of recluses in
general.”
28. The Boasting of the Buddha
“The Blessed One said, ‘If anyone should speak in praise of
me, my teaching or the Order you should not on account of
that be elated.’
129 Yet he was so delighted when Sela the
Brahman praised him that he magnified his own virtue and
said, ‘A king, Sela, am I, the king supreme of righteousness.
The royal chariot wheel of righteousness do I set rolling on
— the wheel that no one can ever turn back.’
130
This too is
a double-edged problem.”
“Both statements, O king, are correct but the first was
made to set forth truthfully and exactly the real nature of
the teaching. The second passage was not spoken for gain,
127.A. ii. 238, Pug. 63.
128.Jà. No. 441.
129.D. L 3; cf. M. i. 140.
130.M. ii. Sta. 92; Sn. v 554

fame, nor in a biased way, nor for the sake of winning over
followers but was spoken with compassion and the know-
ledge that thereby three hundred brahmins would attain to
knowledge of the truth.”
29. Who Deserves Punishment?
“The Blessed One said, ‘Doing no injury to anyone, dwell
full of love and kindness in the world.’
131 Yet he also said,
‘Restrain him who deserves restraint and encourage him
who deserves encouragement.’
132 Now, restraint means the
cutting off of hands and feet, imprisonment and so forth. If
the first statement is correct then the second cannot be
right.”
“O king, to do no injury is a doctrine approved of by
all the Buddhas; the second injunction however was used
figuratively. It means restrain the agitated mind, encourage
the slothful mind; restrain the unwholesome mind, encour-
age the wholesome mind; restrain unwise reflection, en-
courage wise reflection; restrain wrong practice, encourage
right practice; the ignoble should be restrained, the noble
encouraged; the thief [the evil-minded monk who desires
gain, praise and fame] should be restrained and the honest
man [the sincere monk who desires only to destroy defile-
ments] should be encouraged.”
“Now you have come round to the sense in my question.
For how, venerable Nàgasena, is a robber to be subdued?”
131.Jà. No. 451 (Jà. iv. 71) v 9.
132.Jà. No. 521 (Jà. v. 116) v 19

“Thus, great king: if deserving rebuke let him be
rebuked, if deserving a fine let him be fined, if deserving
banishment let him be banished, if deserving death let him
be put to death.”
“Is then, Nàgasena, the execution of robbers part of
the doctrine laid down by the Tathàgata?”
“Certainly not, O king. Whosoever may be put to
death, he does not suffer execution by reason of the opinion
put forward by the Tathàgata. He suffers by reason of what
he himself has done.”133
30. Dismissal of the order
“It was said by the Blessed One, ‘I harbour not anger nor
sulkiness’.
134 Yet he dismissed Sàriputta and Moggallàna
with their disciples.
135 Was it then not in anger that he did
this?”
“The Tathàgata did dismiss the monks but not in
anger. It was due to what they themselves had done that
they were dismissed. As the great earth does not feel anger
if a man stumbles and falls. It is the man’s own fault that
he stumbles. So too the Blessed One does not feel ill-will of
any kind. He sent them away knowing, ‘It will be for their
good, happiness, purification and deliverance from
suffering’.”
133.Capital punishment was the norm and severe corporal punishment was also practised
in the Buddha’s time.
134.Sn. v 19.
135.M. ii. Sta. 67.