3.1.5. Aim of Buddhist renunciation (MIL3.1.5)

And the venerable Nāgasena went to the king, and sat down on the seat prepared for him. And the king provided Nāgasena and his following with food, both hard and soft, as much as they required: and presented each brother with a suit of garments, and Nāgasena himself with a set of three robes. And then he said to him: ‘Be pleased to keep your seat here, and with you ten of the brethren. Let the rest depart.’

And when he saw that Nāgasena had finished his meal, he took a lower seat, and sat beside him, and said: ‘What shall we discuss?’

‘We want to arrive at truth. Let our discussion be about the truth.’

And the king said: ‘What is the object, Sir, of your renunciation, and what the summum bonum at which you aim?’

‘Why do you ask? Our renunciation is to the end that this sorrow may perish away, and that no further sorrow may arise; the complete passing away, without cleaving to the world, is our highest aim.’

‘How now, Sir! Is it for such high reasons that all members of it have joined the Order?,’

‘Certainly not, Sire. Some for those reasons, but some have left the world in terror at the tyranny of kings. Some have joined us to be safe from being robbed, some harassed by debt, and some perhaps to gain a livelihood.’

‘But for what object, Sir, did you yourself join.’

‘I was received into the Order when I was a mere boy, I knew not then the ultimate aim. But I thought: “They are wise scholars, these Buddhist Samanas, they will be able to teach me.” And by them I have been taught; and now do I both know and understand what is at once the reason for, and the advantage of renunciation.’

‘Well put, Nāgasena!’

The Questions of King Milinda, translated from the Pali by T.W. Rhys Davids.

Part 1 (to section 5.4.10) was originally published as Volume xxxv of “The Sacred Books of the East”, Oxford, The Clarendon Press, 1890.

Part 2 (from section 5.5.1) was originally published as Volume xxxvi of “The Sacred Books of the East”, Oxford, The Clarendon Press, 1894.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Bhikkhu Sujato based on the digital text of the Internet Sacred Text Archive. The work of the Sacred Text Archive to make this text publically available is gratefully acknowledged.

In preparing this edition minor editorial changes have been made. The structure has been adapted to agree with the Mahāsaṅgīti Pali text as found on SuttaCentral. In addition, the corrections proposed by the translator in the “Addenda et Corrigenda” of the original editions have for the most part been adopted.

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Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.