3.7.5. How fast is rebirth? (MIL3.7.5)

The king said: ‘If one man, Nāgasena, were to die here and be reborn in the Brahma world, and another were to die here and be reborn in Kashmir, which of the two would arrive first?’

‘Both together, O king.’

Give me an illustration.’

‘In what town , O king, were you born?’

‘There is a village called Kalasi. It was there I was born.’

‘And how far is Kalasi from here?’

‘About two hundred leagues.’

‘How far is Kashmir from here?’

‘Twelve leagues.’

‘Now, great king, think of Kalasi.’

‘I have done so.’

‘And now, think of Kashmir.’

‘I have done so.’

‘Well, which did you think of quickest?’

‘Of each in the same time.’

‘Just so, great king, would it take no longer to be reborn in the Brahma world than to be reborn in Kashmir. And tell me, O king. Suppose two birds were flying, and one were to alight on a tall tree, and the other on a small shrub. If they settled both at the same moment, whose shadow would first fall to the ground?’

‘The two shadows would fall together.’

‘Just so, great king, in the case you put.’

‘Very good, 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.