The State of Mind Called Beautiful by U Pandita

Author:U Pandita
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wisdom Publications

THE EXAMPLE OF KING MILINDA — HOW TO APPROACH THE TEACHINGS

King Milinda was a Greek regent in Northwest India, during the first century B.C. When he became interested in Buddhist teachings, he pursued his interest by approaching the monastic Saṇgha, in particular a monk called Elder Nāgasena, and asking a series of penetrating questions. Although he was a king, he approached monks respectfully and sat down in the position of a disciple. King Milinda was serious and careful in every way during his pursuit of Dhamma understanding.

In forming a question, his mental intention was ñātukāma, a desire to acquire knowledge. He also had sotukāma, a wish to hear the precious Dhamma. After listening to the Dhamma he would not immediately forget it for he had dhāretukāma, the intention to remember what he had heard.

He desired the light of wisdom, ñāṇālokaṃ daṭṭukāma. He wished to dispel ignorance and unknowing, añāṇaṃbhinditukāma. He intended to find the light of knowledge, ñāṇālokaṃ uppādetukāma. King Milinda’s ultimate objective was to destroy the darkness of avijjā, ignorance or delusion, avijjandhakāraṁ nāsetukāma. Avijjā is like darkness.

When one is in darkness one sees little or nothing. If one knows a little, even that little is distorted. It is like a person who suffers from a cataract who not only sees less than a normal person but sees everything as a blur. King Milinda had a strong desire to clear his inner vision.

In approaching the Saṇgha, King Milinda had extreme stability of mind. He possessed strong effort (viriya), much courage, and a great reflective and discriminative power. These qualities are necessary for all meditators who approach a teacher. King Milinda may be of particular interest for Westerners since he is one of the first recorded examples of a convert who subjected Buddhism to a rigorous inquiry from the Greek — fundamentally the Western — point of view. His dialogues with Elder Nāgasena are recorded in a book, The Questions of King Milinda, or Milinda Panhā in Pāḷi.

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