Milindapañha
Translators: kelly
Milinda's Questions
Addhānavagga
Time Chapter
1. Dhammasantatipañha
Continuity of States Question
Rājā āha—
The king asked:
“bhante nāgasena, yo uppajjati, so eva so, udāhu añño”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, is the one who arises the same or otherwise?”
Thero āha—
The elder said,
“na ca so, na ca añño”ti.
“Neither the same, nor otherwise.”
“Opammaṁ karohī”ti.
“Please give me an analogy.”
“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, yadā tvaṁ daharo taruṇo mando uttānaseyyako ahosi, soyeva tvaṁ etarahi mahanto”ti?
“What do you think, your majesty, when you were a child, young and tender and lying on your back, were you the same as you are now that you are grown?”
“Na hi, bhante, añño so daharo taruṇo mando uttānaseyyako ahosi, añño ahaṁ etarahi mahanto”ti.
“Certainly not, venerable sir. That child, young and tender and lying on his back was one thing, and I now grown am another.”
“Evaṁ sante kho, mahārāja, mātātipi na bhavissati, pitātipi na bhavissati, ācariyotipi na bhavissati, sippavātipi na bhavissati, sīlavātipi na bhavissati, paññavātipi na bhavissati.
“That being so, your majesty, there would be no notion of mother, nor of father, nor of teacher, nor of a craftsperson, nor of a virtuous person, nor of a wise person.
Kiṁ nu kho, mahārāja, aññā eva kalalassa mātā, aññā abbudassa mātā, aññā pesiyā mātā, aññā ghanassa mātā, aññā khuddakassa mātā, aññā mahantassa mātā, añño sippaṁ sikkhati, añño sikkhito bhavati, añño pāpakammaṁ karoti, aññassa hatthapādā chijjantī”ti?
Can it be, your majesty, that the mother of the embryo is different from the mother at the next foetal stage, which is different from the mother of following foetal stages, that the mother of a child is different from the mother of the grown person, that one who trains in a craft is different from the one who is trained, that the one who commits an evil deed is different from the one whose hands and feet are cut off?”
“Na hi, bhante.
“Certainly not, venerable sir.
Tvaṁ pana, bhante, evaṁ vutte, kiṁ vadeyyāsī”ti?
And what would you say if somebody said this to be so?”
Thero āha—
The elder said,
“ahaññeva kho, mahārāja, daharo ahosiṁ taruṇo mando uttānaseyyako, ahaññeva etarahi mahanto, imameva kāyaṁ nissāya sabbe te ekasaṅgahitā”ti.
“It was just I, your majesty, who was a child, young and tender and lying on my back, and now it is just I who has grown, and all these states are held together dependent on just this body.”
“Bhiyyo opammaṁ karohī”ti.
“Give me another analogy.”
“Yathā, mahārāja, kocideva puriso padīpaṁ padīpeyya, kiṁ so sabbarattiṁ padīpeyyā”ti?
“Just as, your majesty, some person might light a lamp, might it stay lit all night?”
“Āma, bhante, sabbarattiṁ padīpeyyā”ti.
“Yes, venerable sir, it might stay lit all night.”
“Kiṁ nu kho, mahārāja, yā purime yāme acci, sā majjhime yāme accī”ti?
“Is it so, your majesty, that the flame in the first watch of the night is the same as that in the middle watch?”
“Na hi, bhante”ti.
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
“Yā majjhime yāme acci, sā pacchime yāme accī”ti?
“Is the flame in the middle watch of the night the same as that in the last watch?”
“Na hi, bhante”ti.
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
“Kiṁ nu kho, mahārāja, añño so ahosi purime yāme padīpo, añño majjhime yāme padīpo, añño pacchime yāme padīpo”ti?
“Is it then so, your majesty, that the lamp in the first watch of the night is different from that in the middle watch, which is different from that in the last watch?”
“Na hi, bhante, taṁyeva nissāya sabbarattiṁ padīpito”ti.
“Certainly not, venerable sir. It was burning all through the night dependent on just itself.”
“Evameva kho, mahārāja, dhammasantati sandahati, añño uppajjati, añño nirujjhati, apubbaṁ acarimaṁ viya sandahati, tena na ca so, na ca añño, purimaviññāṇe pacchimaviññāṇaṁ saṅgahaṁ gacchatī”ti.
“In the same way, your majesty, a continuity of states runs on; as one arises, another ceases. It runs on like there was no before and no after. Consequently, it is neither the same nor the other and the last consciousness is comprised of the first consciousness.”
“Bhiyyo opammaṁ karohī”ti.
“Give me another analogy.”
“Yathā, mahārāja, khīraṁ duyhamānaṁ kālantarena dadhi parivatteyya, dadhito navanītaṁ, navanītato ghataṁ parivatteyya, yo nu kho, mahārāja, evaṁ vadeyya ‘yaṁyeva khīraṁ taṁyeva dadhi, yaṁyeva dadhi taṁyeva navanītaṁ, yaṁyeva navanītaṁ taṁyeva ghatan’ti, sammā nu kho so, mahārāja, vadamāno vadeyyā”ti?
“Just as, your majesty, milk some time after being milked from a cow would turn to curds, and from curds into butter, and from butter to ghee, would someone who might say, ‘That milk is those curds, those curds is that butter, that butter is that ghee,’ be speaking rightly?”
“Na hi, bhante, taṁyeva nissāya sambhūtan”ti.
“Certainly not, venerable sir, they come into being because of it.”
“Evameva kho, mahārāja, dhammasantati sandahati, añño uppajjati, añño nirujjhati, apubbaṁ acarimaṁ viya sandahati, tena na ca so, na ca añño, purimaviññāṇe pacchimaviññāṇaṁ saṅgahaṁ gacchatī”ti.
“In the same way, your majesty, a continuity of states runs on; as one arises, another ceases. It runs on like there was no before and no after. Consequently, it is neither the same nor the other and the last consciousness is comprised of the first consciousness.”
“Kallosi, bhante nāgasenā”ti.
“You are clever, venerable Nāgasena!”
Dhammasantatipañho paṭhamo.
Continuity of States Question first