Grammatical Analysis
Milindapañha: [m.] The Questions of King Milinda. Formed by Milinda (the Indo-Greek King Menander I) + pañha (question, inquiry).
Orthodox Definition
The Milindapañha is the most famous para-canonical text in Theravāda Buddhism (included in the Burmese Khuddaka Nikāya but technically a post-canonical commentary elsewhere).
The text frames a brilliant philosophical debate between the Greek King Milinda of Bactria and a fully awakened Buddhist monk named Venerable Nāgasena. The king, highly educated in Greek philosophy, relentlessly questions the monk on the most difficult paradoxes of the Dhamma: How can there be rebirth if there is no soul? How can a person be responsible for past karma if they are not the same person who committed it? Why do Arahats still feel physical pain?
Nāgasena answers these questions using a series of striking, accessible similes (such as the chariot, the flame passing from candle to candle, and the mango tree). For the orthodox tradition, this text serves as the absolute gold standard for resolving apparent contradictions in the Pali Canon.
Textual References
- Para-canonical: Milindapañha (Lakkhaṇapañha) – The famous chariot simile, proving that “Nāgasena” is just a conventional name for the aggregates, not an enduring entity.