ME39

Logical Reasoning
ME39 10-03-2011      (4:00 to 5:00)
(Class Notes Only)

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The Milindapañña unfolds as a dialogue between the Bactrian Greek ruler King Milinda and the Buddhist sage, the elder Nāgasena. Milinda first appears in the work as royal philosopher who has been demolishing with refutations, the tenets of the different schools in Indian religious thought that he encounter in his domain. In the dialogues Milinda poses the questions and Nāgasena replies.

Rather, the questions asked almost randomly- their binding principle being only the need to resolve conundrums in points of Buddhist teaching, and the answers flowing are direction, from the monk to the king, backed by the unimpeachable authority of the Buddha word, Milinda may be confidently identified with the Greek king Menander, who was descended from Greeks of Bactria. The preamble of the Milindapañha states that the work is divided into six parts: They are-
     1. Post History,
     2. Milinda’s questions,
     3. Question on Talk of smiles.
     4. The Delimmas, (Dilemmas)
     5. A question solved by inference, and
     6. Questions on distinguishing Marks.
Dreams
What is this thing that people call a dream and who dreams it?
King Milinda said “Venerable Nāgasena, men and women in this world see dreams pleasant and evil, things they have seen before and things they have not seen before, things they have done or have not done before, dreams peaceful and terrible, dream of matters near to them and distant from them, full of many shapes and innumerable colors. What is this that men call a dream, and who is it who dreams it?

That is called a sūpinam (dream), sire, is a suggestion that comes into the focus of the mind- There are six kinds of people who see dreams, the person who suffer from wind, the bilious and phlegmatic person possessed of a Deva, the person influenced by his own habit, and the person who sees a dream as a portent, Among these, only the last kind is true, the rest are false.”

“Bhante Nāgasena, in regard to him who sees a dream as a portent, does his mind, going along of its own accord, seek for that portent or does that portent come into the focus of the mind, does anyone else come and tell him of it?”

“It is not, that his mind going along of its own accord, seeks for that portent nor does someone else come and tell him of it, but that comes into the focus of his mind. It is like a mirror that does not go anywhere to seek for a reflection, nor does someone else bringing a reflection put it on the mirror, but the reflection comes from wherever it appears in the mirror.”

“Venerable Nāgasena, does the mind that sees a dream also know, so will be peaceful or frightening?”
“No, that is not so. He speaks to others about it and they then speak to him of its meaning when the portent has arisen.”

“Venerable Nāgasena, give me a smile to explain this, please.”
“It is as the moles, boils or itches that arise on a people’s body are to their gain or loss, their repute or disrepute praise or blame, happiness or sorrow- but as these boils arise, do they know we will bring about such and such an event.?”

“No, Venerable, according to the place where these boils occur, so do the fortune-tellers, seeing them there, explain such indeed will be the result.”

“Even so, sire, the mind that sees the dream does not know, ‘Thus will be the result, Peaceful or frightening.’ But he speaks to other about it and they then speak to him of its meaning when the portent has arisen.”

Here, Evam eva kho māharāja means “Even = so, sire” and tato te attham kathentīti means “they then speak to him of its meaning.”
     We! How to define?
     Object of mind, object of ears and object of eyes.
     You have given full note about that from many books.

by Ashin Indaka (kyone Pyaw)