Arahat Mahinda needed to know if King Devanampiyatissa was wise enough to understand the Dhamma, the great teachings of the Buddha.Therefore he posed some simple questions to test the king ‘ s level of intelligence.
These questions certainly seem rather strange, initially because they seem to be asking the obvious and are sometimes repetitive, almost like a riddle. But in reality, they are not.
One needs to really think deeply before answering them and this is exactly what the Arahat was looking for in the king; depth of understanding, as the teachings of the Buddha have a deep meaning.
Here is the dialogue that took place between the king and Arahat Mahinda .
“What name does this tree bear O king?”
“The tree is called mango.”
“Is there another mango tree besides this?”
“There are many mango trees.”
” Are there any trees other than this mango tree and other mango trees?”
“There are many trees, Sir, but those are not mango trees.”
“And are there, besides other mango trees and those trees which are not mango trees, yet other trees?”
“There is this mango tree Sir.”
Then Arahat Mahinda was impressed because the catch was in the final question he posed to King Devanampiyatissa .
And the king answered all the questions quickly and intelligently, so the Arahat said, "Thou has shown great wit , O ruler of men."
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