Dialogues with death: The last days of Socrates and the Buddha

A comparison of Plato's Phaedo and the Mahaparanibbana Sutta of the Pali Ca non juxtaposes the character and teachings of Socrates and the Buddha as re vealed by both texts, set juts before their deaths. Discussed at length are similarities in technique (dialogue), personality(open-mindedness and comp assion), and doctrine (especially regarding the purification of the soul ov er numerous lifetimes), as well as the subsequent development of Platonism and Buddhism after the deaths of the masters.