The second was asked, “Which breeds the largest animals, the sea or the land?” He answered “The land, for the sea is only a part of it.”
The third was asked, “Which is the cleverest of beasts?” He answered “That which man has not yet discovered.”
The fourth was asked why he made Sabbas rebel. He answered “Because I wished him either to live or to die with honour.”
The fifth was asked, which he thought was first, the day or the night. He answered “The day was first, by one day.” As he saw that the king was surprised by this answer, he added “Impossible questions require impossible answers.”
Alexander now asked the sixth how a man could make himself most beloved. He answered “By being very powerful, and yet not feared by his subjects.”
Of the remaining three, the first was asked how a man could become a god. He answered “By doing that which it is impossible for a man to do.”
The next was asked which was the stronger, life or death. He answered “Life, because it endures such terrible suffering.”
The last, being asked how long it was honourable for a man to live, answered “As long as he thinks it better for him to live than to die.”
The king loaded them with presents, and dismissed them[43].’
Were the Gymnosophists Buddhists?