user880: The Lotus Sutra’s parable of the burning house imagines inhabitants of a house in fire. They do not register the dangerous situation and therefore  “the thought of getting out does not occur to them”.
Later on, the Lotus Sutra ascribes the following comment to Buddha: “Even there, in that threefold universe that is like a burning house, they enjoy themselves and run about. For though they are being afflicted by a great deal of suffering, the thought that they are suffering does not occur to them.”
I imagine a 21-st century Milinda brought up in critical thinking. He is alike to the elder Milinda in his attitude of questioning, but - different from him – today’s Milinda is not willing to accept a bunch of metaphors as a sufficent answer.
21-st century Milinda has no remembrance of past lifes. He does not expect a future life. In addition, he has learned to accept: Present life is not arranged to primarily satisfy human wishes. He asks his modern "Nagasena":

If I do not suffer from rebirth: Why worry about rebirth?
If I do not remember any actions in past lifes: Why worry about karma?
If I expect that death - quite naturally - ends the life of all beings: Why worry about nirvana?
I distinguish between questions with answer and questions without: Why strive for enlightenment due to meditation?


user4926: If I do not suffer from rebirth: Why worry about rebirth?
Answer: Everyone suffer here and now. Nobody seems happy. So real end is to end unhapiness!
If I do not remember any actions in past lifes: Why worry about karma?
Answer: You dont have to remember past karma, but the effects you will see now. And because of that you have to worry to do good action here and now to produce good result and ultimate happiness!
If I expect that death - quite naturally - ends the life of all beings: Why worry about nirvana?
Answer: In death fear exist. Fear is great unhapiness. So he die in unhapiness and again reappear in unhappy world. Nirvana is cessation of unhappiness. A state of no death, birth, old age or feeling of separation. 

user745: I'd hazard a guess that if the Ven. Nagasena were around today he might respond with something as follows:
1) Just because you don't know that you have a problem doesn't mean there isn't one.
2) One cannot conclude that something in the past didn't happen just because you don't remember it. For example, I don't have any memories of being an infant or being born but that doesn't mean that I never was.
3) One should be concerned about Nirvana because it is not some sort of prize after death, but a reality that is fully realizable in the here and now.
4) One should strive for enlightenment through meditation because meditation is a necessary part of the spiritual practice. Without it one cannot expect to attain anything.

user43: 1. If I do not suffer from rebirth: Why worry about rebirth?
To think that goal of Buddhism is to stop rebirth is a beginner-level ("hinayana") understanding. The goal of Buddhism is liberation in this very life, liberation by wisdom. Liberation from what? From dukkha, from the three poisons, from the limits of life and death.
2. If I do not remember any actions in past lives: Why worry about karma?
To think that the method of Buddhism is to improve or to get rid of karma is a beginner-level ("hinayana") understanding. The method of Buddhism is removal of mental and emotional obscurations, preconceptions, obsessions, impulses, aversions, irrational expectations, illusions.
3. If I expect that death - quite naturally - ends the life of all beings: Why worry about nirvana?
To think that nirvana is equivalent to non-existence of death is a misunderstanding. Nirvana is the loss of form, which means both an apparent attainment in this very life (either sudden or a result of gradual cultivation), as well as the natural state of things as they are.
4. I distinguish between questions with answer and questions without: Why strive for enlightenment due to meditation?
Because our lives are presumably targeted at happiness (that seems to be the thinking behind our daily choices and efforts) but in the absence of clear understanding of the Big Picture (=Enlightenment) we keep going in circles until we die.

880: <p>The Lotus Sutra’s parable of the burning house imagines inhabitants of a house in fire. They do not register the dangerous situation and therefore  “the thought of getting out does not occur to them”.
Later on, the Lotus Sutra ascribes the following comment to Buddha: “Even there, in that threefold universe that is like a burning house, they enjoy themselves and run about. For though they are being afflicted by a great deal of suffering, the thought that they are suffering does not occur to them.”</p>

<p>I imagine a 21-st century Milinda brought up in critical thinking. He is alike to the elder Milinda in his attitude of questioning, but - different from him – today’s Milinda is not willing to accept a bunch of metaphors as a sufficent answer.</p>

<p>21-st century Milinda has no remembrance of past lifes. He does not expect a future life. In addition, he has learned to accept: Present life is not arranged to primarily satisfy human wishes. He asks his modern "Nagasena":</p>

<ol>
<li>If I do not suffer from rebirth: Why worry about rebirth?</li>
<li>If I do not remember any actions in past lifes: Why worry about karma?</li>
<li>If I expect that death - quite naturally - ends the life of all beings: Why worry about nirvana?</li>
<li>I distinguish between questions with answer and questions without: Why strive for enlightenment due to meditation?</li>
</ol>
 4926: <p>If I do not suffer from rebirth: Why worry about rebirth?
Answer: Everyone suffer here and now. Nobody seems happy. So real end is to end unhapiness!</p>

<p>If I do not remember any actions in past lifes: Why worry about karma?
Answer: You dont have to remember past karma, but the effects you will see now. And because of that you have to worry to do good action here and now to produce good result and ultimate happiness!</p>

<p>If I expect that death - quite naturally - ends the life of all beings: Why worry about nirvana?
Answer: In death fear exist. Fear is great unhapiness. So he die in unhapiness and again reappear in unhappy world. Nirvana is cessation of unhappiness. A state of no death, birth, old age or feeling of separation. </p>
 745: <p>I'd hazard a guess that if the Ven. Nagasena were around today he might respond with something as follows:</p>

<p>1) Just because you don't know that you have a problem doesn't mean there isn't one.</p>

<p>2) One cannot conclude that something in the past didn't happen just because you don't remember it. For example, I don't have any memories of being an infant or being born but that doesn't mean that I never was.</p>

<p>3) One should be concerned about Nirvana because it is not some sort of prize after death, but a reality that is fully realizable in the here and now.</p>

<p>4) One should strive for enlightenment through meditation because meditation is a necessary part of the spiritual practice. Without it one cannot expect to attain anything.</p>
 43: <h2>1. If I do not suffer from rebirth: Why worry about rebirth?</h2>

<p>To think that goal of Buddhism is to stop rebirth is a beginner-level ("hinayana") understanding. The goal of Buddhism is liberation in this very life, liberation by wisdom. Liberation from what? From <em>dukkha</em>, from the three poisons, from the limits of life and death.</p>

<h2>2. If I do not remember any actions in past lives: Why worry about karma?</h2>

<p>To think that the method of Buddhism is to improve or to get rid of karma is a beginner-level ("hinayana") understanding. The method of Buddhism is removal of mental and emotional obscurations, preconceptions, obsessions, impulses, aversions, irrational expectations, illusions.</p>

<h2>3. If I expect that death - quite naturally - ends the life of all beings: Why worry about nirvana?</h2>

<p>To think that nirvana is equivalent to non-existence of death is a misunderstanding. Nirvana is the loss of form, which means both an apparent attainment in this very life (either sudden or a result of gradual cultivation), as well as the natural state of things as they are.</p>

<h2>4. I distinguish between questions with answer and questions without: Why strive for enlightenment due to meditation?</h2>

<p>Because our lives are presumably targeted at happiness (that seems to be the thinking behind our daily choices and efforts) but in the absence of clear understanding of the Big Picture (=Enlightenment) we keep going in circles until we die.</p>
