Filial piety is the foremost duty of children to serve their parents with sincerity in gratitude for their parent's kindness. It is also the primary virtue one must practice in order to live as a decent human being. By shedding more light on the concept of filial piety as it is portrayed in Buddhist scriptures, this thesis reveals the true meaning and import of filial piety, and presents ways to revive and practice it in today's society.
The purpose of filial piety as conveyed in Buddhist scriptures is to arouse sincerity and loyalty within the human mind which will propel one all the way to enlightenment, the ultimate state of mankind, and to inspire an aspiration to attain Buddhahood. Filial piety may be expanded to apply compassion outwardly for the benefit of self and others. In this way filial piety may be said to be a Mahayana Buddhist virtue which seeks to establish a paradise for all people on the earth.
When King Śuddhodana sent Kāludāyī to plead earnestly with the Buddha to return to the royal palace in Kapilavastu, the Buddha said: "It is not that I do not know of the deep-rooted love which has been given to me by my father the king, Queen Consort Mahāpajāpatī, and Princess Consort Yasodharā. However, those who are drawn together through love must eventually part. (partly omitted). I part with them now to cultivate the Dhamma that is eternal and from which there is no parting."
These words of the Buddha represent the epitome of filial piety. In the mind of the Buddha, the utmost filial piety to his parents and his compassion for all beings were integrated into one, and became a non-retreating and indomitable mind that only sought the Way. The Buddha's aspiration to save his parents was simultaneously fused into the great mind of Mahayana Buddhism that aspired to save all humanity.
This concept of filial piety as described in Buddhist scriptures may be interpreted in today's society as a basic foundation to actualize self and cultivate character internally, and externally, to establish an egalitarian society where no one is alienated and all people can coexist in peace.
As the Buddha's words are a timeless truth, to continue this tradition of truth is one of the best ways to attain wisdom for living in the contemporary era. By re-examining the concept of filial piety based on Buddhist scriptures, we must reformulate the concept and practice of filial piety so people today can empathize with it, realize its importance, and put it into practice on their own initiative. To re-invigorate the concept of filial piety in this manner in terms of repaying one's gratitude to one's parents, is to embrace people with the compassion and enlightenment of the Buddha-dharma, beginning first within families and expanding to entire society, and eventually spreading to encompass all of humanity.