Modern Reinterpretation of Filial Piety(孝): Focused on Sutra on parental grace(父母恩重經)

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE This research focuses on the text of Xiaojing itself and aims to clarify the principal essence of ‘filial piety’ in the relationship of parents and children as a subject which could be effectively discussed in the modern times.CONTENTS ‘Filial Piety’ stems from the relationship between the parents and children. The love of parents for their children is also named ‘parental love’ which is much more precisely explained in the ‘Sutra of Parental Grace’.RESULTS The conclusions of this research are as follows. First, ‘Sutra of Parental Grace’ displays the forms of filial piety and unpiety in specific and realistic ways. Second, the filial piety of parental love(慈孝) in Buddhism can be viewed as knowing of grace(知恩) and the requital of grace(報恩), while grace(恩) means the parental love, and knowing(知) and requital (報) means knowing and repaying the love of parents. Third, the love between the parents and children is the connection of three worlds, so it is the love that expands from myself to others, not confined to the relationship of two subjects. Fourth, the lifestyle of providing a good influence to others and taking care and enlightening the way of one’s life based on the love received from parents could be called the lifestyle based on the ‘filial piety’ of Buddhism.