Source daitangkink.org
Department: The root of faith II
Number: 159: The Sutra of Mind Meditation in Mahayana Jataka Vol 2
Chapter 2: Acknowledgment to our grateful parents
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The nostalgic memory of a good mother to her children is incomparable. That gratitude toward her children appears even when they are still in the womb. Which means from the conceiving state, continuing through the next ten months, walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, she endures wordlessly. Even with pleasures from eating, drinking, clothing, our mother is not interested, she always worries mindfully about her womb. Please think about it: When approaching the labor day, she silently withstands all the pain with constant stresses and while going into labor the pain increases in greater magnitude like hundred thousands of needles piercing all at once beyond imagination, sometimes leading to death. After giving birth, she doesn’t feel any more pain, and share the supreme joy with relatives and friends as a poor woman obtaining a wish-fulfilling jewel. When the baby makes the first cry to the world, it’s like hearing music to the mother. Her chest is like the berceau for the baby. Her knees are the playroom for the baby and her breasts pour out milk like sweet nectar sacred water to feed their babies. That raising grace is above the sky limit and that caring love is immensely unsurpassed. In the world, mountain is high, the mother’s grace is even higher, even higher than Sumeru mountain. In this world, the earth is heavy, the mother’s grace is even heavier! If there is an ungrateful son or daughter, unfilial to their parents, causing the parents to raise a resentment mind to utter angrily an evil word, then these children will be cursed accordingly, either entering into hell or devil or animal realm. In this world, fierce wind is fast, a single hatred mind of parents is even faster than that. None of the Buddha, God, Protector or Deva who possede all the magical powers can stop this. If good son, daughter obeys to the good teachings of their kind mother and follow to the letter, then Devas will protect them and bring them plentiful of luck. Those children are from the dignified lineage of God, or family or Bodhisattva whose mission is to guide the sentient beings in the form of man or woman bringing benefits to their parents. If a good man or woman for acknowledging to their grateful parents, through their life, three times a day, self butchering to feed their parents, such an act cannot compensate to one day of grace from their parents. Why is such? Every son and daughter while in the womb were nourishing from their mother’s blood and energy, and as a baby were drinking about one hundred eighty bins of mother’s milk; the mother happily yields any good food rich in protein, and their good cloths too. And even if their baby is born with defects or ugly appearance, her love is still unchanged.
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Based on these dependent causes, mothers have ten merits:
- Like vast earth, because her womb is the baby’s shelter
- Good carriage: because mothers have to go through all the pains to give birth
- Caring: because mothers usually take care of the children’s physical shape
- Raising: because mothers have to raise the children according to four seasons
- Wisdom initiator: because mothers use different skillful means to trigger the children’s wisdom
- Ornament: because mothers use ornaments to adorn children.
- Peaceful: because mothers hug, making a safe place for the children to rest
- Teaching: because mothers use skillful means to lead the children
- Monitoring: because mothers use good advice to the children to avoid evil act
- Career stability: because mothers can give her wealth to the children
Dear children, in this world, what does being richest mean? What does being poorest mean? Kind mother if still alive in the family is the equivalent of being rich, kind mother if passed away is the equivalent of being poor; kind mother still alive is like light in the mid-day; mother passed away is like dark after sunset; kind mother still alive is like light from the bright moon; mother passed away is like the dark night ! Therefore, dear children, please spend effort to increase your practice of filial to your parents, that is equivalent to make offerings to Buddhas, the accumulated merits from these two actions are no difference! As such, you have to acknowledge your parents!
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Complementary: The advice of Thubten Chodron about The Relationship with our Parents – BBCorner2 04-21-19