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Kinh Ðại Báo Phụ Mẫu Trọng Ân
Phật nói kinh Ðại Báo Phụ Mẫu Trọng Ân Tôi nghe thế nầy: một khi Phật ở, trong một Tinh Xá, vườn Cấp-cô- độc, cây của Kỳ-Ðà, cùng các Tăng-già, có trên hai vạn, thêm tám nghìn người, cùng chư Bồ-Tát. Bấy giờ Thế-Tôn, cùng với Ðại chúng, nhân buổi nhàn du đi về phía nam, thấy đống xương khô chất cao như núi, Ðức Phật Thế Tôn liền sụp lạy ngay đống xương ấy. Tôi bạch Phật rằng: "Lạy Ðức Thế Tôn, Ngài ở trên ngôi chí Tôn, chí Quý, Thầy cả ba cõi, Cha lành bốn loài, thiên thượng nhân gian thảy điều tôn kính, sao Ngài lại lễ đống xương kia?" -- "Nầy A-Nan ơi! Ngươi tuy xuất gia theo ta tu học, trong bấy nhiêu lâu, những sự thấy nghe, đã rộng rãi, đống xương khô ấy hoặc là ông bà, hay là cha mẹ, thân trứơc của ta, ngàn muôn ức kiếp, đời đã cách xa, bởi thế nay ta chí thành kính lễ. Ngươi đem xương nầy chia làm hai phần, một là đàn ông, hai là đàn bà, phân biệt cho ta." -- "Bạch Ðức Thế Tôn, con xem ở đời, phàm là con trai mang đai hia mão, ai cũng nhận ra, đấy là nam giới, những người con gái, hương hoa phấn sáp, kiềng xuyến nhẫn hoa, ai cũng nhận ra, đó là nữ giới . Nay người đã chết, xương trắng một mầu, chúng con biết đâu mà phân biệt được." Ðây là lời Phật: -- "Này A-Nan con, về bên nam giới, trong lúc bình sinh, thừơng lui tới những chốn chùa chiền, nhờ có nhân duyên nghe Kinh lễ Phật, kính mến Tăng-già, nợ trần đã qua, hồn về cỡi Phật, bao nhiêu xương trắng, nhắc thấy nặng hơn là xương nam giới, còn như nữ giới, trong lúc bình sinh, nhiều lần sinh nở, nuôi nấng con thơ, tổn hao khí huyết, mổi một kỳ sinh, máu đặc trong mình chảy ra sáu đấu, mổi người con bú, tám thùng bốn đấu, sửa ở trong mình giảm bớt tinh anh, cho nên xương nhẹ và có sắc đen." Tôi nghe Phật nói, thương xót vô cùng, như dao cắt ruột, nứơc mắt chứa chan, hai hàng châu lệ, mà bạch Phật rằng: -- "Lạy Ðức Thế Tôn, công ơn cha mẹ như non như bể, thăm thẳm nghìn trùng, lấy gì báo đáp, cúi xin Ðức Phật dủ lòng thương xót, dạy bảo chúng con." -- "Nầy A-Nan con, Về ân đức mẹ, trong vòng mười tháng đi lại nặng nề, cưu mang nhọc mệt, khổ không xiết: Khi vừa một tháng, ở trong thai
mẹ, khác gì hạt sương dính trên ngọn cỏ, sớm
còn tụ đọng, trưa đã tan, khó lòng giử được. Ở trong thai mẹ, trong vòng mười tháng, trăm phần toàn vẹn, mới đến ngày sinh, nếu là con hiếu, chắp tay thu hình, thuận lối mà ra, không đau lòng mẹ, nếu là con bạc, dẫy giụa bải bơi, khiến lòng mẹ, buốt chói từng hồ, như đâm như xỉa, như cấu như cào, như nghìn mũi dao, đâm vào gan ruột, đau đón vô cùng, nói sao cho siết, sinh được thân nầy, mừng thay vui thay, yêu thay mến thay." Phật bảo A-Nan: -- "Công ơn từ mẫu, gồm có mười điều, phàm kẻ làm con, phải lo báo hiếu. Những gì là mười điều ?
Phật bảo A-Nan: -- "Ta xem chúng sanh, dẫu làm được người, lòng còn ngu muội, chẳng nghĩ mẹ cha, công đức kể ra, như non như bể, chẳng cung chẳng kính, chẳng hiếu chẳng từ, mẹ mang thai con, trong vòng mười tháng, ngồi đứng không yên, như mang gánh nặng, ăn uống chẳng ngon, như người mang bệnh, ngày tháng thoi đưa, dến khi sanh nở, chịu khổ mọi đường, phút giây hay dở, kinh sợ vô cùng, như giết trâu dê, máu me lai láng, còn nhiều khổ nữa, mới được thân nầy, ăn đắng nuốt cay, nhả bùi nhả ngọt, nâng niu dưỡng dục, giặc giũ dáy dơ, không nề gian khổ, bức bối nồng nàn, rét mướt cơ hàn, lầm than tân khổ, mẹ nằm chổ ướt, ráo để xê con, ba năm bú mớm, bồng bế nâng niu, dạy bảo đủ điều, lễ nghi phép tắc, cho ăn đi học, tìm đủ mọi nghề, đưa đón đi về, cần lao chăm chú, chẳng kể gì công. Trái nắng dở Trời, tuần trăng cuối gió, bệnh nọ chứng kia, bông hoa sài đẹn, thang thuốc đâu đâu, một mình lo lắng, chạy ngược chạy xuôi, năm canh vò võ, bệnh con có khỏi, lòng mẹ mới yên, mong con lớn lên, con thảo con hiền, để mà trông cậy. Không ngờ ngày nay, hóa con bất hiếu, mẹ già cha yếu, con chẳng đỡ đần, cãi vã song thân, nói năng cắn cẩu, giương đôi mắt chẫu, khinh rẻ mẹ cha, chú bác ông bà, cô dì chẳng nể, anh em cũng kệ, đánh lộn xẩy ra, ô nhục nước nhà, bất trung bất nghĩa, bất hiếu bất lương, phép nước coi thường, mẹ cha cũng kệ, xóm giềng chẳng nể, chửi bới nhau luôn, sớm tối ra vào, chẳng thưa chẳng gởi, nói năng càn rỡ, tự ý làm bừa, cha mẹ cũng thừa, thầy trên cũng mặc! Bé thì ai chấp, người những nâng niu, dần dần khôn lớn, gai ngạnh mọi điều, chẳng hòa chẳng thuận, thường hay sân si, bỏ cả bạn lành, giao du bạn ác, tập thói xa hoa, chơi khắp gần xa, thất thường điên đảo, bị kẻ dổ dành, mất cả thân danh, bỏ làng trốn mất, trái ý mẹ cha, ly biệt quê nhà, chẳng nhìn quê quán, hoặc vì buôn bán, hoặc bởi tòng quân, tiêm nhiễm dần dần, trở nên lưu luyến, vợ nọ con kia, chẳng thiết đi về, quê hương bổn quán, ở đất nước người, lại hay rong chơi, bị người lừa gạt, tai vạ liên miên, pháp luật gia hình, tù loa cấm cố, cực khổ mọi điều, chẳng may yếu đau, chứng kia tật nọ, ở chốn tha hương, ai kẻ thích thân, ai người thang thuốc, mẹ cha cách biệt, thân thích biết đâu, cam chịu ưu sầu, quê người đất khách; Khốn khổ gầy còm, không người trông nom, lại bị khinh rẻ, lang thang đường ngõ, vì thế chết đi; không người mai táng, chương phềnh thối nát, giãi bừa, chó cầy nhai xé !.... Mẹ cha thân thuộc, khi được tin buồn, luống những đau thương, ruột như dao cắt, hai hàng nước mắt, lã chã chứa chan, hoặc vì quá thương, kết thành bệnh khí, hoặc là đến chết, làm quỷ ôm thây, chẳng để cho ai, khư khư giữ mãi. Hoặc là vì con, chẳng chăm học tập, chỉ mải rong chơi, nay đây mai đó, cùng bạn vô loài, làm điều vô ích, giao du trộm cắp, chẳng sợ lệ làng, chè rượu nghêng ngang, đánh cờ đánh bạc, gian tham tội ác, lụy đến tôn thân, nay Sở mai Tần, lên đồn xuống phủ, mẹ cha ủ rũ, khốn khổ vì con. Nào con có biết, cha mẹ khổ đau, trăm não nghìn sầu, mùa Thu mùa Ðông, rét run bức bối, chẳng nhìn sớm tối; ấp lạnh quạt nồng, chẳng viếng chẳng thăm, chẳng hầu chẳng hạ, mẹ cha già cả, hình vóc gầy còm, hổ mặt người non, dầy vò mắng nhiếc, mẹ cha hoặc góa, trơ trọi một mình, luống những buồn tanh, như người ngủ trọ, chiếc gối một phòng, năm canh vò võ, mùa đông sương gió, rét mướt cơ hàn, trai gái các con, nào ai hỏi đến, đêm ngày thương khóc, tự thán tự thương! Khi đem thức ăn, dâng lên cha mẹ, thì lại giữ kẽ, rằng ngượng e, sợ kẻ cười chê; ví đem quà bánh, cho vợ cho con, mặt dạn mày dầy, không hề xấu hổ, vợ con dặn bảo, phải đúng như lời, cha mẹ hết hơi, không hề hối cải. Ðây là con gái, khi chưa gả chồng, hãy còn ở chung, tỏ ra hiếu thảo; khi đã gã bán, về ở nhà người, một ngày một lười, thiết gì cha mẹ, những ngày giỗi tết, có đảo về qua, ví dù mẹ cha, có gì sơ ý, liền sinh giận dữ, tỏ vẻ oán hờn, chồng chửi nhơn nhơn, đành cam lòng chịu, khác họ khác làng, tình nghĩa keo sơn, hóa ra thâm trọng, mẹ cha máu mủ, thì lại sơ tình. Hoặc đi theo chồng, quê người đất khách, quận nọ tỉnh kia, cha mẹ xa lìa. Làng không tưởng nhớ, chẳng viếng chẳng thăm, thư tín cũng không, tuyệt không tin tức, mẹ cha thương nhớ, rầu rĩ ruột gan, luống những bàng hoàng, sớm chiều mong mỏi, công đức cha mẹ, vô lượng vô biên, con chẳng hiếu hiền, ở đời cũng lắm." Khi ấy Ðại chúng, nghe Phật nói ra, công đức cha mẹ, cao tầy non Thái, đều cùng đứng dậy, hoặc tự gieo mình, đập đầu lăn khóc, máu me trào trạt, lai láng cả nhà, chết ngất cả ra, hồi lâu mới tỉnh, mà nói lời nầy, khổ thay khổ thay! Ðau lòng đứt ruột, lũ con ngày nay, tội ác ngập đầu, xưa có biết đâu, mờ như đêm tối, ngày nay biết hối, thì sự đã rồi, đau đớn lòng tôi, trót đà bội bạc, cúi xin chư Phật, soi xét kẻ phàm, phóng Ngọc hào quang, ra tay cứu vớt, làm sao báo được, ân đức mẹ cha. Phật liền nói ra, đủ đầy tám giọng, bảo Ðại chúng rằng : --"1) Ví có kẻ nào, hai vai kiệu cõng, cha mẹ đi chơi, suốt cả mọi nơi, trên rừng dưới biển, hai vai nặng trễ, mòn cả đến xương, máu chảy cùng đường, không hề ân hận, cũng chưa báo được công đức mẹ cha, kể trong muôn một. 2) Ví lại có người. Gặp khi đói kém, cắt hết thịt mình, cung nuôi cha mẹ, khỏi lúc nguy nàn, riêng mình cam chịu, thịt nát xương tan, trăm nghìn muôn kiếp, để báo thâm ân, chẳng được một phần, kể trong muôn một. 3) Ví lại có người, trải trăm nghìn kiếp, tự tay cầm dao, khoét đôi mắt mình, luyện làm thang thuốc, chữa bịnh mẹ cha, như thế cũng là, chưa trả được ân, kể trong muôn một. 4) Ví lại có người, trải trăm nghìn kiếp, đều tự tay mình, cầm dao khoét ruột, móc lấy tim gan, luyện thành thanh thuốc, chữa bịnh mẹ cha, như thế cũng là, chưa trả được ân, kể trong muôn một. 5) Ví lại có người, trải trăm nghìn kiếp, vì tội mẹ cha, trăm nghìn vòng dao, băm vằm thân thể, thịt nát xương tan, như thế cũng là, kể trong muôn một. 6) Ví lại có người, trải trăm nghìn kiếp, vì báo ơn mẹ, lấy mình đốt lên, làm cây đèn thịt, cúng dàng chư Phật, như thế cũng là, chưa trả được ân, kể trong muôn một. 7) Ví lại có người, trải trăm nghìn kiếp, vì bệnh mẹ cha, đập xương lấy tủy, để làm thang thuốc, chữa bệnh mẹ cha, như thế cũng là, chưa trả được ân, kể trong muôn một. 8) Ví lại có người, trải trăm nghìn kiếp, vì cứu mẹ cha, trải trăm nghìn kiếp, nuốt viên sắt nóng, cháy sém cả mình, như thế cũng là, chưa trả được ân, kể trong muôn một." Bấy giờ Ðại chúng, nghe Phật nói rồi, trong dạ bồi hồi, ruột đau như cắt, hai hành nước mắt, tầm tả như mưa, mà bạch Phật rằng: "Con muốn đền ơn, công đức mẹ cha, cúi xin Phật Ðà, rủ lòng chỉ bảo?" Ðức Phật liền bảo: "Cặn kẽ mọi lời, này chúng sinh ơi, muốn đền ân mẹ, nhất là một lẽ, nên chép Kinh nầy, kính biếu gần xa, cho nhiều người tụng. Hai vì cha mẹ, đọc tụng Kinh này, chuyên cần chớ đoạn. Ba vì cha mẹ, sám hối làm chay. Bốn vì cha mẹ, cúng dường Tam Bảo, tùy duyên sở dùng. Năm vì cha mẹ, trong sáu ngày Trai, phải nên nhớ giữ. Sáu vì cha mẹ, thường hay bố thí. Làm được như thế, thực là con hiếu, cứu được cha mẹ, siêu thăng Cưc Lạc, phúc đẳng Hà sa." Phật bảo A-Nan: "Ở trên thế gian, những người bất hiếu, sau hết duyên trần, nguyên cái xác thân, chôn vùi dưới đất: còn phần Linh giác, là cái chân thân, phải vào Ðiạ Ngục, Chính ngục A-Tỳ, vuông rộng tứ vi, tám ngàn cây số, bốn mặt có tường sắt, tường đồng, lửa cháy tứ tung, toàn dây thép điện, thường có lửa bén, cháy đỏ hồng hồng, bốc cháy tứ tung, thấy mà kinh sợ; hơn như thế nữa, sấm chớp đùng đùng, chó sắt rắn đồng, phun ra khói lửa, đốt cháy tội nhân. Lại còn nước đồng, đun sôi sùng sục, rót ngay vào miệng những kẻ tội nhân, vì tội bất hiếu, cãi giả mẹ cha, cam chịu cực hình, ở trong ngục ấy, gươm dao sào gậy, đâm chém suốt ngày, như hạt mưa bay, trên không rơi xuống, trải nghìn muôn kiếp, không phút nào nguôi, hết hạn ấy rồi lại vào ngục khác; Ðầu đội chậu máu, xe sắt nghiến mình, mình mẩy chân tay, dập dừ tan nát, một ngày phải chết, tới nghìn vạn lần, khổ sở gian truân, vì chứng bất hiếu." Phật lại dạy rằng: "Ví có Thiện nam hay là Tín nữ, thật là hiếu tử, trả nghĩa mẹ cha, in Kinh nầy ra, biếu cho người tụng, in được một quyển, được một công đức, in được mười quyển, được mười công đức, in được trăm quyển, được trăm đức Phật, in được muôn quyển, được muôn đức Phật, phù hộ độ trì, lại tiếp hồn đi về phương Cực Lạc, đây là lời Phật, chớ có coi thường, Ðiạ ngục vấn vương, khó lòng thoát khỏi!" Bấy giờ A-Nan cùng chư Ðại chúng, Trời Rồng, Thần, Quỉ, Dạ Xoa, La Sát, người cùng phi nhân, được nghe Phật nói, đều phát nguyện rằng : -- "Chúng con tận tâm, chí thành chí kính, dù trăm nghìn kiếp, thịt nát xương tan, nhỏ như vi trần, cũng chẳng dám quên lời chư Phật dạy. Thà rằng lấy kìm, cặp lưỡi rút ra, dài trăm do tuần, cho trâu sắt cày, máu chảy chan hòa, thành sông thành suối, con thề chẳng trái lơì Phật dạy răn. Chúng con thề rằng: Thà lấy trăm nghìn vòng dao giáo mác, đâm chém thân này, nhỏ như vi trần, cũng chẳng dám quên lời chư Phật dạy. Chúng con thề rằng : Thà lấy lưới sắt, quất chặt vào thân trăm nghìn muôn kiếp, chẳng tháo cho ra, cực khổ vô cùng, cũng chẳng dám quên lời chư Phật dạy. Chúng con thề rằng : Thà đâm thà chém, thà mổ thà xả, thà xay thà giã, nhỏ như vi trần, đem cái xác thân nầy, làm nghìn muôn thứ, nào da nào thịt, nào gân nào xương, rơi rác ngoài đường, trong nhà, ngoài ngỏ; trảỉ trăm nghìn kiếp, chịu khổ như thế, cũng chẳng dám quên lời chư Phật dạy." Khi ấy A-Nan, liền bạch Phật rằng: "Lạy Ðức Thế Tôn, đây là kinh gì, lũ chúng con đây đều muốn tụng trì, có được hay chăng?" Ðức Phật dạy rằng: "Chúng con nên biết: Kinh nầy là Kinh Ðại Báo Phụ Mẫu Trọng Ân chi Kinh, tất cả chúng sinh thảy đều nên tụng." Khi ấy Ðại chúng nghe Phật nói rồi, tin, kính phụng lành, lễ tạ mà lui .
Sincere thanks to L.V.T (Australia) for re-typing this Vietnamese version. English version: THE BUDDHA SPEAKS THE SUTRA ABOUT THE DEEP KINDNESS OF PARENTS AND THE DIFFICULTY OF REPAYING IT Translated by: Upasika
Terri Nicholson
Thus I have heard, at one time, the Buddha dwelt at Shravasti, in the Jeta Grove, in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary, together with a gathering of great Bhikshus, twelve hundred fifty in all, and with all of the Bodhisattvas, thirty-eight thousand in all. At that time, the World Honored One led the great assembly on a walk toward the south, Suddenly they came upon a pile of bones beside the road, The World Honored One turned to face them, placed his five limbs on the ground, and bowed respectfully. Ananda put his palms together and asked the World Honored One, "The Tathagatha is the Great Teacher of the Triple Realm and the compassionate father of beings of the four kinds of births. He has the respect and reverence of the entire assembly. What is the reason that he now bows to a pile of dried bones?" The Buddha told Ananda, "Although all of you are my foremost disciples and have been members of the Sangha for a long time, you still have not achieved far-reaching understanding, This pile of bones could have belonged to my ancestors from former lives. They could have been my parents in many past lives. That is the reason I now bow to them," The Buddha continued speaking to Ananda, "These bones we are looking at can be divided into two groups. One group is composed of the bones of men, which are heavy and white in color. The other group is composed of the bones of women, which are light and black in color." Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, when men are alive in the world they adorn their bodies with robes, belts, shoes, hats and other fine attire, so that they clearly assume a male appearance. When women are alive, they put on cosmetics, Perfumes, powders, and elegant fragrances to adorn their bodies, so that they clearly assume a female appearance. Yet, once men and women die, all that is left are their bones. How does one tell them apart? Please teach us how you are able to distinguish them," The Buddha answered Ananda, "If when men are in the world, they enter temples, listen to explanations of Sutras and Vinaya texts, make obeisance to the Triple Jewel, and recite the Buddhas' names, then when they die their bones will be heavy and white in color. Most women in the world have little wisdom and are saturated with emotion. They give birth to and raise children, feeling that this is their duty. Each child relies on its mother's milk for life and nourishment, and that milk is a transformation of the mother's blood. Each child drinks one thousand two hundred gallons of its mother's milk. Because of this drain on the mother's body whereby the child takes milk for its nourishment, the mother becomes worn and haggard and so her bones turn black in color and are light in weight." When Ananda heard these words, he felt a pain in his heart as if he had been stabbed and wept silently. He said to the World Honored One, "How can one repay one's mother's kindness and virtue?" The Buddha told Ananda, "Listen well, and I will explain it for you in detail. The fetus grows in its mother's womb for ten lunar months. What bitterness she goes through while it dwells there! In the first month of pregnancy, the life of the fetus is as precarious as a dewdrop on grass: how likely that it will not last from morning to evening but will evaporate by mid-day! "During the second lunar month, the embryo congeals like curds. In the third month it is like coagulated blood. During the fourth month of pregnancy the fetus begins to assume a slightly human form. During the fifth month in the womb, the child's five limbs--two legs, two arms, and a head start to take shape. In the sixth lunar month of pregnancy, the child begins to develop the essences of the six sense faculties: the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. During the seventh month, the three hundred sixty bones and joints are formed, and the eighty-four thousand hair pores are also complete. In the eighth lunar month of the pregnancy the intellect and the nine apertures are formed. By the ninth month the fetus has learned to assimilate the different nutrients of the foods it eats. For example, it can assimilate the essence of peaches, pears, certain plant roots, and the five kinds of grains. "Inside the mother's body, the solid internal organs, used for storing, hang downward, while the hollow internal organs, used for processing, spiral upward. These can be likened to three mountains which arise from the face of the earth. We can call these mountains Mount Sumeru, Karma Mountain, and Blood Mountain. These analogous mountains come together and form a single range in a pattern of upward peaks and downward valleys. So, too, the coagulation of the mother's blood from her internal organs forms a single substance, which becomes the child's food. During the tenth month of pregnancy, the body of the fetus is completed and ready to be born, If the child is extremely filial, it will emerge with palms joined together in respect and the birth will be peaceful and auspicious. The mother will remain uninjured by the birth and will not suffer pain. However, if the child is extremely rebellious in nature, to the extent that it is capable of committing the five rebellious acts (1) , then it will injure its mother's womb, rip apart its mother's heart and liver, or get entangled in its mother's bones. The birth will feel like the slices of a thousand knives or like ten thousand sharp swords stabbing her heart. Those are the agonies involved in the birth of a defiant and rebellious child. To explain more clearly, there are ten types of kindness bestowed by the mother on the child: The first is the kindness of providing protection and care
while the child is in the womb. 1. THE KINDNESS OF PROVIDING PROTECTION AND CARE WHILE THE
CHILD IS IN THE WOMB 2. THE KINDNESS OF BEARING SUFFERING DURING BIRTH 3. THE KINDNESS OF FORGETTING ALL THE PAIN ONCE THE CHILD
HAS BEEN BORN 4. THE KINDNESS OF EATING THE BITTER HERSELF AND SAVING
THE SWEET FOR THE CHILD 5. THE KINDNESS OF MOVING THE CHILD TO A DRY PLACE AND
LYING IN THE WET HERSELF 6. THE KINDNESS OF SUCKLING THE CHILD AT HER BREAST AN
NOURISHING AND BRINGING UP THE CHILD 7. THE KINDNESS OF WASHING AWAY THE UNCLEAN 8. THE KINDNESS OF ALWAYS THINKING OF THE CHILD WHEN IT
HAS TRAVELLED FAR 9. THE KINDNESS OF DEEP CARE AND DEVOTION 10. THE KINDNESS OF ULTIMATE PITY AND SYMPATHY The Buddha told Ananda, "When I contemplate living beings, I see that although they are born as human beings, nonetheless, they are stupid and dull in their thoughts and actions. They don't consider their parents' great kindness and virtue. They are disrespectful and turn their backs on kindness and what is right. They lack humanness and are neither filial nor compliant. For ten months while the mother is with child, she feels discomfort each time she rises, as if she were lifting a heavy burden. Like a chronic invalid, she is unable to keep her food and drink down. When the ten months have passed and the time comes for the birth, she undergoes all kinds of pain and suffering so that the child can be born. She is afraid of her own mortality, like a pig or lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Then the blood flows all over the ground. These are the sufferings she undergoes. Once the child is born, she saves what is sweet for him and swallows what is bitter herself. She carries the child and nourishes it, washing away its filth. There is no toil or difficulty that she does not willingly undertake for the sake of her child. She endures both cold and heat and never even mentions what she has gone through. She gives the dry place to her child and sleeps in the damp herself. For three years she nourishes the baby with milk, which is transformed from the blood of her own body. Parents continually instruct and guide their children in the ways of propriety and morality of the youngsters mature into adults. They arrange marriages for them and provide them with property and wealth or devise ways to set it for them. They take this responsibility and trouble upon themselves with tremendous zeal and toil, never speaking about their care and kindness. When a son or daughter becomes ill, parents are worried and afraid to the point that they may even grow ill themselves. They remain by the child's side providing constant care, and only when the child gets well are the parents happy once again. In this way, they care for and raise their children with the sustained hope that their offspring will soon grow to be mature adults. How sad that all too often the children are unfilial in return! In speaking with relatives whom they should honor, the children display no compliance. When they ought to be polite, they have no manners. They glare at those whom they should venerate, and insult their uncles and aunts. They scold their siblings and destroy any family feeling that might have existed among them. Children like that have no respect or sense of propriety. Children may be well taught, but if they are unfilial, they will not heed the instructions or obey the rules. Rarely will they rely upon the guidance of their parents. They are contrary and rebellious when interacting with their brothers. They come and go from home without ever reporting to their parents. Their speech and actions are very arrogant and they act on impulse without consulting others. Such children ignore the admonishments and punishments set down by their parents and pay no regard to their uncles' warnings. Yet, at the same time, they are immature and always need to be looked after and protected by their elders. As such children grow up, they become more and more obstinate and uncontrollable. They are entirely ungrateful and totally contrary. They are defiant and hateful, rejecting both family and friends. They befriend evil people and under their influence soon adopt the same kinds of bad habits. They come to take what is false to be true. Such children may be enticed by others to leave their families and run away to live in other towns, thus denouncing their parents and rejecting their native town. They may become salesmen or civil servants who languish in comfort and luxury. They may marry in haste and that new bond provides yet another obstruction which prevents them from returning home for long periods of time. Or, in going to live in other towns, these children may be incautious and find themselves plotted against or accused of doing evil. They may be unfairly locked up in prison. Or they may meet with illness and become enmeshed in disasters and hardships, subject to the terrible pain of poverty, starvation, and emaciation. Yet no one there will care for them. Being scorned and disliked by others, they will be abandoned on the street. In such circumstances, their lives may come to an end. No one bothers to try to save them. Their bodies swell up, rot, decay, and are exposed to the sun and blown away by the wind. The white bones entirely disintegrate and scatter as these children come to their final rest in the dirt of some other town. These children will never again have a happy reunion with their relatives and kin. Nor will they ever know how their aging parents mourn for and worry about them. The parents may grow blind from weeping or become sick from extreme grief and despair. Constantly dwelling on the memory of their children, they may pass away, but even when they become ghosts, their souls still cling to this attachment and are unable to let it go. Others of these unfilial children may not aspire to learning, but instead become interested in strange and bizarre doctrines. Such children may be villainous, coarse, and stubborn, delighting in practices that are utterly devoid of benefit. They may become involved in fights and thefts, setting themselves at odds with the town by drinking and gambling, As if their own debauchery were not enough, they drag their brothers into it as well, to the further distress of their parents. If such children do live at home, they leave early in the morning and do not return until late at night. Never do they ask about the welfare of their parents or make sure that they don't suffer from heat or cold. They do not inquire after their parents' well being in the morning or the evening, nor even on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. In fact, it never occurs to these unfilial children to ever ask whether their parents have slept comfortably or rested peacefully. Such children are simply not concerned in the least about their parents' well being. When the parents of such children grow old and their appearance becomes more and more withered and emaciated, they are made to feel ashamed to be seen in public and are subjected to abuse and oppression. Such unfilial children may end up with a father who is a widower or a mother who is a widow. The solitary parents are left alone in empty houses, feeling like guests in their own homes. They may endure cold and hunger, but no one takes heed of their plight. They may weep incessantly from morning to night, sighing and lamenting. It's only right that children should provide for aging parents with food and drink of delicious flavors, but irresponsible children are sure to overlook their duties. If they ever do attempt to help their parents out in any way, they feel embarrassed and are afraid people will laugh at them. Yet, such offspring may lavish wealth and food on their own wives and children, disregarding the toil and weariness involved in doing so. Other unfilial offspring may be so intimidated by their wives that they so along with all of their wishes. But when appealed to by their parents and elders, they ignore them and are totally unfazed by their pleas. It may be the case that daughters were quite filial to their parents before their own marriages, but that they become progressively rebellious after they marry. This situation may be so extreme that if their parents show even the slightest signs of displeasure, the daughters become hateful and resentful toward them. Yet they bear their husband's scolding and beatings with sweet tempers, even though their spouses are outsiders with other surnames and family ties. The emotional bonds between such couples are deeply entangled, and yet those daughters hold their parents at a distance. They may follow their husbands and move to other towns, leaving their parents behind entirely. They do not long for them and simply cut off all communication with them. When the parents continue to hear no word from their daughters, they feel incessant anxiety. They become so fraught with sorrow that it is as if they were suspended upside down. Their every thought is of seeing their children, just as one who is thirsty longs for something to drink. Their kind thoughts for their offspring never cease. The virtue of one's parents' kindness is boundless and limitless. If one has made the mistake of being unfilial, how difficult it is to repay that kindness!" At that time, upon hearing the Buddha speak about the depth of one's parents' kindness, everyone in the Great Assembly threw themselves on the ground and began beating their breasts and striking themselves until all their hair pores flowed with blood. Some fell unconscious to the ground, while others stamped their feet in grief. It was a long time before they could control themselves. With loud voices they lamented, "Such suffering', What suffering! How painful! How painful! We are all offenders. We are criminals who have never awakened, like those who travel in a dark night. We have just now understood our offenses and our very insides are torn to bits. We only hope that the World Honored One will pity us and save us. Please tell us how we can repay the deep kindness of our parents!" At that time the Tathagata used eight kinds of profoundly deep and pure sounds to speak to the assembly, "All of you should know this. I will now explain for you the various aspects of this matter. "If there were a person who carried his father on his left shoulder and his mother on his right shoulder until his bones were ground to powder by their weight as they bore through to the marrow, and if that person were to circumambulate Mount Sumeru for a hundred thousand kalpas until the blood that flowed out from his feet covered his ankles, that person would still not have repayed the deep kindness of his parents. "If there were a person who, during the period of a kalpa fraught with famine and starvation, sliced the flesh off his own body to feed his parents and did this as many times as there are dust motes as he passed through hundreds of thousands of kalpas, that person still would not have repayed the deep kindness of his parents. "If there were a person who, for the sake of his parents, took a sharp knife and cut out his eyes and made an offering of them to the Tathagatas, and continued to do that for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, that person still would not have repayed the deep kindness of his parents. "If there were a person who, for the sake of his father and mother, used a sharp knife to cut out his heart and liver so that the blood flowed and covered the ground and if he continued in this way to do this for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, never once complaining about the pain, that person still would not have repayed the deep kindness of his parents. "If there were a person who, for the sake of his parents, took a hundred thousand swords and stabbed his body with them all at once so that they entered one side and came out the other, and if he continued in this way to do this for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, that person still would not have repayed the deep kindness of his parents. "If there were a person who, for the sake of his parents, beat his bones down to the marrow and continued in this way to do this for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, that person still would not have repayed the deep kindness of his parents. "If there were a person who, for the sake of his parents, swallowed molten iron pellets and continued in this way to do this for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, that person still would not have repayed the deep kindness of his parents." At that time, upon hearing the Buddha speak about the kindness and virtue of parents, everyone in the Great Assembly wept silent tears and felt searing pain in their hearts. They reflected deeply, simultaneously brought forth shame and said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, how can we repay the deep kindness of our parents?" The Buddha replied, "Disciples of the Buddha, if you wish to repay your parents' kindness, write out this Sutra on their behalf. Recite this Sutra on their behalf. Repent of transgressions and offenses on their behalf. For the sake of your parents, make offerings to the Triple Jewel. For the sake of your parents, hold the precept of pure eating. For the sake of your parents, practice giving and cultivate blessings. If you are able to do these things, you are being a filial child. If you do not do these things, you are a person destined for the hells." The Buddha told Ananda, "If a person is not filial, when his life ends and his body decays, he will fall into the Spaceless, Avici Hell. This great hell is eighty thousand yojanas in circumference and is surrounded on all four sides by iron walls. Above, it is covered over by nets, and the ground is also made of iron. A mass of fire burns fiercely, while thunder roars and bright bolts of lightning set things afire. Molten brass and iron fluids are poured over the offenders' bodies. Brass dogs and iron snakes constantly spew out fire and smoke which burns the offenders and broils their flesh and fat to a pulp. "Oh, such suffering! Difficult to take, difficult to bear! There are poles, hooks, spears, and lances, iron halberds and iron chains, iron hammers, and iron awls. Wheels of iron knives rain down from the air. The offender is chopped, hacked, or stabbed, and undergoes these cruel punishments for kalpas without respite. Then they enter the remaining hells, where their heads are capped with fiery basins, while iron wheels roll over their bodies, passing both horizontally and vertically until their guts are ripped open and their bones and flesh are smashed to a pulp. Within a single day, they experience myriad births and myriad deaths. Such sufferings are a result of committing the five rebellious acts and of being unfilial when one was alive." At that time, upon hearing the Buddha speak about the virtue of parents' kindness, everyone in the Great Assembly wept sorrowfully and addressed the Tathagata, "On this day, how can we repay the deep kindness of our parents?" The Buddha said, "Disciples of the Buddha, if you wish to repay their kindness, then for the sake of your parents print this Sutra. This is truly repaying their kindness. If one can print one copy, then one will set to see one Buddha. If one can print ten copies, then one will set to see ten Buddhas. If one can print one hundred copies, then one will set to see one hundred Buddhas. If one can print one thousand copies, then one will set to see one thousand Buddhas. If one can print ten thousand copies, then one will set to see ten thousand Buddhas. This is the power derived when good people print Sutras. All Buddhas will forever protect such people with their kindness and can immediately cause the parents of such people to be reborn in the heavens, to enjoy all kinds of happiness, and to leave behind the sufferings of the hells." At that time, Ananda and the rest of the Great Assembly--the asuras, sarudas, kinnaras, mahorasas, people, non-people, and others, as well as the gods, dragons, yakshas, gandarvas, wheel-turning sage kings, and all the lesser kings--felt all the hairs on their bodies stand on end when they heard what the Buddha had said. They wept grievously and were unable to stop themselves. Each one of them made a vow saying, "All of us, from now until the exhaustion of the bounds of the future, would rather that our bodies be pulverized into small particles of dust for a hundred thousand kalpas, than to ever go against the Thus Come One's sagely teachings. We would rather that our tongues be plucked out, so that they would extend for a full yojana, and that for a hundred thousand kalpas an iron plough would run over them; we would rather have a hundred-thousand bladed wheel roll freely over our bodies, than ever so against the Tathagata's sagely teachings. We would rather that our bodies be ensnared in an iron net for a hundred thousand kalpas, than ever go against the Tathagata's sagely teachings. We would rather that for a hundred thousand kalpas our bodies would be chopped, hacked, mutilated, and chiselled into ten million pieces so that our skin, flesh, joints, and bones would be completely disintegrated, than ever go against the Tathagata's sagely teachings." At that time, Ananda, with dignity and a sense of peace, rose from his seat and asked the Buddha, "World Honored One, what name shall this Sutra have when we accord with it and uphold it?" The Buddha told Ananda, "This Sutra is called THE SUTRA ABOUT THE DEEP KINDNESS OF PARENTS AND THE DIFFICULTY OF REPAYING IT. Use this name when you accord with it and uphold it." At that time, the Greet Assembly, the gods, humans, asuras, and the others, hearing what the Buddha had said, were completely delighted. They believed it, received it, and offered up their conduct in accord with it, and then bowed and withdrew. END OF THE SUTRA ABOUT THE DEEP KINDNESS OF PARENTS AND THE DIFFICULTY OF REPAYING IT Note: (1). The five rebellious acts are patricide, matricide, murdering a sage, breaking up the Sangha, and shedding the Buddhas' blood. Translated from Chinese into English by the Buddhist
Text Translation Society, |
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last updated: 09-09-2002