If
it’s May, it must be when we celebrate Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day in Japan (haha-no-hi) is celebrated on the same second Sunday in May as the
rest of the globe. In the US, Mother’s
Day officially goes back to 1914, while in Japan it dates to the Showa period
(beginning in 1926) when all mothers were celebrated on the birthday of the
Empress Kojun, mother of Emperor Akihito. Since World War II, it has been
celebrated with flowers such as carnations as gifts, and is one of the busiest
days of the year for restaurants.
Although
it is not a Buddhist celebration, nor even a Confucian celebration, it was
Confucius who codified filial piety as one of the highest virtues to
exercise. And there is a Buddhist sutra
called The Filial Piety Sutra – about the deep kindness of parents and the
difficulty of repaying that kindness.
Although this sutra is not one we focus on (we chant the three Pure Land
sutras), for this month, it seemed appropriate to reproduce a part of the
Filial Piety Sutra.
Ananda,
the Buddha’s personal attendant, asked the Buddha, “How can one repay one’s
mother’s kindness and virtues?” The
Buddha responded with a description of the relationship between the mother and
embryo, and continuing through the birth of a child and continuing through its
entire life.
“There
are ten types of kindnesses bestowed by the mother on the child,” said the
Buddha in this sutra:
The first is the kindness of providing
protection and care while the child is in the womb.
The second is the kindness of bearing
suffering during the birth.
The third is the kindness of forgetting all the
pain once the child has been born.
The fourth is the kindness of eating the
bitter herself and saving the sweet for the child.
The fifth is the kindness of moving the
child to a dry place and lying in the wet herself.
The sixth is the kindness of suckling the
child at her breast, nourishing and bringing up the child.
The seventh is the kindness of washing away
the unclean.
The eight is the kindness of always thinking
of the child when it has traveled far.
The ninth is the kindness of deep care and
devotion.
The tenth is the kindness of ultimate pity
and sympathy.
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 Gem. 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."
May we all remember
with deep gratitude our own mothers, mothers everywhere, and our Mother Earth,
not just on Mother’s Day, but every day of our lives.