During the time of the Buddha, there was a heretic who was jealous of the Three Jewels for profit and wanted to slander him. When he saw the Venerable Ananda begging for alms, he sarcastically said: "Your teacher Qu Tan is actually a wicked person. His mother died seven days after he was born. Isn't this a wicked person? Moreover, he escaped from the palace privately and crossed the city wall, causing his father to faint in pain and splashing water on his face. He didn't wake up until seven days later and said sadly: ' The country belongs to you, and I have only one child. Why did you leave me alone in the mountains? "Your mentor Qu Tan left without mercy, so he was an unfilial person."

< p> Ananda felt ashamed after hearing this. He came back from begging, put his hands together and asked the Buddha: "World Honored One! In Buddhism, is there any filial piety and support for parents?"

The World Honored One foresaw that the matter was serious, so he smiled and looked at him from the front. Emit colorful light, illuminating the world in all directions. At this time, all the great Bodhisattvas came to the Qijajue Mountain in Rajagaha City and respectfully prayed to the World Honored One to perform the "Great Convenient Buddha's Repaying Benevolence Sutra".

The following is a koan from the sutra.

Countless kalpas ago, the king of Paranai was murdered and usurped by the traitor Rahula, who also killed two crown princes. The king's youngest son became king in the frontier. He had a gentle and virtuous personality, and the gods respected and cared for him. He has a seven-year-old prince named Sujati. He is smart and filial, and is deeply loved by the young king. < /p>

The king heard this, thought about it over and over, and decided to flee to a neighboring country. At that time, there were two ways to go to neighboring countries: seven-day and fourteen-day. So the king prepared food for seven days and fled in a hurry with his wife and children.

The three of them were in a hurry and accidentally fell into the fourteen-day road. This road was difficult to travel and there were no water plants. When we set out, we only prepared food for one person. Now the three of us eat together. The food will be gone in a few days, but there is still a long way to go.

The king thought: There is no need for three people to die together. He should kill his wife and take meat for food to save my life and the life of my child.

After thinking about it, the king drew his sword and wanted to kill his wife. When the prince saw that he was about to kill his mother, he hurriedly held his father's hand and asked why.

With tears in his eyes, the king said to the child in a weak voice: "I want to kill your mother and take flesh and blood to extend our lives. If you don't kill, you will be waiting for death. The same is true for my body. Now I am not sure whether I will live or die. For To save your life, I want to kill your mother."

The prince replied: "Even if I kill my mother, I can't eat it. There is no way in the world that a child can eat his mother's body. If I don't eat meat, I will definitely eat it. If the child is going to die, the father should kill the child and cut off the child's body to save the parents."

After hearing this, the king fell to the ground in grief and depression, and said to the child: "You are like my eyes. , Who would choose to eat with his own eyes? Even if I give up my life, I will not eat your body and flesh." The prince said: "If my life root is cut off, my body and flesh will rot in a few days. , I hope the parents will cut three pounds of meat from their children every day and divide it into three parts, two parts to support the parents and one part to eat by themselves, so as to extend their lives.”

The king agreed to the prince’s request. Within a few days, the prince's body and flesh were quickly eaten up, and the bones were connected, leaving only one breath intact. The prince couldn't support himself and fell to the ground.

The parents quickly hugged the prince and cried bitterly: "What kind of people are we to eat your body and make you suffer such severe pain? There is still a long way to go. Your body We have finished eating. It is better for the three of us to die together."

The prince said: "There is only one day left, so let me die here. I hope my parents will die here without the knowledge of ordinary people. Please father. The king cut off the meat between my bones and gave it to his parents so that he could reach his destination."

My parents heard this and cut off a small amount of meat and divided it into three parts. One part was given to the prince and two parts were eaten by himself. After eating, we bid farewell to the prince and went on the road.

The prince stood up and watched his parents disappear from sight.

The prince missed his parents and did not want to look away for a while. After a long time, he fell to the ground again. At this time, many mosquitoes flew in and sucked the blood from the prince's body. The prince suffered terribly and only his life was left alive.

At this time, he made an oath and said: "May the sins of my previous life be eliminated forever, and I will never do bad karma from now on. Today I will support my parents with my body and I hope that my parents will always receive blessings." Have peace of mind day and night, no nightmares when sleeping, God protects people, may the magistrates and thieves, and conspiracies be eliminated, and the remaining flesh and blood be used to feed these insects so that they can be satisfied. May I become a Buddha in the next life and give holy dharma. , to get rid of their serious illness of hunger, thirst, life and death."

When I made this great wish, the heaven and earth shook violently, and the sun lost its light.

Emperor Shitian came to the human world, tested the prince's Taoist heart, and asked: "Today you can't give up and support your parents with your body. With this merit, what are your wishes? Do you want to be a king of heaven and a human being?" King, Brahma King, Demon King?"

The prince replied: "I don't seek these, I only seek the Buddha's way and save all living beings."

Emperor Shi said: "The Buddha's way is far-reaching. "You have to endure hard work for a long time to achieve success. How can you endure this kind of suffering?"

The prince said, "Even if the hot iron wheel is spinning on my head, I will not lose the path to enlightenment through this suffering."

"

Emperor Shi said: "This is just empty talk. Who will believe you?"

The prince swore: "If I cheat, my wound will never heal. If it is true, Let my body be restored to its original state, and my blood turn into milk."

After the prince took the oath, his body immediately returned to its original state, his blood turned into white milk, and his appearance became more straight.

Emperor Shakti praised and said: "If you become a Buddha, you would like to save me first."

Moreover, the prince's parents came to a neighboring country and told the local king about their experiences along the way. The king was moved by the prince's filial piety and sent troops to escort him back to his country to attack Rahula.

The father and his army passed by the place where they parted ways with the prince, and saw that the prince's body had recovered and he was more upright than before.

The parents hugged the prince excitedly, feeling a mixture of sadness and joy. The prince told his parents what happened after parting.

The whole family was very happy, and they returned to their home country on an elephant. Because of the prince's power of merit, kindness and filial piety, he recovered the country. The father then made the prince king.

The parents at that time were the previous lives of Sakyamuni Buddha's parents, the prince was the predecessor of Sakyamuni Buddha, and Emperor Shakya was the predecessor of Kauchenru.

"The Sutra of Miscellaneous Treasures" says:

A long time ago, there was a parrot on a snow-capped mountain. Its parents were blind. It often pecked for good fruits and provided for its parents first.

At that time, a farmer made a wish when he first sown the rice: The rice I planted would be shared with all living beings.

Because the farmer has a charitable heart, the parrot often pecks rice in his field to offer to his parents.

Once, the farmer found that the ears of grain were being eaten by insects and birds. He was angry and upset, so he set up a trap to capture the parrot.

The parrot said: "Because of your kindness in front of me, I dared to peck at it. Why did you catch me with a net today?"

The farmer asked: "For whom did you peck at the rice?" ?"

The parrot replied: "I have blind parents, and I use this to support my parents."

The farmer said: "You can come often to get it, don't have to worry. Everyone in life is so filial and nurturing to their parents, let alone humans!"

The Buddha told the monks: "The parrot in the past was my predecessor, the landowner was the predecessor of Shariputra, and the blind parents were my parents, King Suddhodana. The predecessor of Mrs. Maya. Because I was filial to my parents in the past, I have achieved Buddhahood today."

From these public records, it can be seen that Sakyamuni Buddha repays the kindness of his parents in all his life, and makes offerings with his body, flesh and blood, because he has achieved perfection. Great filial piety eventually leads to the attainment of Buddhism.

The Buddha said in the "Great Convenience Buddha's Repaying Benevolence Sutra": For the sake of all parents, the Tathagata often finds it difficult to do and to leave. The leader's brains, his kingdom, his wife, his elephants and horses, his seven treasures, his chariots and carriages, his carriages, his clothes, his food and drink, his bedding, his medicines, everything was given. Practice diligently, keep the precepts, give alms, learn a lot, meditate, and be wise, and even have all the practices, without rest, without any fatigue in the mind. In order to be filial to parents and to repay kindness, I can quickly achieve Buddhahood today.

In the "Six Perfection Sutras", the Buddha also told the monks: I have upheld the filial piety of all Buddhas in all my life, and my merits are great and my merits are prosperous. Therefore, I have become a heaven among heavens, unique in the three realms.

The Buddha taught Ananda in "The Sutra of Wise and Foolish": "Being a monk at home, being kind and filial, providing for your parents, and counting the merits are extremely difficult to measure. So what? I recall my past lives. , be kind and filial, provide for your parents, and even use your body and soul to save your parents from their critical distress. With this merit, you will become the emperor of heaven, the holy master, and even become a Buddha and a special person in the three realms. All are blessed by this."

< p> After the Buddha became enlightened, he still showed filial piety in front of all sentient beings.

The Buddha first saved his father, King Suddhodana. Because he was worried that his father did not believe in Buddhism, he specially sent Venerable Upali to the palace. He jumped into the void and displayed various magical powers. The eight gods and dragons also appeared. All kinds of solemn offerings subdued King Suddhodana's worldly thoughts that were fueled by wealth and allowed him to take refuge in the Three Jewels with peace of mind.

After that, the Buddha explained to his father the truth of suffering, emptiness, and impermanence in the world with his transcendent Prajna wisdom. Finally, he advised his father and his people to practice the Pure Land, to pray to Amitabha Buddha with deep faith and sincere wishes, and to seek life. Elysium.

At that time, in the Dharma assembly, King Suddhodana and others immediately realized the Dharma Eye, and many people realized the holy fruit.

When King Suddhodana passed away, the Buddha also came back to hold the funeral. He personally placed his father in the coffin and buried him. Then he, his son Rahula, and his cousins ??Ananda and Nanda carried his father's coffin to the funeral. Burial in Eagle Mountain.

Lady Maya, the mother of the Buddha, became a vengeful god because of her merits in giving birth to a Buddha. In order to repay his mother's kindness for being pregnant for ten months, the Buddha ascended to the Trayastrim Heaven and preached the Ksitigarbha Sutra to his mother for dozens of days.

In the "Buddha ascended to Trayatri Heaven and preached the Dharma for his mother", it is specifically recorded:

The Buddha lived in peace under the Polysitara tree in the Garden of Joy in Trayatri Heaven. For three months, four disciples gathered around the Buddha. At that time, the pores of the Buddha's body emitted thousands of lights, illuminating the three thousand worlds.

After hearing the news, Mrs. Maya’s milk naturally flowed out. She said: If it was really Siddhartha who was born to me, the milk should be given directly to his mouth.

After saying this, the milk entered the Buddha's mouth like a white lotus.

After seeing Mrs. Maya, she couldn’t help but be happy and her heart blossomed. She was sincere and dedicated to mindfulness, and her worries immediately ceased. The Buddha taught her the Dharma and she attained Sotapanna.

Soon, the three-month summer retreat in heaven was over, and the Buddha was about to return to Nanfanbuzhou. The Buddha's body emitted extremely bright five-color light.

Emperor Shitian knew that the Buddha was going to come down to earth, so he sent ghosts and gods to build three steps with treasures, which were very solemn and gorgeous.

The Buddha said to Mrs. Maya: In the law of life and death, there will be separation after gathering. I will return to the human world and will soon enter Nirvana.

Lady Maya shed tears and said a verse before bidding farewell to the Lord.

The Buddha walked down the precious steps, Lord Brahma held an umbrella, and the four heavenly kings stood guard on the left and right. The four groups of people praised the Buddha with various beautiful songs. Various sounds of music suddenly appeared in the sky and scattered everywhere. The flowers burned incense, and the Buddha descended from the sky to Nanfanbuzhou.

There is a passage in Master Hanshan's "Dream Walking Collection" that says: "The sutra says, 'I am extremely filial to Lord Sakyamuni, and I will repay my relatives' kindness through many calamities.' So when Sakyamuni practiced for many lifetimes, they were all places to repay his relatives." Therefore, the Brahma Net Sutra says that "filial piety is the precept", which means being filial to parents and even all sentient beings. However, filial piety is the foundation of becoming a Buddha, and filial piety is the foundation of precepts. They all practice filial piety."

Sakyamuni Buddha repaid all the kindness to his parents in every life and became a Buddha because of his filial piety. After he became a Buddha, he also taught the disciples of the future generations to take filial piety as a precept. The saints, Bodhisattvas, eminent monks, and all virtuous disciples of the Buddha must also follow the Buddha's teachings and pursue the path of great filial piety.