Love for Parents

A long line of Eastern philosophers - from Confucius (551-479 BC) to Lin Yutang (1895-1976) - express the belief that we owe our greatest gratitude to our parents.  Haven't they given us our lives, our character?  Mencius, a follower of Confucius, writes, "What is the most important duty?  One's duty to one's parents."

Lin Yutang defines the greatest difference in Eastern and Western ideas, not in politics or gender, but in the way we treat our parents.  To him, the greatest fault in our system is our eternal quest for youth, which creates a frightening disregard and little gratitude for our aging parents.

We find rest in those we love, so we should provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us.  Love your parents for as long as they live and while you can.

"If someone lifted his father on his left shoulder, his mother on the right and for eons, carried them afar and did not alight, even if his shoulders are torn, bones bared, and blood covered his heels, it is still not enough to repay his parents' kindness."

(From the Sutra of Profound Gratitude to Parents)