Peaceful Mind

33

“Mendicants, I say that these two individuals cannot easily be repaid. What two? Mother and father.

You would not have done enough to repay your mother and father even if you were to carry your mother around on one shoulder and your father on the other, and if you lived like this for a hundred years, and if you were to anoint, massage, bathe, and rub them; and even if they were to defecate and urinate right there.

Even if you were to establish your mother and father as supreme monarchs of this great earth, abounding in the seven treasures, you would still not have done enough to repay them. Why is that? Parents are very helpful to their children: they raise them, nurture them, and show them the world.

But you have done enough, more than enough, to repay them if you encourage, settle, and ground unfaithful parents in faith, unethical parents in ethical conduct, stingy parents in generosity, or ignorant parents in wisdom.”

34

Then a certain brahmin went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha, “What does the worthy Gotama teach? What does he explain?”

“Brahmin, I teach action and inaction.”

“But in what way does the worthy Gotama teach action and inaction?”

“I teach inaction regarding bad bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, and the many kinds of unskillful things. I teach action regarding good bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, and the many kinds of skillful things. This is the kind of action and inaction that I teach.”

“Excellent, worthy Gotama! … From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”