Kinh Phụ Mẫu (Pitṛmātṛsūtra)

Summary

This short discourse was taught to an audience of monks in Jetavana in Śrāvastī. In it, the Buddha explains, by means of
similes, the importance of venerating and attending to one’s father and mother. The Buddha concludes by stating that those who venerate
their father and mother are wise, for in this life they will not be disparaged, and in the next life they will be reborn in the higher
realms.

Acknowledgements

This sūtra was translated from Tibetan into English by Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen and Chodrungma Kunga Chodron. It was then edited and
introduced by the 84000 editorial team.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

In this brief sūtra, the Buddha proclaims the importance of respect for and service to one’s parents. By making use of similes
to explain to the assembly of monks how exalted a child’s service to their father and mother is, he proclaims one’s parents worthy of
gifts and tender care. The Buddha concludes the sūtra by stating that those who venerate their father and mother are wise, for in this
life they will not be disparaged, and after death they will be reborn in the higher realms.

There is no known Sanskrit version of this sūtra, and it survives only in Tibetan canonical translations. Since
there is no colophon at the end of the sūtra, and as the text is not included in any of the early Tibetan inventories of
translations produced during the eighth and ninth centuries, we also have no information concerning its original translation from
Sanskrit into Tibetan.

The Chinese canon does not contain this sūtra, though there are other popular sūtras in the Chinese canon that teach the importance of respecting and serving one’s
parents and ancestors. Two such sūtras are yu lan pen jing (盂蘭盆經, Taishō
685) and bao’en feng pen jing (報恩奉盆經, Taishō
686). As the textual basis for the “Ghost Festival” (yu lan pen), these two sūtras both
describe the efforts of Maudgalyāyana, one of the two main disciples of the Buddha, to save his mother, who had been reborn in one of
the lower realms. Though these two sūtras were almost certainly originally composed in China, a similar narrative of Maudgalyāyana
locating his mother after her death in order to assist her is also found in The Chapter on Medicines in the
Vinayavastu (Toh 1-6, 2.326–2.337), which was composed in India. That account
begins with Maudgalyāyana recalling a discourse of the Buddha about repaying the kindness of one’s parents. However, the contents of these sūtras in the Chinese canon and The
Chapter on Medicines are quite different from that of this particular sūtra, which makes it a valuable addition to the
Buddhist literature on what is often called “filial piety.”

This translation into English is based on the version in the Degé Kangyur, with reference to the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript. There were no variants that would alter the English
translation.

The Translation

The Father and Mother Sūtra

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling with a saṅgha of hearers in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. At that time, the Blessed One proclaimed:

“Monks, those householders who properly venerate and attend to both their father and mother dwell with Brahmā. Why is that?
Monks, from the perspective of the family, the father and mother of a child of noble family are like Brahmā.

“Monks, those householders who properly venerate, honor, and attend to both their father and mother dwell with teachers. Why is that? Monks, from the perspective of the family, the father
and mother of a child of noble family are like teachers.

“Monks, those householders who properly venerate, honor, and attend to both their father and mother
dwell with those worthy of receiving offerings. Why is that? Monks, from the perspective of the family, the
father and mother of a child of noble family are those worthy of receiving offerings.

“Monks, those householders who properly venerate, honor, and attend to both their father and mother dwell with humans. Why is
that? Monks, from the perspective of the family, the father and mother of a child of noble family are like humans.

“Monks, those householders who properly venerate, honor, and attend to both their father and mother dwell with gods. Monks, from
the perspective of the family, the father and mother of a child of noble family are like gods.”

That is what the Blessed One proclaimed. The Well-Gone One having said that, the Teacher proclaimed this, too:

“Father and mother—both are Brahmā

And, likewise, one’s first teachers.

Worthy of their children’s every gift,

They are humans and they are gods.

“Therefore, they are worthy of prostration.

They are to be massaged and bathed, their feet anointed.

The wise should also serve them with food and drink,

With clothing, bedding, and cushions.

“Those who serve their father and mother

Are, for that reason, wise.

In this life they will not be disparaged,

And at death they will go to the higher realms.”

The Blessed One having proclaimed thus, the monks rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.

This completes “The Father and Mother Sūtra.”

Notes

Bibliography