Throughout her lifetime, a mother’s heart never ceases to love her child.
The love of parents is as high as mountains, as vast as oceans; no ink or words can fully describe it. Precisely because this love is so deep and boundless, their worries and sorrows grow accordingly. When the weather changes and the child falls ill, the father grieves Though a child may grow up, he is still the child of his mother.
and the mother worries. When the child grows up, following friends in reckless ways, the father grieves and the mother worries.
Yet, looking back, have we truly done anything worthy for our parents? Perhaps we have, but it is only a tiny bit, as small as a grain of sand in the desert compared to the immeasurable kindness and sacrifice our parents have given us. Therefore, the Blessed One reminded us of the Great Graces of Parents as follows:
- The grace of carrying and protecting the child in the womb:
Due to karmic causes and conditions, the child takes refuge in the mother’s womb. Days turn into nine months of carrying, heavy as if bearing a mountain. Every step the mother takes, she fears causing harm to the child. Clothes are no longer chosen for beauty but for comfort so the child may also be at ease. Makeup and adornment are gradually set aside. You know what most women love most, don’t you? It is to beautify themselves. Yet when pregnant, the mother spends her time learning and preparing for her child, paying no heed to her own appearance.
- The grace of enduring the suffering of childbirth:
In the ninth month, when the time of birth approaches, the struggle is immense; nights are long and days like endless twilight. The mother worries and trembles, not knowing if death will spare the lives of herself and her child. The father stays awake all night, comforting and consoling her. Already, we see how much debt we owe our parents.
- The grace of rejoicing after birth, forgetting all pain:
In giving birth, the mother suffers as though her flesh were being torn, her blood flowing endlessly. Yet the moment she hears her child’s first cry, joy overwhelms her and all pain is forgotten.
- The grace of nursing, caring, and raising the child:
There is a saying: “A gentle mother’s grace is like the earth, a stern father’s virtue is like the sky.” Whether the child is born beautiful, plain, or disabled, parents still raise him with unwavering love. Unlike the world outside, where one must provide something in exchange for being accepted, parents ask for nothing. As long as the child is warm, full, and decently clothed, the parents are content even with patched and worn-out clothes. Yet once, they too had their days of splendor.
- The grace of parents who sometimes create karma out of love for their child:
The Ullambana Sutra says: “If it benefits the child, parents will do it, regardless of the sin or punishment.” When a child is sick or malnourished, some mothers seek rare and precious creatures, kill and cook them to nourish their child. But the heavy karma of killing sentient beings is borne by no one else but the parents themselves. How pitiful and selfless our parents are!
- The grace of lifelong love and devotion:
I dare say, in this world no one loves us as our parents do. Even when parents are a hundred years old, they still love their children at eighty. No matter how much they sacrifice, it never seems enough. Affection between lovers may fade, but parental love endures until their very last breath.
Therefore, on the occasion of the Vu Lan Festival of Filial Gratitude, on behalf of the Sangha at the Monastery, I wish to recall a few of the great virtues of parents that we must always remember and seek every way possible to repay, even in part, to our living parents. If, unfortunately, our parents have already passed away, then may you diligently cultivate merit and dedicate it to your parents, so that they may be reborn in a peaceful realm.