The great karmic quality of gratitude in Buddhism; Doug of Doug's Dharma reminds us that katannuta (knowing what has been done for us) is found throughout the text, counting our blessings for our own benefit here and now in meditation; Tibetan Buddhist monks chanting and praying before a massive statue of the Buddha-to-come (Maitreya) and the Goddess of Compassion (Kwannon); Japanese Mahayana Buddhist/Shinto practice of gratitude toward the dear departed.
Gratitude toward parents and others in Buddhist texts
In the Early Buddhist texts such as the Nikāyas and Āgamas, devotion to ancestors (filial piety), particularly parents, is prescribed and practiced in three ways:
- to repay the gratitude toward one's parents,
- as a good karma or merit, and
- as a way to contribute to and sustain the social order [1].
Two qualities are often named as a pair, kataññuta and katavedita. The first refers to acknowledgement of the indebtedness towards others, whereas the second quality is interpreted as repaying such debt [2, 3].
Buddhist texts often encourage children from the age of discretion (18 or 20) to take care of their parents, remember their gratitude to them, honor them, and do everything they can to repay their gratitude to them [4, 5].
The care and attention parents (guardians) have given a child is seen as deserving of full acknowledgment from the child.
In one of the most important discourses for laypeople called the Sigalaka Sutta (Sigalovada Sutta or "Advice to Householders"), several ways are mentioned in which children can repay their parents:
"I will perform duties incumbent on them, I will keep up the lineage and tradition (Pali kula vaṃsa) of my family, I will make myself worthy of my inheritance/heritage."
The deity Sakka, King of the Devas, is reputed to have had seven rules of conduct according to which he lived his human life and was reborn in the exalted position as king (or first among equals) in two celestial words, the World of the Thirty-Three and the Realm of the Four Great Sky Kings.
The first of these was, "As long as I live, may I maintain (support) my parents." This rule is also cited in the Commentary to the Dhammapada, indicating the impact of filiality during that period [6].
- Kataññu Suttas: "Gratitude" (Pali canon)
However, in the early discourse called the Kataññu Sutta, the Buddha describes through several metaphors the difficulty of repaying the gratitude one has for one's parents only through material means only [1]. It would not be enough:
The sutras say that even if children were to carry their parents on their shoulders their entire lives, or set them up as kings and queens of a country, they would still not have repaid the immense debt to their parents [7].
Eventually, the Buddha states that it is only possible to repay one's gratitude to one's parents by teaching them the Dharma (Truth, that which is in line with reality, the Teaching that Leads to Liberation, what is meant to be embodied in what we call Buddhism), timeless spiritual qualities, such as confidence (saddha, faith) in Buddhism, morality (virtue), generosity (letting go, dana), and wisdom (direct knowing-and-seeing) [8].
Though this discourse was translated and cited in many Buddhist traditions and schools, it came to be more emphasized with the arising of Mahāyāna (self-described "Greater Vehicle") Buddhism in India in the 1st century CE [9].
In a third early discourse called the Sabrahmā Sutta, parents are described as worthy of respect and gifts because they have created their children and are the ones who educated their children in their formative years [10, 11], setting them up for this life.
Furthermore, beyond giving them life (a vehicle for receiving the results of their own karma as they wander through samsara), parents have provided the basic requirements for a child to survive [12].
Children who attempt to pay back their debt to their parents by providing for them are considered "superior people" (Pali sappurisa) who can expect to go to a heavenly rebirth in the afterlife, whereas people who are negligent in this regard are called "outcasts" (Pali vasala, people of the lowest sort) [13].
Buddhist studies scholar Guang Xing believes a comparison is drawn here between the devotion to Brahma (the "Supremo," a creator god) and the devotion toward one's parents, of which the latter is considered better, because parents are considered the real creators [14].
Parents are also compared to "worthy ones" (Aryans, "enlightened ones") and buddhas, which is similar to the filial devotion expressed in the Hindu Taittirı̄ya Upaniśad [10].
In a fourth discourse Mahāyañña ("great sacrifice") in the Aṅguttara Nikāya, the Buddha compares reverence toward one's parents, family members, and spiritual teachers to the ancient practice of fire worship, then concludes that these people are much more useful and meaningful to tend to than the fire [15].
The parents are mentioned here as first and foremost [12].
However, Buddhist Studies scholar Reiko Ohnuma points out that Buddhist texts describe the ideal Buddhist monastic as a person who puts into perspective one's attachment to parents, which is seen as a hindrance to spiritual progress. Gratitude, helping, and loving are praised; clinging (upadana) is not.
One develop even-mindedness (equanimity), raising the vibration of universal love (metta, agape) to the same pitch, feeling feelings of love toward loved ones and foes alike. More than this, one strives to love all beings with the devotion a mother shows to her only son.
On a similar note, the texts say a monk should see all older females as his mother (and those of the same age as his sisters, and younger ones as his daughters), the same holding for nuns imagining older men as their father, brothers, or sons, not only biological relatives.
Viewing people in this way is considered a helpful method to practice the celibate life [16], as there is a natural aversion to incest in most people.
- Gratitude and filial piety in Buddhism Wiki edited by Wisdom Quarterly
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