Buddhism and "Filial Piety" in Chinese Culture
I. Common Ground: Both Buddhism and Confucianism Affirm the Value of "Filial Piety"
| Aspect | Confucianism (Traditional Filial Piety) | Buddhism (Filial Piety) |
| Emphasis on Filial Piety? | Highly emphasized | Highly emphasized |
| Core Ethic? | One of the central ethics | One of the central ethics |
| Importance of Gratitude to Parents? | Parents seen as "Heaven and Earth" | Seen as a great kindness |
| Advocating Repayment of Kindness? | Parents' kindness is paramount, children should repay unconditionally | Repay four great kindnesses, parents first |
| Encouraging Filial Conduct? | Is the foundation of being human | Has dedicated scriptures and precepts |
In short: Both believe filial piety is the "foundation of being human" and requires practical action, not just words
II. Core Differences Between Buddhist "Filial Piety" and Confucian "Filial Piety"
| Aspect | Buddhist Filial Piety | Confucian Filial Piety |
| Starting Point | Escaping samsara (cycle of rebirth), liberating from life and death, thus "rescuing parents from suffering" | Social ethical order, establishing harmony between human relations and heavenly mandate |
| Method of Filial Piety | Not just nurturing the body, but more importantly "saving the mind, saving from life and death" | Emphasizes providing for, obeying, and rituals |
| Helping Parents | Chanting for parents, releasing lives, repentance, making vows, etc., to liberate them | Serving them in life, mourning and offering sacrifices after death, continuing the family line |
| Can Parents' Orders Be Disobeyed? | Yes, if for practicing the true Dharma (e.g., becoming a monk/nun) | No, absolute obedience to "parents' orders" |
| Ultimate Goal | Parents both achieve liberation from the three realms of life and death | Parents enjoy their golden years, descendants prosper, family honored |
Key point: Confucian filial piety emphasizes present-life obedience and ethical continuation
III. Main Scriptures and Views on "Filial Piety" in Buddhist Scriptures
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《Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents and the Difficulty of Repaying It》:
The Buddha listed ten profound kindnesses of parents, such as carrying the fetus, the pain of childbirth, breastfeeding, and enduring hardships for education. He said:
"Even if a child carries their mother on one shoulder and father on the other, walking around Mount Sumeru seven times with treasures filling the great thousandfold world, for hundreds of thousands of eons, it is still difficult to repay even one day's kindness." 24
→ This reminds us: parents' kindness is extremely profound and cannot be repaid by superficial obedience25.
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《Ullambana Sutra》: The Story of Mulian Saving His Mother
Mulian attained supernatural powers and saw his mother fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts, suffering immensely26.
He sought guidance from the Buddha, who said:
"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, on the day of the Sangha's self-invitation, one should make offerings to the Sangha of the ten directions. By this merit, dedicate it to parents, so they may be freed from the suffering of hungry ghosts." 27
→ This is a classic expression of "transcendent filial piety": not just performing rituals, but using the true Dharma to relieve suffering28.
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《Brahma Net Sutra》: Lists "Disobeying Parents" as a serious offense:
"If a Buddha's disciple intentionally disobeys parents, goes against the kindness of nurturing, and harbors resentment, this is a serious offense." 29
→ Buddhism considers "filial piety" as the basis for upholding precepts; violating it means losing the fundamental Bodhisattva precepts30.
IV. Buddhist Innovation and Transcendence of Filial Piety
| Aspect | Confucian Filial Piety | Buddhist Filial Piety |
| Body | Body belongs to parents (parents gave me this body) | Body is produced by dependent origination, cannot cling to it, but must repay parents' kindness |
| Generations | Primarily based on blood relations | Emphasizes "all sentient beings have been my parents," filial piety extends infinitely |
| After Death | Ancestor worship to preserve the family line | Buddhism believes "liberation, upholding precepts, and cultivating blessings" can truly benefit the deceased |
| Emphasis | Emphasizes filial obedience → shame if not present | Buddhism emphasizes wisdom and compassion, not blind obedience or self-suppression |
In short: Buddhist filial piety is: "Using wisdom and compassion to liberate parents from afflictions and the cycle of life and death is true great filial piety."
V. Comparative Examples: Daily Practice of Filial Piety
| Scenario | Confucian Filial Piety | Buddhist Filial Piety |
| Parents oppose you becoming a monk/nun or practicing Buddhism | Unfilial, disobedient | If for the true Dharma and with a vow to liberate relatives, then greater filial piety |
| Parents are seriously ill | Providing medicinal diets, doing one's best | Offering to the Three Jewels, repentance, dedication of merit, making vows for them to be reborn in good realms |
| Parents pass away | Mourning, weeping, erecting gravestones, offering sacrifices | Chanting scriptures, releasing lives, performing liberation rituals, transforming consciousness into wisdom |
| Filial Piety Beyond Kinship | Limited to biological parents | All sentient beings are my parents → expanded to great filial piety for all beings |
Summary: Buddhist filial piety is about "transforming the worldly into the transcendent," moving from "obedience" to "liberation."
| Category | Confucian Filial Piety | Buddhist Filial Piety |
| Basis | Heavenly mandate, blood relation | Dependent origination, no-self, karma |
| Towards Parents | Nurturing life, reputation | Saving mind, wisdom, life and death |
| Moral Focus | Ethical responsibility | Compassionate vows |
| Religious Practice | Sacrifices, establishing oneself | Chanting Buddha's name, reciting sutras, cultivation, dedication of merit |
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