The
Most Treasured Teaching
Su Meiyue |
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I've changed a lot
since I began studying Buddhism. This is especially because the Venerable
Master untied a mental knot that I'd had for many years. How is this? In 1993, I worked
as an usher in the first Celebration for Respecting the Elderly held by
the Venerable Master. During his talk, the Master said that since he had
not been filial enough to his parents, he would treat all elderly men
as his fathers and all elderly women as his mothers. This statement made
me feel very ashamed of myself. In my view, only those who bore me and
raised me are my real parents, and they are the only ones to whom I ought
to be filial. As for my mother-in-law, though I have never been unfilial
to her, deep down in my heart I have always thought: "Why should
I be filial to someone else's parents? They didn't give birth to me, nor
did they raise me." My mother-in-law
is eighty-eight years old this year. She was widowed at a young age. I
have never talked back to my mother-in-law, and I always appear to be
respectful to her. People all say that I'm the most filial daughter-in-law.
But I've always felt that she demanded too much from her children and
from me, so I am never genuinely sincere when I do things for her. After hearing the
Venerable Master's lecture, I was very gentle and filial to my mother-in-law
when I went to visit her in Taiwan last year. I called her, "Mother!"
I said, "Mother, I have not been filial to you. I have not treated
you well..." I am glad that even though she is over eighty, she still
has a very clear mind and could hear me repent. She said to me, "You
are very nice, very filial..." Her words put me at ease. As I held
her hand, sliced some fruit for her to eat, and watched her eating the
fruit with relish, my heart was greatly comforted. "All men are
my fathers, and all women are my mothers." These words of the Master's
have profoundly touched my heart. This is the most treasured teaching
the Master has given me. In the past, I could never understand why people
always asked for more and criticized me when I had already given so much.
Now, I no longer ask from other people as I used to. On the contrary,
I try my best to give, and I always have a very satisfactory outcome.
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