The distraught look on the faces of the late Teoh Beng Hock's parents reminded me of of the discourse on the deep kindness of parents and the difficulty of repaying it. It is said that even if a person carries his or her parents on the back for the rest of his or her life, the kindness of the parents cannot be repaid. According to the Sigalovada Sutta, Digha Nikaya 31, one should minister to one's parents in these ways:Having supported the children, the children shall thus support the parents.Children shall do their duties, keep up the honour and the traditons of the family, be worthy of their heritage and make offerings, dedicating the goodness of the practice to the parents after their death. By the way,Teoh Beng Hock, the 30-year-old political secretary to the Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong HIan Wah, had been found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after giving his statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers (MACC) . The death had undoubtly brought untold grief. It is strange therefore that I happen to read in the Net at about the same time that Buddhism, Indian Buddhism in particular did not have a strong notion of filial piety. The argument is that in India, many men leave or abandon their families, parents, wives, and children to become monks. Buddha himself was said to have left his wife, Yasodhara and his young son, Rahula. That there is a discourse on the deep kindness of parents and the difficulty to repay them perhaps speaks volumes.
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