At Jetavana, there are many dogs and monkeys of all sizes. I still remember the image of a skin-and-bones mother dog surrounded by her young puppies nagging her to nurse. The mother dog crept through every corner of the Vihāra to avoid the puppies chasing after her for milk. As for the puppies, they innocently did not understand that their mother had not eaten for many days and had no milk left. Instead of chasing away her puppies, the mother dog used her strength to avoid them. There were times when the puppies sucked on her nipples, and the mother dog painfully purred a few weak sounds before walking off.
I stood still for a moment, then hastily grabbed a bag of Āloka’s cookies to feed the mother dog. The puppies still aggressively held on, trying to suck while the mother dog was eating. How pitiful it was to see the mother dog turn left and right to steer clear of them. This image touched my heart when I thought of motherhood. Was it true that when we were young and immature, we also begged our mother like that? Were there times when our mother was sick, hungry, and in pain whenever we asked to be breast-fed, all while completely unaware of her suffering?
And yet, our mother still silently endures all suffering and sweetly gives her children the best she could offer without a word of complaint. As the days go by, we grow up and get upset at our mother when we don’t get what we want. When we settle down, we tend to have less time to think of our parents. Whenever they need us, we make up all sorts of excuses to ignore them, causing them sadness.
“Parents’ love for their children is as vast as the water in the seas and lakes.
But when it comes time for the children to care for their parents, they count their efforts by days and months.”
Our childhood days are long gone, and we have forgotten the most sacred feelings that our father and mother saved for us. When I learned of my mother’s illness, those feelings suddenly surged within me, and I realized that there were no adequate words to describe the love of a mother and father. These are just a few words to remind myself and other people whose parents are still alive.
I humbly offer a few words to the people:
If you want to show filial piety, do it while your parents live.
Don’t wait until they are gone,
At that point, you can do nothing to express your desire to be a dutiful son or daughter.
Now, as I watched the mother dog and her puppies, I was reminded of the generosity of Venerable Sīvali, the foremost among the Buddha’s Arahant disciples in receiving offerings. One of his previous lives was in the time of Buddha Kassapa, Venerable Sīvali was a bhikkhu and offered lunch by the lay devotees. In the afternoon, on the way back, he encountered a scrawny mother dog with her puppies hanging on to their mother for milk. But with her thin body from having nothing to eat, there was simply no milk for her puppies. The monk was deeply moved and reached into his throat to vomit all the food he had just eaten so that the mother dog could feed her puppies. Having done this past noon, it was too late for him to eat anything else. Thus, it was as if he fasted the entire day.
Therefore, true happiness and prosperity come not from material possessions but from living a virtuous life, practicing generosity, showing respect to others, and developing a wise and compassionate mind, and the Maṅgāla Sutta extols these qualities as blessings.
The Sutta goes as follows:
Evaṃ me sutaṃ: Ekaṃ samayaṃ Bhagavā Sāvatthiyaṃ viharati Jetavane Anāthapiṇḍikassa Ārāme. Atha kho aññatarā devatā abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkanta-vaṇṇā kevala-kappaṃ Jetavanaṃ obhāsetvā yena Bhagavā ten’upasaṅkami upasaṅkamitvā Bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṃ ṭhitā kho sā devatā Bhagavantaṃ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi.
Bahū devā manussā ca
Maṅgalāni acintayuṃ
Ākaṅkhamānā soṭṭhānaṃ
Brūhi maṅgalam’uttamaṃ.
Thus have I heard: “Once the Blessed One was dwelling near Sāvatthi in the Jetavana monastery built by Anāthapiṇḍika (a wealthy merchant of Sāvatthi). Then a certain deity at midnight, having illuminated the whole Jeta-grove with surpassing splendor, came to the presence of the Blessed One. Having worshiped the Blessed One, he stood at one side and then addressed the Blessed One in verse:
Many gods and men,
Have pondered on auspicious signs,
Wishing for blessings.
Please tell us the most auspicious signs. (Translated by Bhikkhu Pesala)
(Please see the Maṅgāla Sutta)
This well-known sutta, often recited in Buddhist countries, is a clear, concise, and complete summary of Buddhist morals for individuals and society. The thirty-eight blessings in the sutta provide an essential guide to the path of life. The teachings begin with the blessing of “not to associate with fools,” which serves as the foundation for moral and spiritual advancement. The blessings culminate in attaining a mind free from greed and fear and at peace. Practicing the teachings of the sutta leads to a harmonious and progressive life for individuals, society, nations, and humanity.
May all sentient beings with favorable conditions have the opportunity to hear and follow the teachings of the Blessed One to bring peace and happiness to themselves and others.
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Source: Dhammacetiya