The Four Debts of Gratitude

May 2007 Oko by Rev Kimura 

The second of the four debts is that owed to one's father and mother. To be born into the six paths one must have parents. If one is born into the family of a murderer, a thief, a violator of the rules of proper conduct or a slanderer of the Law, then even though he may not commit these offenses himself, he in effect forms the same karma as the persons who do. As for my parents in this lifetime, however, they not only gave me birth, but made me a believer in the Lotus Sutra as well. (MWND-5, p. 3)

Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the May Oko sermon in our expression of gratitude to our master Nichiren Daishonin, I have sincerely recited the sutras and chanted Daimoku together with you. Moreover, I have sincerely prayed for you to eliminate your sins and negative karma from this and infinite past lifetimes; for you to redouble your faith; for you to enjoy a safe and long life; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; for all matters to proceed forth smoothly; and for the successful achievement of all your great objectives in this and future existences. I am certain that the Daishonin would be truly pleased to see so many of you in attendance today.

The Gosho passage on which we are focused today is from “The Four Debts of Gratitude” (Shion sho). It was written on the 16^th day of the 1^st month of the 2^nd year of Koan (1262), when Nichiren Daishonin was 41 years of age. He wrote it during his exile to Ito, and he addressed it to Kudo Yoshitaka, who was the steward of Awa Province. The original Gosho, in the hand of the Daishonin, no longer exists today.

Our focus is on the four debts of gratitude, as set forth in the title of this Gosho. These four types of debts of gratitude consist of the following:

1. The debt of gratitude that one owes to all living beings.

2. The debt of gratitude that one owes to one’s parents.

3. The debt of gratitude that one owes to one’s sovereign.

4. The debt of gratitude that one owes to the Three Treasures.

Of these, I would like to talk briefly about our debt of gratitude to our parents, since today is Mother’s Day.

We frequently hear that we must truly appreciate and honor our parents. Showing our debt of gratitude to our parents means to support them and sincerely devote ourselves to them.

There are some people in society who distance themselves from their parents, claiming they have no debts because they never asked to be born. Such people do not understand the true joy of life. Since they are immersed in the three poisons of greed, anger, and stupidity, they are unable to experience and manifest a sense of profound gratitude towards their parents, even if they tried to do so.

It is a fact that, in this world, there is nothing more profound than the bond of love between parent and child. In our lives, we form various relationships, such as the bonds between master and disciple, between husband and wife, and between parent and child. The bond between master and disciple can be severed by excommunication. The bond between husband and wife can be cut by divorce. However, the bond between parent and child can never be broken. This indicates that the relationship between parent and child represents a profound karmic bond.

The Daishonin wrote the following in his Gosho about our debt of gratitude towards our parents:

During the 270 days or 9 months that the mother is pregnant, she experiences such terrible pain, enough to die 37 times. When she delivers the baby, the pain is unbearable but upon birth the feelings transforms into the bliss of reaching heaven. After the baby is born, it will drink more than 180 koku of mother’s milk. The child will play on the parents’ knees for three years. If we were born as human beings and believe in Buddhism, we should owe our debt of gratitude to our parents. The height of one’s gratitude towards one’s father is higher than Mt. Sumeru. The depths of one’s gratitude towards one’s mother is deeper than a great ocean. Be resolved to repay your debt of gratitude to your parents. (Gosho, p. 922)

When a mother becomes pregnant, she lives every day thinking only about her child until she gives birth many months later. During this time, as her abdomen increases in size, she grows increasingly exhausted. Some mothers lose the healthy glow from their faces or they experience difficulty breathing, and they encounter tremendous physical challenges. However, as soon as the child is born, the mother’s great pain and suffering immediately leave her mind. Her heart is full of a sense of satisfaction at having gained a most valuable treasure, and she proceeds to raise her child to the best of her ability. When there is no food, she will find something to eat for her child, even if she goes hungry. Even if she wears rags, she will find decent clothing for her child. Throughout her life, her child’s happiness remains her top priority.

According to the sutra, “The Debts of Gratitude Towards Parents” (Fubo onshi kyo), there are ten types of debts of gratitude. They are:

1) Gratitude for protection during pregnancy. (Gratitude towards the mother, who is always mindful of the baby in her pregnant body and is careful to focus all her efforts to protect against miscarriages.)

2) Gratitude for enduring great pain and suffering. (Gratitude to the mother for enduring the pain of childbirth.)

3) Gratitude for letting go of the memory of the pain suffered in giving birth. (Gratitude to the mother for replacing her suffering with joy, as soon as she gives birth.)

4) Gratitude for mother’s milk. (Gratitude to the mother for giving milk to the baby and raising him.)

5) Gratitude for sacrificing comfort. (Gratitude to the parents for letting the children sleep in a warm, dry place, even when their area is damp and uncomfortable.)

6) Gratitude for cleaning and purification. (Gratitude to the parents for cleaning up after the children.)

7) Gratitude for providing good food to the children. (Gratitude to the parents for giving delicious food to the children, even if they, themselves, must eat unappealing things.)

8) Gratitude for the parents’ willingness to go to all lengths for the children. (Gratitude to the parents for being willing even to descend into hell for the sake of the happiness of the children.)

9) Gratitude for prayers at a distance. (Gratitude to the parents for constantly praying for the safety of their children who have gone to live in a distant location.)

10) Gratitude for prayers until the last moment. (Gratitude to the parents for always continuing to pray for their children’s safety and happiness, even if they, themselves, are dead or alive.)

Given the various ways in which we owe the debts of gratitude to our parents, how could anyone possibly say that he never asked to be born? Any decent human being would not be able to utter such a statement. We tend to think that we grew up and matured all by ourselves. However, it is precisely because our parents gave birth to us and raised us that we were able to encounter True Buddhism – which is truly difficult to encounter – and we are able to strive to achieve the life condition of enlightenment in our present form (sokushin jobutsu).

What can we do to repay these debts of gratitude to our parents? The Daishonin explained the principle of the “three types of filial duties” (sanshu no koyo). The filial duties are divided into three categories: the supreme (jo-bon), the middle (chu-bon), and the low (ge-bon) priorities.

The low priority refers to the offering of clothing and food to our parents. Giving them gifts on certain occasions represents an example of this category.

The middle priority signifies our efforts to refrain from going against the wishes of our parents. It also indicates our attempts to bring joy and comfort to our parents. An example of this may be a soothing shoulder massage that we can give them when their muscles are tense. This type of filial duty refers to our sincere efforts to consider what would bring great joy to our parents and to take manifest action.

While the low and medium types of filial duty are extremely important, they are also widely taught by non-Buddhist doctrines. In other words, they represent manifestations of gratitude that are temporary and limited. While our actions in these categories may seem like the ultimate forms of filial piety, they all signify presentations of temporary joy to our parents. All gifts of cash and material goods to our parents would eventually be consumed and they will disappear in time. Furthermore, when we obey our parents’ wishes and perform deeds that make them happy, we are able to provide them joy for the moment, but we are unable to eliminate their karmic suffering and misfortunes. Let me remind you, however, that the low and medium types of filial duty are important, so please do not consider them to be inconsequential or irrelevant.

In addition to the low and medium types of filial duty, Buddhism teaches the supreme category.

I am certain that you are already aware of this. The Dashonin wrote the following in his Gosho, “Reply to the Wife of Gyobu Zaemon” (Gyobu zaemon no jo nyobo go-henji):

Those who want to repay their debt of gratitude to their parents should send them the Lotus Sutra.

(Gosho, p. 1506)

A true manifestation of our debts of gratitude to our parents means that we must be constantly mindful of our parents’ well-being. We must be sincere about repaying our debts of gratitude and do the following:

1) We must always be considerate about the daily lives of our parents and be mindful of their good health. We must arrange to provide them with what they desire and give them the comfort of knowing that they are always in our thoughts.

2) We must sincerely listen to the opinions of our parents when they are right.

3) We must teach our parents about True Buddhism and enable them to receive the benefits of faith.

If your parents do not as yet embrace True Buddhism, it is important to shakubuku them. If they are believers but they do not come to the temple, encourage them to come. If your parents do not perform Gongyo, please perform it with them. If your parents are deceased, please perform toba offerings for them.

In this lifetime, material goods and money are temporary and finite. However, the benefits amassed through practicing True Buddhism will continue into and transcend all future existences. Moreover, your acts of filial piety and appreciation towards your parents will, in fact, return to you as acts of appreciation and benefits towards you, yourselves.

I ask you all to use this day – Mothers’ Day – as an opportunity to renew your determination to increase your efforts and devotion in your Buddhist practice and in your performance of shakubuku. I would like to conclude my sermon for today by sincerely praying for you to increase your devotion ever more, as we advance forth towards 2009, the 750^th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho Ankoku-ron.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.