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sons and daughters. 
G.11 Ex. Even Buddha must care 
for his parents 
Even the Buddha himself devoted 
considerable 
time and effort to repaying the debt 
of gratitude he 
had to his parents. The Buddha 
spent the whole of 
one rainy-season retreat in 
TavatiOsa Heaven, 
through the might of his mental 
powers, in order 
to teach his late mother the whole 
of the 
Abhidhamma. His mother Queen 
MAyA had passed 
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away only seven days after the 
birth of Prince 
Siddhartha. 
G.12 Ex. The Abandoned 
Brahmin 
Once, there lived in SAvatthE an 
old brahmin who 
was extremely rich. He had four 
sons and when 
each of the sons got married, he 
gave him a share 
of his wealth. Then, he gave away 
half of his remaining 
property to them. Later, his wife 
died. 
His sons came to him and looked 
after him very 
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well and they were very loving and 
affectionate 
to him. During the course of time, 
somehow they 
influenced him to give them the 
other half of the 
remaining property. Thus, he was 
left penniless. 
First he went to stay with his eldest 
son. After a 
few days, the daughter-in-law said 
to him, `Did 
you give any extra wealth to your 
eldest son? 
Don't you know the way to the 
house of your 
other sons?' Hearing this, the old 
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brahmin got 
very angry and left the eldest son's 
house for the 
house of his second son. The same 
remarks were 
made by the wife of his second son 
and the old 
man went to the house of his third 
son and finally 
to the house of the fourth and 
youngest. 
Thus, the old man was left 
destitute and taking a 
staff and a bowl he went to the 
Buddha for protection 
and advice. At the monastery, the 
brahmin 
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told the Buddha how his sons had 
mistreated 
him. The Enlightened One taught 
him some 
verses and advised him to recite 
them wherever 
there was a large gathering of 
people. The gist of 
the verses was as follows: 
`My four foolish sons are like 
ogres. They call 
me `father, father' but the words 
come only 
out of their mouths and not from 
their hearts. 
They are deceitful and scheming. 
Taking the 
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advice of their wives they have 
driven me out 
of their houses. So, now I have 
been reduced 
to begging. Those sons are of less 
service to 
me than this staff of mine.' 
When the appointed day came for 
the brahmins 
of SAvatthE to hold their meeting 
and knowing 
that his sons would be there, the 
old brahmin also 
attended the meeting. Now at that 
time, the prevailing 
law dictated that "whoever 
ill-treats his 
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mother or father and does not 
support or look 
after them shall be punished". 
Many people in 
the crowd, on hearing the verses 
recited by the 
old brahmin, went wild with rage 
at the ungrateful 
sons and threatened them for 
neglecting their 
father. Then the sons realised their 
mistakes and 
knelt down at the feet of their 
father and asked 
for pardon. They also promised 
that from that day 
forth, they would look after him 
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properly and 
would respect, love and honour 
him. They also 
warned their wives to look after 
their father well. 
Each of the sons gave him proper 
food and clothing. 
Thus the brahmin became 
healthier. So, he 
went to the Buddha and humbly 
requested him 
to accept two food-trays out of the 
four he was 
receiving every day from his sons. 
One day, the 
eldest son invited the Buddha to 
his house for 
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almsfood. After the meal, the 
Buddha gave a discourse 
on the benefits to be gained by 
looking 
after one's parents. 
The Buddha related to themthe 
story of the elephant 
called Dhanapala, who looked 
after his 
parents. Dhanapala when captured 
pined for the 
parents who were left in the forest. 
DhammapadaEEhakathA, XXIII: 3 
Blessing Eleven: Cherishing our 
Parents 151 
G.13 Orphan with a Debt to Pay 
(traditional) 
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There was once a woman of the 
streets who was with 
child. By profession she knew that 
if the child was 
born a boy, she would be unable to 
keep him. Her 
anxiety only increased day-by-day 
until at the end 
of nine months, her fears were 
realized. The newborn 
babe was a boy. Many times she 
took the baby 
to the river's edge with the full 
intention to drown 
him and finish the whole business, 
but with tears in 
her eyes from having borne him in 
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her womb for so 
long, she could not bring herself 
todo it. At the same 
time, she could not keep the child 
or else she would 
destroy her livelihood. She left him 
in a bundle by 
the roadside with the thought that 
there might be 
some chance of a compassionate 
passer-by seeing 
the child and adopting him. The 
first passer-by that 
morning was the abbot from the 
local temple on his 
almsround. He spotted the baby 
and afraid that he 
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starve, took him back to the 
temple. The abbot 
guessed how the baby had come to 
be there but in 
the absence of anyone coming to 
claim him back, 
provided all the food, shelter, 
clothing and education 
the child needed to grow-up to 
teenage. The boy 
could run and play with the other 
children and do 
everything expected of him but he 
had a chip on his 
shoulder and would run and hide if 
any of the others 
teased him for not having a mother 
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and father. The 
boy would blame his unseen 
parents for the 
predicament in which he found 
himself. One day 
the abbot heard the boy 
complaining out loud about 
the parents who had abandoned 
him. The abbot 
thought, "the time has come to talk 
to this boy about 
his life." 
"If someone were to give you a 
dollar, would you 
curse him?" the abbot asked the 
boy. 
"Of course not," replied the boy, "I 
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should bow to 
that person, or at least thank him 
and I would not 
forget my gratitude to him!" 
"And if someone were to come 
along and offer you 
a dollar for your life would you 
take it?" 
"Of course I wouldn't," replied the 
boy 
indignantly."Do you think that's 
all my life is 
worth?" 
"Ten dollars then?" 
"You must be joking!" 
The abbot raised the sum to a 
hundred, a thousand, 
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ten-thousand, a hundred-thousand 
and a million 
dollars, but the boy would not part 
with his life. 
Asked why, the boy replied, "even 
a million dollars 
is useless if you have no life left to 
spend it." 
"Well, what about if someone were 
to come along 
and offer you a dollar to cut off 
your right arm? 
Would you take it?" 
"Of course I wouldn't," replied the 
boy 
indignantly."Do you think that's 
all the integrity of 
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my body is worth?" 
"Ten dollars then?" 
"Daylight robbery!" 
The abbot raised the sum to a 
hundred, a thousand, 
ten-thousand, a hundred-thousand 
and a million 
dollars, but the boy would not part 
with his right 
arm. "Don't you want to be a 
millionaire?" asked 
the abbot. The boy said,"even a 
million dollars is no 
substitute for the loss of one's 
physical integrity." 
"And if someone were to come 
along and offer you 
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a dollar to cut off your little 
finger? Would you take 
it?" 
"Of course I wouldn't," replied the 
boy indignantly." 
Do you think you can put a price 
on part of 
the human body?" 
"Ten dollars then?" 
"Forget it!" 
The abbot raised the sum to a 
hundred, a thousand, 
ten-thousand, a hundred-thousand 
and a million 
dollars, but the boy would not part 
with his little 
finger. Asked why, the boy said 
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that even a million 
dollars could not replace the thing 
most precious to 
him — a healthy, human body. 
"Just now you said that if someone 
gave you a 
dollar, you would thank him, bow 
to him and never 
forget your gratitude to him — yet 
your parents have 
given you your healthy, human 
body free, even the 
little finger of which you would 
not part with for a 
million dollars — how come you 
sit here cursing 
them for not having given you 
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more?" 
152 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
Blessing Twelve: Raising our 
Children 153 
A. Introduction 
A.1 The Harm of Bad Parental 
Upbringing 
The SilgalovAda Sutta teaches us 
to develop respect 
for human dignity towards 
ourselves, towards 
others and towards a fair economic 
system in general. 
Sometimes we have to work on 
ourselves 
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throughout our lives to develop 
these qualities, but 
for sure, the seeds of these 
qualities for every "global 
being" need to be planted by the 
parents during 
childhood as part of that child's 
upbringing. If 
the child is neglected when 
growing up, they will 
grow up to lack any sense of 
responsibility for: 
1. their own human dignity 
2. the human dignity of others 
3. the human dignity underlying 
the economics of 
society at large 
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