Being filial piety

Last Sunday was a very meaningful day in my life as I attended Tzu Chi parent-children's bonding class which was held in Kelana Jaya's office. I felt really honoured as my son and me were invited to show the children on foot washing ceremony.

My son need to wash my toes one by one while the MC reciting on 10 kindness we need to repay our parents, ie:

The first is the kindness of providing protection and care while the child is in the womb.

The second is the kindness of bearing suffering during the birth.

The third is the kindness of forgetting all the pain once the child has been born.

The fourth is the kindness of bearing suffering themselves for their children good sake.

The fifth is the kindness of moving the child to a dry place and lying in the wet herself.

The sixth is the kindness of breast feeding the child, nourishing and bringing up the child.

The seventh is the kindness of washing away the unclean.

The eight is the kindness of always thinking of the child when it has traveled far.

The ninth is the kindness of deep care and devotion.

The tenth is the kindness of ultimate pity and sympathy.

Many parents were burst into tears as the whole programmes conducted during the classes were so touching. During the sharing session, a mother was so touched as she never expected her son manage to find her. Her son kept on asking her not to cry as he felt her face is warm and scared she would have fever. She mentioned she need a big face towel as her tears fall down like rain.

Among the programmes were the children need to find their parents, whereby both parents and children were with their eyes blind folded. Children were leaded to find their parents. It is really amazing that the only 2 children failed to find their parents.

This followed by a stage performance on the story of 'The filial crow'. The story is about a baby crow which was young and needed mother crow to find foods. Later when the mother crow grew older, the baby crow who became stout, started to find foods for its mother instead. One day, there was fire in the forest, all birds were asking the young crow to leave its mother.Yet, he decided to stay back to rescue her mother.With the help of a rain, it successfully rescue its mother. Children were then questioned on what are the things they can do in order to repay their parent's kindness in their daily lives. They also were asked to reflect on what are the kindness their parents have done to them?

The children have learnt few Jing Si aprohise, ie

1)We must know our parents' kindness and repay their kindness

2) The real filial piety is to contribute happily whenever our parents need us.

3)If we always feel thankful to our parents,we will automatically respect and be filial to them

There are 2 things that cannot be waited in our life, ie to be filial piety to our parents and to do good.

The most serious punishment in our life is to be regretted. Indeed it is a great blessing for us to have parents who are still alive, as we still have chances to say we love them and to show our love to them.

Being filial piety to our parents is not only completed by just giving them money. Our parents needs our care and concern. There are many ways to be filial piety to them, for example always give them a call, to take care of ourselves by taking care of our health / own safety and not committed in any wrong doings.