Opening the Eyes

Filial piety of the Confucian School limits itself to this life. Since it does not help the parents in the future life, its sages and wise men are empty names without reality. Other non-Buddhist schools may know about past and future lives but they have no way of saving parents. Only Buddhism helps parents in their future lives. Therefore, those in Buddhism are worthy of the name of “sage and wise man.” Even in Buddhism, however, various scriptures and sects expounded before the Lotus Sutra were unable to help people obtain enlightenment themselves, much less their parents. They have only words without meaning. Only when the Lotus Sutra was expounded and said that women could obtain Buddhahood, our mothers’ obtaining Buddhahood became possible; and when it said that even a wicked man like Devadatta could obtain Buddhahood, our fathers’ obtaining Buddhahood also became possible. This is the sutra of filial piety among all Buddhist scriptures.

(Explanatory note)

After all, Confucianism is merely a school of moral teachings. Therefore its concept of filial piety is limited to this world, and it does not tell about filial piety of life in the future. However, unless one’s filial piety extends to his future life, he is not worthy of being called a sage or a wise man. If he is called so, he enjoys an empty name. Although philosophical schools of India tell about the past and future, they are in general concerned with a cold logic. Since they are not religions of warm faith, they do not expound filial piety in the future life. In this sense Buddhism is worthy of the teachings of the sage and wise man because it expounds filial piety in the future life as well as the way to attain Buddhahood. However, many schools of Buddhism which have their basis on sutras expounded before the Lotus Sutra for example Amida, Shingon and Zen Schools cannot obtain their own Buddhahood, much less helping parents obtain Buddhahood. No matter how wonderful they may sound, they are but empty words. When the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra and showed the attainment of Buddhahood by Dragon Princess as an example of a female obtaining Buddhahood and that of Devadatta as an example of a wicked person, it became clear that we can help our parents to obtain Buddhahood. In this sense the Lotus Sutra is indeed the most filial sutra among all the Buddhist scriptures.