No. 374-A
Sutra No. 374-A
盂蘭盆經者，乃大目犍連解母青提夫人倒懸之苦，張孝道之宗本，故請如來演說斯經，利及一切，以報父母劬勞之恩也。然而吾佛世尊，累三大劫，備脩孝行，存者罄誠以奉，勸發道意，亡者資以妙行，拔濟沈溺，出生人天，聞法證悟，永離苦趣，報罔極之恩，匪唯一生父母，乃至無量生父母，六親眷屬，悉皆報之，故謂之大孝釋迦尊也。行世間之孝者，但能溫凊甘瀡之奉，慎護髮膚，立身揚名，不虧其體，不辱其身，其孝至矣。行出世之孝者，割愛辭親，學佛之行，法資現世，薦彼亡歿，普利含識，怨親平等，儒釋之行不同，其行孝之心一也。唐圭峯禪師製疏一卷，以釋經之大義，垂範後人，資酬罔極。宋廣演大師遇榮，發明疏義多含，廣引儒宗孝行彰的之事，會孝道之一貫，文成二卷，目曰孝衡鈔，復纂科文一卷，提其綱要。然因經以知目連起教之由，因疏以能釋經大義，因鈔以申釋疏文之詳，其孝行之道，燦然具備焉。
The Ullambana Sutra recounts how the great Maudgalyayana sought to rescue his mother, Lady Qingti, from her unbearable suffering—like being hung upside down. It establishes filial piety as the foundation of the Way. For this reason, the Buddha was asked to expound this sutra, which benefits all beings and repays the toil of raising children. Our World-Honored One, Shakyamuni, accumulated wisdom over countless eons, cultivating filial conduct in every way. Toward the living, He offered wholehearted devotion, inspiring them to awaken; for the deceased, He bestowed virtuous practice to rescue them from drowning, helping them to be reborn among humans and gods. Through hearing the Dharma, they gained enlightenment, leaving suffering’s path forever. This gratitude is not limited to one life’s parents, but extends to countless lifetimes of parents and all six kinds of relatives. Thus, Shakyamuni is called the “Greatly Filial One.”
In worldly life, filial piety means providing warmth and coolness in season, offering sweet and nourishing food, protecting one’s body, building a good name, and neither harming nor dishonoring oneself—this is the highest worldly filial piety. Those who cultivate transcendent filial piety renounce attachments, leave family, study Buddha’s teachings, use the Dharma to benefit their living relatives, and guide their departed ones. They universally aid all sentient beings, treating friend and foe alike. Though Confucian and Buddhist paths differ, the heart of filial respect remains the same.
In the Tang Dynasty, Chan Master Guifeng wrote one scroll of commentary, explaining the sutra’s core meaning as a model for later generations to repay immeasurable kindness. In the Song Dynasty, the great teacher Guangyan, Master Yurong, further clarified the commentary’s many layers. He drew widely from Confucian examples of filial piety, showing how the Way of filial piety runs through all traditions. This work became two scrolls, titled *Xiaojing Chao* (“The Balanced Record of Filial Piety”), and additionally compiled one scroll of outlines for its essential points.
Thus, through the sutra, we understand Maudgalyayana’s reason for beginning this teaching; through the commentary, we grasp the sutra’s great meaning; through the explanatory record, we see the detailed unfolding of the commentary. And so the way of filial piety shines forth in all its brilliance.
時宣德己酉春二月僧錄司右講經兼大報恩寺住持沙門 一真叟唯實
In the spring of the second month of the year Jiyou in the Xuande era, the monk Wei Shi, an elder of enduring truth, who served as the Right Lecturer of the Monastic Registry and Abbot of the Great Bao'en Temple, [said this].