Recently I was talking with my daughters about what a Buddhist children’s duties to their parents were and what a Buddhist parents duties were to their children. Below is what the Buddha has to say in the Sigalovada Sutta: The Discourse to Sigala, The Layperson’s Code of Discipline

“In five ways, a child should minister to his parents.

(i) Having supported me I shall support them,
(ii) I shall do their duties,
(iii) I shall keep the family tradition,
(iv) I shall make myself worthy of my inheritance,
(v) furthermore I shall offer alms in honor of my departed
relatives.”

“In five ways, the parents thus ministered to by their children, show their compassion:

(i) they restrain them from evil,
(ii) they encourage them to do good,
(iii) they train them for a profession,
(iv) they arrange a suitable marriage,
(v) at the proper time they hand over their inheritance to them.
“In these five ways do children minister to their parents… and the parents show their compassion to their children.”

In the next posting I will discuss this more in detail.