Buddhism and the Four Gratitudes

A fellow blogger and wise fellow from Singapore, Yueheng, reminded me of this concept in an earlier post. In Buddhism, among the many numbered lists we have, the Buddha taught the importance of the Four Gratitudes or Obligations. These are:

1. Gratitude to one’s parents.
2. Gratitude to all sentient beings.
3. Gratitude to the ruler.
4. Gratitude to the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha).

(taken from Kūkai and his Major Works, page 95)

In the list Yueheng provided in my previous post, the list was parents, teachers, country and all sentient beings.

In any case, the point is the same. We live through the kindness and help of others our whole lives. In my experiences with both Jodo Shinshu and Shingon Buddhism this point has been strongly emphasized. We could not eat our food if others didn’t labor and grow the food for us, pack the food, and stock it. We couldn’t walk down the street safely without others to keep crime to a minimum. We wouldn’t know the things we know if others had not taken the time to teach us (this also goes for those who taught us painful lessons).

Being a parent now for 17 months or so, I really appreciate just how much we depend on our parents for the first 18 years of our lives. My daughter (code-named “Baby“) would not survive day 1 if we didn’t care for her, change her diapers or kept her warm and clothed. We protect her from getting into accidents, now that she can walk, and ensure that she gets the right nutrition even when she’s fussy and doesn’t like what we feed her.

So, with all this in mind, it makes sense that the Buddha taught the importance of gratitude to one’s parents, teachers and all beings. The Buddha taught in the Pali Canon that even if you carried your parents on your back for the rest of their lives, you would still not repay them. Instead, he suggested, the best way to repay them is to live a wholesome, wise and moral life, and to teach them the Dharma if possible.

This is echoed in the words of Kūkai when he writes:

Improve yourselves, help others and fulfill your four obligations.

That pretty much sums up the Buddhist lifestyle.

Namu Daishi Henjo Kongo