The Essence of Filial Piety Audiobook By Shih Cheng Yen cover art

The Essence of Filial Piety

The First Lesson to a Happy Life

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The Essence of Filial Piety

By: Shih Cheng Yen
Narrated by: Virtual Voice
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About this listen

 For both Chinese and Western readers, The Essence of Filial Piety is a practical and inspiring book. Dharma Master Cheng Yen frequently makes filial piety a central theme of her teachings, such as in the stories in this book. While filial piety has been a valued virtue in Chinese culture, it is being forgotten in modern society. Seeing children who cause their parents to worry by living recklessly and adults who send their aged parents off to nursing homes and then ignore them, Master Cheng Yen emphasizes filial piety as a key virtue that needs to be valued again today, just as it was in the past. While this concept of filial piety seems foreign from a Western perspective, it can be understood as an extension of “Honor your father and mother.” To be filial, we need to start by recognizing and being grateful for the hardship and dedication that our parents have experienced in bringing us into the world and raising us into adulthood. This includes the great pain of childbirth and all the sacrifices that parents make to raise their children. If we always keep their tremendous sacrifice and dedication in mind, we will remain grateful and honor our parents. As human beings, we should know that filial piety is the home of virtue because it is the foundation of all virtuous deeds. Filial piety is to serve our parents well and, on a grander scale, to serve the world well. When we do good deeds for society, have correct values, and walk on the right path, we will eventually reach the ultimate truth. About Author Dharma Master Cheng Yen was born in 1937 in a small town in Taichung County, Taiwan. When she was twenty-three years old, she left home to become a Buddhist nun, and was instructed by her mentor, Venerable Master Yin Shun, to work “for Buddhism and for all living beings.” In 1966, she founded a charity, which later turned into the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, to “help the poor and educate the rich”—to give material aid to the needy and inspire love and humanity in both givers and recipients. In recent years, Master Cheng Yen’s contributions have been increasingly recognized by the global community. In 2011, she was recognized with the Roosevelt Institute’s FDR Distinguished Public Service Award and was named to the 2011 TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people. Contents Part I: The Origin of All Virtues Chapter One – The Prerequisite for All Virtues Chapter Two – Parents’ Grace is Deepest Part II: A Family Legacy Chapter Three – Cherishing Ourselves to Repay Our Parents’ Grace Chapter Four – Serving Parents with Courtesy and Respect Chapter Five – Understanding Our Parents’ Needs and Wishes Chapter Six – The Pure Heart of Filial Children Chapter Seven – The Happiness of Family Togetherness Part III: Filial Piety for All Beings Chapter Eight – Warm Affection Fills the World Chapter Nine – Great Love through Filial Piety Excerpt Being grateful to our parents is the foundation of being a decent person. We exist because of our parents. Our mothers suffered a great deal during pregnancy and while giving birth, much like the earth having to endure much ordeal as plants grow out of the ground. How hard mothers work! Fathers also work hard every day to support their families and to give them a peaceful and happy life. Therefore it is fitting and proper that we take care of our parents. Parents are living buddhas in our homes. To respect and be filial to the buddhas in our homes is to sow a great field of blessings. On the other hand, if we are not filial to our parents despite their tremendous grace to us, we are failures even if we are wealthy and famous or hold high positions. ~Excerpt from part I Personal Development Personal Success Relationships
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