Honor Thy Mother

Recently I have been fighting with my mother. After a long prayer about the situation in my personal life, I have come to realize that the only way to deal with her is to tell her "I love you" regardless if what she says or does.

For Jesus said "love one another", and this applies especially to the commandment to honor my parents. Jesus also said "love your enemies" and dedicate yourself to their welfare. Yet my greatest enemy is always my selfish desires.

Even though I may mistake my mother for my enemy, the only true enemy is self-will.

So from this day forward I shall try to transform my selfishness into the selflessness as I listen to my mother in respectful silence.

Indeed, Love is the only response to a mother who misuses the commandment to "honor thy father and mother." For this is too the commandment of the Christ: to honor my mother by responding with love to anything she says or does.

All that I am capable of doing is to respond in a loving and compassionate manner, regardless of her behavior. For love conquers all, and my actions from this day forward shall reflect my determination to practice what I preach.

So shall I dedicate myself to honor my mother in a gentle and kind manner for the sake of our family.

Transforming Anger into Loving Kindness

Yesterday, I experienced a positive breakthrough yesterday.

Today Mom called me up to give me the challenge of "being a better person". The last time my brother was over, I didn't invite him into my home.

So indeed she did. She called me, and since I was busy, I waited until after the task was over to call her back.

Rather than arguing with her, I just responded appropriately using politeness and respect.

She told me that when my brother was over to drop off an item - what it is is unimportant to this discussion - I wanted to sell, I neglected to invite him into my home. She said that I should think carefully about my behavior, and implied without saying so that I also need to remedy the situation appropriately.

Then we concluded the phone call. Afterwards I felt angry, but decided to maintain self control.

After calming down, my response was to text message my brother "So let's hang out together sometime on your day off." My intentions were to be hospitable to him, and to invite him into my home.

Even though it turned out he was busy today, we still chatted in text messages.

Afterwards, I felt that everything was fine, again.

How this is a breakthrough with me: usually I'd get angry, suppress the anger, and then forget about it.

This time, I decided to text my brother instead of sulking afterwards. While it is not true sociability to be texting with my brother, it is better than not talking to him.

In this context, by contacting my brother and keeping in touch with him, anger that arose due to my mother's reminder to be demonstrate social etiquette soon subsided, and was transformed into loving-kindness.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is the Earth Store Buddha.

Originally a young Indian girl of the Brahmin caste. Due to her impiety, her mother suffered in hell after death. Concern for her mother led the young girl to make a great vow to save all beings from such torments. Thus, Ksitigarbha represents filial piety, the respect and honor for one's parents such that one chants the Sutra of Filial Piety.

IMHO this sutra shows that even a human being or a demon king will be reborn as bodhisattvas when they practiced merit transference as the Brahmin girl did after her mother's death.