法苑珠林 97.24

97.24

The commentary says: Knowing that it is thus, when monastics and laypeople see the deceased coffins of masters, saṃgha members, or parents, an outside visitor offering condolences who is junior to the deceased should proceed to the place of the corpse and perform the rites as usual. Having first taken the hands of the filial children to silently comfort and console them, they then proceed to the Venerable Ones to fully express their feelings of sorrow, paying condolence and bowing. One also sees foolish laypeople falsely practicing Dharma instructions and successively teaching others not to allow bowing to the deceased spirits of parents, uncles, and venerable kin, saying: 'Since I have received the precepts and they are ghosts and spirits, it is not fitting to bow to them, for fear of breaking the precepts.' This does not accord with the teachings; on the contrary, it incurs the fault of ignorance. I humbly consider that masters and monks nourish our Dharma-body, while parents and uncles nourish our physical body. Relying on their nursing, we grow up to become adults; contemplating this kindness and virtue, even the vast heavens are hard to repay. Compensating their kindness across kalpas, how could a single lifetime suffice to repay it? Failing to preserve reverence and gratitude, but instead giving rise to indolence and arrogance, treading in the footsteps of base fellows, how can one be a filial child? Therefore, even the World-Honoured One, the ultimate sage, personally supported the corpse of his deceased father in the funeral procession; how much less should low and ordinary fools rashly give rise to neglect! Hence the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'One who knows kindness is the root of great compassion; one who does not know kindness is worse than a beast.'