33
“Dvinnāhaṁ, bhikkhave, na suppatikāraṁ vadāmi. Katamesaṁ dvinnaṁ? Mātu ca pitu ca. Ekena, bhikkhave, aṁsena mātaraṁ parihareyya, ekena aṁsena pitaraṁ parihareyya vassasatāyuko vassasatajīvī so ca nesaṁ ucchādanaparimaddananhāpanasambāhanena. Te ca tattheva muttakarīsaṁ cajeyyuṁ, na tveva, bhikkhave, mātāpitūnaṁ kataṁ vā hoti paṭikataṁ vā. Imissā ca, bhikkhave, mahāpathaviyā pahūtarattaratanāya mātāpitaro issarādhipacce rajje patiṭṭhāpeyya, na tveva, bhikkhave, mātāpitūnaṁ kataṁ vā hoti paṭikataṁ vā. Taṁ kissa hetu? Bahukārā, bhikkhave, mātāpitaro puttānaṁ āpādakā posakā imassa lokassa dassetāro. Yo ca kho, bhikkhave, mātāpitaro assaddhe saddhāsampadāya samādapeti niveseti patiṭṭhāpeti, dussīle sīlasampadāya samādapeti niveseti patiṭṭhāpeti, maccharī cāgasampadāya samādapeti niveseti patiṭṭhāpeti, duppaññe paññāsampadāya samādapeti niveseti patiṭṭhāpeti, ettāvatā kho, bhikkhave, mātāpitūnaṁ katañca hoti paṭikatañcā”ti.
33
“Mendicants, I say that these two individuals cannot easily be repaid. What two? Mother and father. You would not have done enough to repay your mother and father even if you were to carry your mother around on one shoulder and your father on the other, and if you lived like this for a hundred years, and if you were to anoint, massage, bathe, and rub them; and even if they were to defecate and urinate right there. Even if you were to establish your mother and father as supreme monarchs of this great earth, abounding in the seven treasures, you would still not have done enough to repay them. Why is that? Parents are very helpful to their children: they raise them, nurture them, and show them the world. But you have done enough, more than enough, to repay them if you encourage, settle, and ground unfaithful parents in faith, unethical parents in ethical conduct, stingy parents in generosity, or ignorant parents in wisdom.”