In Buddhist teachings, mothers are revered as profound symbols of compassion, nurturing, and unconditional love. Gratitude toward one’s mother is therefore emphasized, recognizing her kindness in bringing us into the world. The love of a mother is also often used as the closest worldly example to illustrate the boundless compassion that a practitioner should strive to cultivate toward all sentient beings.
Buddhist teachings also highlight that every being may have been our mother in a past life or could be in a future life, further reinforcing the value of treating all beings with kindness and respect. On the ultimate level, The Perfection of Wisdom sūtras pay homage to the “Blessed Mother” as the source of wisdom, from which all awakening unfolds.
Below are several stories from the 84000 Collection that convey Buddhist teachings on mothers as well as fathers. This Mother’s Day, May 11, explore our suggested texts, and take a moment to reflect on the kindness of your own mother or father, or anyone who cared for and nurtured you.
The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Blessed Mother (Toh 21): Famously known as The Heart Sūtra, this text has been cherished, read, and recited by Mahāyāna Buddhists in East and Central Asia for well over a millennium. In this context, the “Blessed Mother,” or the goddess Prajñāpāramitā, is not a literal mother figure but the personification of the Perfection of Wisdom. In this sense, she is the source of all wisdom that leads to the awakening of the buddhas.
The Chapter on Medicines (Toh 1-6): This text includes one of the most moving passages [2.326] on the love between a mother and her child. The Buddha's disciple Mahāmaudgalyāyana goes in search of his mother after her death, so that he can repay her kindness in nourishing and raising him. He seeks out the Blessed One to teach his mother the appropriate Dharma, which brings her to a high level on the path toward awakening [2.332].
The Father and Mother Sūtra (Toh 315): This short discourse was taught to an audience of monks in Jetavana in Śrāvastī. In it, the Buddha explains, by means of similes, the importance of venerating and attending to one’s father and mother. The Buddha concludes by stating that those who venerate their father and mother are wise, for in this life they will not be disparaged, and in the next life they will be reborn in the higher realms.
Main image: The Three Ages of Woman – (Gustave Klimt). Source: Wikoo.org