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Buddhism teaches its followers to respect and support their parents, and care for them as they get older. These actions are considered as good karma in Buddhist moral teachings as caring for others is seen as a virtuous act that is equally rewarding for both the caregiver and care recipient.
Feature by Karoline Gore
According to Buddhist teacher Daisaku Ikeda, caring for others is essential to our happiness and wellbeing.
“When we look after and care for others– that is, help others draw forth their life force– our own life force increases,” he explains. “When we help people expand their state of life, our state of life also expands.”
Caring for our aging parents can bring emotional fulfillment, but it also presents a few challenges, especially if they need specialized care due to chronic medical conditions. But by keeping Buddha’s teachings on filial piety close to our hearts, we can find ways to rise above these challenges, and help our elderly parents to live their best life. Here’s the Buddhist perspective on caring for elderly loved ones, and what we can do to ensure our parents’ health and happiness throughout their golden years.
Filial Piety Creates Blessings for Your Future Lives
It’s common for Buddhists, particularly those in Asia, to have their parents live with them so they can look after them and stay together as a multigenerational family. While this living arrangement makes it easier to care for elderly or ailing parents, it can take a toll on one’s time, energy, and resources. It’s even more difficult if you’ve got lots of work responsibilities, raising young children, or if one of your parents has a cognitive condition, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Those who lack resources may wonder if there are any spiritual benefits to caring for their parents while coping with their personal and financial struggles. In a sutra of Buddha’s response to a filial yet destitute son, the Buddha said that caring for one’s parents with affection and respect allows people to be better off in their next lives.
“In showing everyone how you practice being filial, which is your way of spiritual cultivation, you’re creating great blessings for your future lives,” the Buddha said. “In your future lives, not only will you be wealthy, you’ll have the means to help others and do charitable deeds.”
It may be difficult to appreciate the future impact of filial piety when you’re currently juggling caregiver, work, and parenting responsibilities while struggling with your finances. But if you care for your elderly loved ones with sincerity, love, and patience, it can have a positive effect on your family, which ripples out to your community and the rest of the world.
Repaying the Kindness of Our Parents
Our parents had their own struggles while raising us, and yet they managed to provide what we needed and be our source of emotional stability. Now that they’re in their senior years, it’s time to take care of them as a way to repay them for their love and kindness. Buddhism emphasizes the importance of expressing gratitude to our parents, and according to the Pali Katannu Sutta, the Buddha says that mothers and fathers do much for their children. “They care for them, they nourish them, they introduce them to this world,” the Buddha teaches. “To this extent, one pays and repays one’s mother and father.”
It’s not difficult to provide aging people the care and attention that they need to thrive. For starters, providing elderly parents with healthy food, medication, and a comfortable place to live in should be prioritized to give them a good quality of life. Encouraging them to exercise or going on walks with them allows them to stay mobile and active, while spending time with them strengthens bonds and prevents them from becoming lonely or isolated.
The Buddha teaches us that caring for our elderly loved ones allows us to repay our parents and sets the foundation for blessed future lives. Cherish your parents and spend time with them while they’re still here, and see how doing so can fill your life with light, happiness, and blessings.
