At the city of Sāvatthī…
One day, a certain person of the brahmin caste who supported his mother went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him.
When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha, “Master Gotama, I earn money honestly, which I use to support my mother and father. In doing so, do I fulfill my duty properly?”
The Buddha:
“Indeed, doing so you fulfill your duty properly.
Whoever earns money through sincere ways,
and uses them to support his mother and father
makes a lot of merit.
“Some people support their mother and father sincerely
and look after them well.
Those children are praised by the wise people in this very life.
They are also reborn in heaven after death and rejoice even more.”
When the Buddha taught this Dhamma, the person who supports his parents said to the Buddha, “Excellent, Master Gotama! Excellent! Just as if someone turned upright, what was upside down, revealed what was hidden, pointed out the path to whoever was lost, or lit a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes could see what’s there, Master Gotama taught me the Dhamma, which is clear in many ways. I go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha. From this day forth, may Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge to the Triple Gem for as long as I live.”
