中國俗語說：“禮尚往來?！比思矣幸环趾靡?，我們回敬一分；人家笑臉相向，我們也板不起面孔。這是很自然的人際關(guān)系，更何況父慈子孝是天性！所以父母疼愛我們 ，照顧我們，我們孝順父母是本分，根本就不能自以為是了不起的大孝子了！
Chinese proverb says: "Propriety requires that we return the favor." If someone wishes us well, we should return the courtesy. If others smile at us, we cannot frown back. This is very natural in human relationships, especially in the relationship between a kind father and a filial child. If our parents love us and take care of us, it's only right for us to be filial to them; we certainly cannot consider ourselves extraordinary filial children for doing so.
假若父母根本就無暇或不愿照顧我們，甚至厭惡我們，我們還能孝養(yǎng)父母、承順父母，那才是特別的，有賢德的。
However, if we are able to be filial, caring, and obedient to our parents when they fail to care for us and may even hate us, then we are truly exceptional and virtuous. Worldly affairs occur in the realm of dualities.
世間法本是相對，一般凡夫總是投桃報李，或以牙還牙?！巴短覉罄睢笔恰对娊?jīng)》里的典故，比喻彼此的友好與互惠；“以牙還牙”，則是彼此的仇恨和報復(fù)。我們就因為被相對律牽著鼻子走，不時糾纏于恩怨情仇間，彼此造業(yè)；以致從無始劫來，生生世世互為冤親，輪回?zé)o已，所以才叫做“生死凡夫”。
Ordinary people are always either "returning the gift of a peach with a plum" or "taking a tooth for a tooth." "Returning the gift of a peach with a plum" comes from a story in the Book of Odes and represents mutual kindness between friends. "Taking a tooth for a tooth" refers to mutual revenge between enemies. Led by the law of dualities, we are forever entangled in the karmic web of kindness and enmity. Since time without beginning, we have gone through life after life, sometimes playing the role of friend, sometimes being the enemy. We are mortals subject to birth and death.
倘若我們能破了這個相對，而以絕對的慈心和不變的悲愿，去恭敬安樂他人，去容恕救助他人，無怨無悔，那出世間法就在其中了！因為冤親平等，就宿業(yè)漸消，新業(yè)不造，哪還有生死輪回？所以想求佛道，了生死，必先要學(xué)做人，而做人的首要道理就是盡孝；不管父母是否慈愛，都能盡足孝順之道，便跨出成功的第一步了！
If we can smash through dualities and use a heart of total kindness and vows of constant compassion to respect and bring joy to others, to encompass, rescue, and help others, without grudges and regret, then we'll transcend the world！ If we can view enemies and friends the same way, gradually getting rid of past karma and refraining from creating new karma, how can we remain in the turning wheel of birth and death? If we wish to seek Buddhahood and end birth and death, we first have to learn how to be a proper person. The first principle of being a proper person is to be filial. If we can fulfill our filial duty regardless of whether our parents are kind and loving, we will have taken the first step.
中國自古就特別講究孝道，認(rèn)為“百善孝為先”、“萬行孝為首”，因此孝子的故事不勝枚舉。譬如閔子騫，在父親知道繼母百般虐待他的真相，而要趕走繼母時，他卻極力予以挽留；又如大舜，雖然父親受繼母蠱惑，屢思害死他，他受堯禪讓帝位后，對父母仍孝事不匱。
Since ancient times China has emphasized filial piety. "Of the hundred good deeds, filial piety is foremost." "Among the ten thousand practices, filial piety is ranked first." There are countless stories of filial children. One example was Min Ziqian. When his father discovered how cruel his stepmother had been to him and wanted to throw her out, Min Ziqian interceded on her behalf. And although Great Shun's stepmother had deluded his father into plotting to kill him, after inheriting the throne from Emperor Yao Great Shun continued to serve his parents with great filial piety.
在西方的道德文化中，雖無“孝”和“因果”的字眼，卻并非全無孝的觀念。西方人的孝，蘊(yùn)含在仁慈的美德里頭；西方的故事，也不乏善有善報的例子，如家喻戶曉的灰姑娘和白雪公主。又如傻瓜杰克，雖然受盡父母和兩個聰明哥哥的輕視與欺侮，甚至將他連哄帶騙趕出門，他仍不以為忤；后來由于他樂善好施（聰明人總認(rèn)為笨蛋才這么做) 的果報，他莫名其妙地竟娶了公主，又當(dāng)了國王，他卻還把父母兄長接來一起享福。
Although the terms "filial piety" and "cause and effect" are not well-known in Western culture, the concept of filial piety is not wholly unfamiliar, for it is included in the idea of kindness. The moral of goodness being rewarded by goodness is also illustrated in Western fairytales such as "Cinderella" and "Snow White." In "jack and the Beanstalk," although Jack was cheated by his parents and two clever elder brothers, who drove him out of the house, he didn't mind. When, as a result of his goodness and generosity (in clever people's eyes, he did what only fools would do), he found himself married to a princess and becoming the king, he invited his parents and brothers to share in his fortune.
不像現(xiàn)代的孩子，很容易就怪父母忽略自己，不了解自己，以致自暴自棄，動不動就思報復(fù)，這實在是舊日道德觀已淪喪之故。
Nowadays, in contrast, children often give up on themselves and bear grudges against their parents, blaming their parents for neglecting them or for failing to understand them. How far this is from the moral values of old！
雖然這些都只是兒童故事，不是真的；但我們國家未來的主人翁，若能熏陶于這種仁慈的美德下，要挽回暴戾的風(fēng)氣，應(yīng)該還有希望。語云：“禍福無門，唯人自召?！焙芏嘤泻酶蟮娜?，也都是孝子。而能以德報怨，孝事惡父母的，則更是孝子中的孝子了，上天哪會忍心棄絕于他呢？
Even though these are merely children's tales, if they can instill the qualities of kindness and humaneness in our children—the future leaders of the country--then there is stilt hope for averting the crises of violence in our society. A proverb says： "Calamities and blessings are not fixed; we bring them upon ourselves." Many people who enjoy blessings are filial children. Those who can repay malice with kindness and be filial to hateful parents are the most filial of filial children, and Heaven will never forsake them！
Chinese proverb says: "Propriety requires that we return the favor." If someone wishes us well, we should return the courtesy. If others smile at us, we cannot frown back. This is very natural in human relationships, especially in the relationship between a kind father and a filial child. If our parents love us and take care of us, it's only right for us to be filial to them; we certainly cannot consider ourselves extraordinary filial children for doing so.
假若父母根本就無暇或不愿照顧我們，甚至厭惡我們，我們還能孝養(yǎng)父母、承順父母，那才是特別的，有賢德的。
However, if we are able to be filial, caring, and obedient to our parents when they fail to care for us and may even hate us, then we are truly exceptional and virtuous. Worldly affairs occur in the realm of dualities.
世間法本是相對，一般凡夫總是投桃報李，或以牙還牙?！巴短覉罄睢笔恰对娊?jīng)》里的典故，比喻彼此的友好與互惠；“以牙還牙”，則是彼此的仇恨和報復(fù)。我們就因為被相對律牽著鼻子走，不時糾纏于恩怨情仇間，彼此造業(yè)；以致從無始劫來，生生世世互為冤親，輪回?zé)o已，所以才叫做“生死凡夫”。
Ordinary people are always either "returning the gift of a peach with a plum" or "taking a tooth for a tooth." "Returning the gift of a peach with a plum" comes from a story in the Book of Odes and represents mutual kindness between friends. "Taking a tooth for a tooth" refers to mutual revenge between enemies. Led by the law of dualities, we are forever entangled in the karmic web of kindness and enmity. Since time without beginning, we have gone through life after life, sometimes playing the role of friend, sometimes being the enemy. We are mortals subject to birth and death.
倘若我們能破了這個相對，而以絕對的慈心和不變的悲愿，去恭敬安樂他人，去容恕救助他人，無怨無悔，那出世間法就在其中了！因為冤親平等，就宿業(yè)漸消，新業(yè)不造，哪還有生死輪回？所以想求佛道，了生死，必先要學(xué)做人，而做人的首要道理就是盡孝；不管父母是否慈愛，都能盡足孝順之道，便跨出成功的第一步了！
If we can smash through dualities and use a heart of total kindness and vows of constant compassion to respect and bring joy to others, to encompass, rescue, and help others, without grudges and regret, then we'll transcend the world！ If we can view enemies and friends the same way, gradually getting rid of past karma and refraining from creating new karma, how can we remain in the turning wheel of birth and death? If we wish to seek Buddhahood and end birth and death, we first have to learn how to be a proper person. The first principle of being a proper person is to be filial. If we can fulfill our filial duty regardless of whether our parents are kind and loving, we will have taken the first step.
中國自古就特別講究孝道，認(rèn)為“百善孝為先”、“萬行孝為首”，因此孝子的故事不勝枚舉。譬如閔子騫，在父親知道繼母百般虐待他的真相，而要趕走繼母時，他卻極力予以挽留；又如大舜，雖然父親受繼母蠱惑，屢思害死他，他受堯禪讓帝位后，對父母仍孝事不匱。
Since ancient times China has emphasized filial piety. "Of the hundred good deeds, filial piety is foremost." "Among the ten thousand practices, filial piety is ranked first." There are countless stories of filial children. One example was Min Ziqian. When his father discovered how cruel his stepmother had been to him and wanted to throw her out, Min Ziqian interceded on her behalf. And although Great Shun's stepmother had deluded his father into plotting to kill him, after inheriting the throne from Emperor Yao Great Shun continued to serve his parents with great filial piety.
在西方的道德文化中，雖無“孝”和“因果”的字眼，卻并非全無孝的觀念。西方人的孝，蘊(yùn)含在仁慈的美德里頭；西方的故事，也不乏善有善報的例子，如家喻戶曉的灰姑娘和白雪公主。又如傻瓜杰克，雖然受盡父母和兩個聰明哥哥的輕視與欺侮，甚至將他連哄帶騙趕出門，他仍不以為忤；后來由于他樂善好施（聰明人總認(rèn)為笨蛋才這么做) 的果報，他莫名其妙地竟娶了公主，又當(dāng)了國王，他卻還把父母兄長接來一起享福。
Although the terms "filial piety" and "cause and effect" are not well-known in Western culture, the concept of filial piety is not wholly unfamiliar, for it is included in the idea of kindness. The moral of goodness being rewarded by goodness is also illustrated in Western fairytales such as "Cinderella" and "Snow White." In "jack and the Beanstalk," although Jack was cheated by his parents and two clever elder brothers, who drove him out of the house, he didn't mind. When, as a result of his goodness and generosity (in clever people's eyes, he did what only fools would do), he found himself married to a princess and becoming the king, he invited his parents and brothers to share in his fortune.
不像現(xiàn)代的孩子，很容易就怪父母忽略自己，不了解自己，以致自暴自棄，動不動就思報復(fù)，這實在是舊日道德觀已淪喪之故。
Nowadays, in contrast, children often give up on themselves and bear grudges against their parents, blaming their parents for neglecting them or for failing to understand them. How far this is from the moral values of old！
雖然這些都只是兒童故事，不是真的；但我們國家未來的主人翁，若能熏陶于這種仁慈的美德下，要挽回暴戾的風(fēng)氣，應(yīng)該還有希望。語云：“禍福無門，唯人自召?！焙芏嘤泻酶蟮娜?，也都是孝子。而能以德報怨，孝事惡父母的，則更是孝子中的孝子了，上天哪會忍心棄絕于他呢？
Even though these are merely children's tales, if they can instill the qualities of kindness and humaneness in our children—the future leaders of the country--then there is stilt hope for averting the crises of violence in our society. A proverb says： "Calamities and blessings are not fixed; we bring them upon ourselves." Many people who enjoy blessings are filial children. Those who can repay malice with kindness and be filial to hateful parents are the most filial of filial children, and Heaven will never forsake them！