Chinese Buddhist Filial Piety Thought

India Buddhism was faced with enormous pressure from the ethic of filial duty of Chinese traditional Confucianism When it was introduced into China in Han Dynasty and the Chinese Buddhists were striving to seek the converging point of the ethical morality between Buddhism and Confucianism. The ethic of filial duty of Buddhism ethic was the key to Buddhism' s development and one of the main features of Buddhism in China. This paper traces back to the social base and the thinking source of the ethic of filial duty of Buddhism ethic and explores its main content and features. Finally, its historical functions and modern value are also illustrated.This paper includes three chapters. The first chapter discusses Chinese Buddhism thought of filial duty's social base, which is the patriarchal clan system under the natural economy condition and thinking source, which lies in ideas of the filial duty in India Buddhism and the thought of filial duty in Chinese traditional ethic. The establishment of the thought of filial duty of Chinese Buddhism is the necessary outcome of the development of Buddhism in China and the infiltration and combination of India Buddhism' s ethic thought and Chinese traditional ethical thought of filial duty as.The second chapter expounds the main content and features of Chinese Buddhism thought of filial duty. The Chinese Buddhism thinkers make some discussion and complement of Buddhism filial duty to make it accord with social needs and its own development. The main content of Chinese Buddhism thought of filial duty is expatiated from four aspects: the filial piety in society doesn' t violate the filial piety out of society; trying one' s best to be filial origins the consideration of repaying an obligation; the combination of commandment and the filial piety; the oneness of filial piety and praying to Buddha. With the comparison of Chinese traditional thought of filial duty, the basic features of Chinese Buddhism thought of filial duty are distinctive as follows. First, the combination of "abstention" and "kindness".Second, calls for the repay of mothers' loving kindness. Third, the cultivation of ideas and actionscan help people to reach the real filial piety. Fourth, being filial is to pursue happiness. Finally, being filial should "abstain from slaughter" .The third chapter illustrates the historical functions and modern values of Chinese Buddhism thought of filial duty and has its particular social functions. In the progress of Chinese social and historical development, it plays an important role in assisting the world and has considerable instructive meaning and modern value in the new phase of socialism building in developing a well-off society in an around way.