Question asked by Mason Chan
according to lam rim and the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand ,parents are the first gurus we have to guide use but what if , like in my case, parents fiercely oppose the religion (buddhism) that is practiced . How should one practice, if i lie about what i am doing then, the precept of no lying is broken as well as i would be lying to the guru(parents). Also according to the filial piety sutra the parents have gone through many hardships and suffering for us , how can we then betray their trust and go behind their backs and do something they don't approve of.
I’m not sure how old you are thus, the answer here may or may not be fully applicable. Yes, our parents are our gurus but more so, it is their kindness that we wish to repay as we grow up and become responsible and kind adults. We need to be honest to ourselves if we are PERFECT children who have carried out EVERY instruction given by our parents. More than likely, we have not,.. but we have not made it an issue at all to disappoint our parents. It is important rather to look at what truly helps our parents and sometimes it does involved short term disappointments if what we wish to do doesn’t comply with what they wish… what you wish to do is spiritual practice which will ultimately help you and them. Therefore, why the need to lie. If you are still living with your parents (as i mentioned, i do not know how old you are) then, you need to be respectful of your parents wishes and work around it more than someone who is a mature adult, living on their own. Never be rude but do all you can to please them and find a way to still practice.