The Great Maudgalyayana Rescues His Mother

“The Great Maudgalyayana Rescues His Mother From Hell” is an extraordinarily entertaining myth, however it serves a much greater purpose then that of just mere entertainment. “The Great Maudgalyayana” is pure didactic teaching. The sole purpose of this myth on many different levels is to teach its readers how to manage and conduct their lives.

The first lesson the myth teaches is the importance of leading a sin-free lifestyle.  Lo-pu’s mother doesn’t lead a good and moral life. At the mother’s very core she is a thief.  She steals from her son and never realizes the consequences of her actions. As a result she is sent to one of the worst Hells imaginable and is tortured to no end. Lo-pu’s mother didn’t lead a sin-free lifestyle and in the end she paid for it.

The second lesson the myth teaches is filial piety. When Lo-pu’s mother died he mourned her death for three years. Although Lo-pu was unaware of his mother’s sins the lessons of filial piety in the myth teaches a son or daughter that no matter how one’s parents conducted their lives an offspring must mourn a parent’s death.

The third lesson the myth teaches is a deep devotion to one’s god. Lo-pu (though now named Mu-lien) displayed extreme devotion to Buddha. This devotion showed that if one can commit oneself to god anything is possible, and in the myth the rewards of a deep devotion are plentiful.

The forth lesson the myth teaches is selflessness. Mu-lien is selfless in his endeavor to free his mother from the tortures of Hell. Mu-lien never thinks of himself and his own personal safety throughout the entire myth. Mu-lien never questions going into Hell (though he is very afraid), and he never backs down even though he very well could have been stuck an eternity in Hell himself. Mu-lien epitomizes selflessness. Though Mu-lien’s actions may have been rash, Mu-lien’s selflessness makes him a better and more devoted person in the end.

The fifth lesson the myth teaches is obtaining what it is you set out to get. The lesson of never giving up is of major importance in this myth. If Mu-lien was to give up he would never of freed his mother of sin and he would not have gain the esteem of Buddha. Mu-lien shows that by doing your best to obtain your goals (in a moral way) is the path to leading a complete life.

“The Great Mundgalyayana Rescues His Mother From Hell” is full of positive moral lessons that everyone should try and knit into their lives. These lessons teach us how to manage and conduct ourselves in the world that surrounds us. They teach us that we all can obtain what we want by doing good and not following the path of Mu-lien’s mother.