学术界普遍认为，印度佛教不提倡孝道。本文首次系统、全面地论述了印度佛教的孝道思想，征引了两百余条汉译佛典中经、律、论关于孝顺父母的资料，用以证明汉译佛典具有丰富、系统的孝道思想。孝本是子女对父母的亲情，是人类自然、朴素、普遍的一种情感，也是人类文明社会普遍的道德价值标准，为各大文明共同提倡。孝不仅为儒家所独有，古代两河流域、埃及、希伯来、希腊、印度、阿拉伯等文化都具有孝道思想，孝具有普世性。 按照佛教的观点，因为父母对子女有大恩大德，所以子女应当行孝。父母对子女的恩德既有世间之恩，也有出世间之恩。孝顺父母属于报恩范畴，佛教的孝道思想基于报恩思想。因果报应的理论是佛教教义的核心，也是佛教提倡孝顺父母的理论基础。依据因果规律，孝顺父母可以感得各种善报，不孝将感得各种恶报。孝与佛教的修行有着密切的关系，孝本身就是修行，孝是修行基础，是净业正因，孝则修行事半功倍，是慈悲心的体现，属于戒行。印度佛教包含有具体和丰富的孝道内容，在各方面对孝道都有规定，使佛子行孝有所凭据。子女在家和出家之后都要行孝，不但在物质上要奉养父母，而且在精神上也要孝事父母，还要劝导父母信佛。不仅父母生前要行孝，父母去世后要替他们超度亡灵。而且还要孝事过去和未来世的父母。根据佛经的记载，释迦牟尼今生就是孝顺父母的典型，为世人所景仰。释迦牟尼前生对父母至孝，这为他今生成佛积攒了智慧和福德资粮。地藏菩萨也是前世行孝，并由救度自己的母亲而发愿救度地狱的一切众生。佛的大弟子目连也是孝母的典型。佛教通过各种孝子典型，歌颂孝道，劝导人们行孝。与先秦儒家孝道思想相比，汉译佛典孝道思想具有丰富的内容。儒家认为只有人才讲孝，而印度佛教认为动物既有慈又有孝。先秦儒家往往强调顺父，而印度佛教有孝母的倾向。“孝”在先秦儒家的思想中占有主导地位，而“孝”在印度佛教的整个伦理思想里并不占有主导地位。儒家需要后代祭祀祖先，所以延续后代很重要。而佛教认为，子女出家修道，可以超度父母和祖先，因而出家修行不违背孝道。

The academic circle thinks generally that Indian Buddhism didn’t pay attention to the filial piety. This thesis first discussed the viewpoint of the filial piety in Indian Buddhism comprehensively and systematically. This thesis has quoted more than two hundred references of Buddhist Sutra, Vinaya and Shastra on the filial piety to demonstrate that Indian Buddhism has rich and systematic thought of the filial piety.The filial piety is a natural, plain and general feeling. It is also the moral standard in the civilized human society, and has been encouraged by the many civilizations. Not only have the Confucians the moral of the filial piety, but also the civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Hebrew, Arab, Greece and India have the filial ideas.Buddhism thinks that the parents have great benevolence to the children. The benevolence of our parents of the world is that the parents are the givers of our lives, and are raisers of our lives and educators in our thoughts. The benevolence beyond this world of our parents is that if the parents believe in the Buddhism, they will educate the children to read the Buddhist sutra and abide by the commandments, they even hope their children to renounce the family for practicing Buddhism. According to the viewpoint of the Buddhism, the filial piety accords with the law of cause and effect. The filial piety is making offerings to parents and mercy. Not only does the filial piety accord to moral, but also it is a kind of wise choice. Not only will the children get various blessing of this world practicing filial piety, but also get fortune of the other world. The filial piety is Buddhists’ preparation of getting human body and deva body, going to be born in the Pure Land of Amidabha, awakening , becoming Buddha. Who doesn’t practice the filial piety will degenerate to the three evil paths: hell, hungry ghost and animal. According to the viewpoint of the Buddhist Sutra, the filial piety has a close relationship to practicing Buddhism . The filial piety is the basic of Buddhist practicing. The filial piety is the cause of going to be born in the Pure Land of Amitabha. The filial children will practice smoothly. The filial piety belongs to the commandments. Not only should we show filial respect to parents whether we are a lay Buddhist, a monk , a nun, whether parents are live or dead, but also we should show respect to our parents past and future lives . According to the Buddhist Sutra, Shakyamuni himself was the filial model in this life, and is admired by the people. Shakyamuni was very filial to his parents, which supplied enough virtue for his becoming Buddha. Ksitigarbha was also filial in his pre-life, not only had he saved his mother from the hell, but also vowed to save all the lives in the hell. Other senior disciples of Shakyamuni were also filial apotheoses. The Buddhism praises the filial piety, and persuades the people to be filial.Comparing to the viewpoint of the filial piety in the Confucians of Pre-Qin Dynasty, the viewpoint of filial piety of Indian Buddhism has the following characteristics: the viewpoint of filial piety of Indian Buddhism has rich contents. The Confucians thought that only man is filial, but Indian Buddhism thought that the animal also has the filial piety. The Confucians often emphasize to obey father, but Indian Buddhism has a tendency to be filial to mother. The filial piety holds leading position in the thoughts of the Confucians, but it does not hold leading position in the whole ethic thoughts of Buddhism. The Confucians emphasize offspring’s sacrificing for ancestors, so breeding offspring is necessary. While Buddhism thinks that if children renounce the family for practicing Buddhism, parents and ancestors will be saved after death, so renouncing the family for practicing Buddhism doesn’t contract with filial piety.