Thus the ethic of parent care is grounded in sacrifice that transcends self-interest. Sacrifice for a parent does not necessarily mean dedicating one's life or body on behalf of the parent but rather giving as much energy to parent care as is required in the particular situation. Such sacrifice is usually followed by suffering, but the suffering is overcome when it becomes meaningful, as it does when the adult children realize that the sacrifice made for the parent is not simply one-sided. It should seem a small sacrifice for children to make compared to the many things the parents have sacrificed for the sake of the children. Repayment of Debts Repayment here means realizing the parent's wishes and providing the parent with desired material or nonmaterial things.
Filial piety is essentially a rule of behavior directing offspring to repay parental love and care.
This passage affirms the greatest debt a child owes his or her parent. In addition, parents meet the basic welfare needs of their children, i.e., food, drink, shelter, clothing, health, education, and so forth. Repayment is that earnest desire to return to the parent what one owes for all these benefits. Parents take care of their children from the moment the children are born until they are mature enough to take care of themselves. Usually they continue to look after their children even after the children have themselves become parents.