One year, during the harvest season, I went into the mountains with my father to pick tealeaves. When lunch time came, the female tea-pickers thought that I had not prepared lunch for myself, so a vegetarian among them invited me to share her lunch. Actually, I had brought a lunchbox. My father was on the side, listening. Knowing that the lady was not a pure vegetarian, he answered before I could reply, with a trace of pride on his face, "Please don't bother! She is a pure vegetarian!"

I could not help laughing. I could still remember the earlier years when I stirred up a family revolution because I wanted to pursue spiritual practice and become a vegetarian. My parents' attitude has changed drastically since. Though they are still not serious about doing spiritual practice themselves and even pass a sarcastic remark now and then, I can feel their love for me in this regard. It is because I have not been tactful that misunderstandings have arisen among them. One must reflect on one's own actions in order to understand this.

Occasionally, during the Chinese New Year or other festivals, I go home to visit my parents. Worried that I may not be having enough to eat or not getting enough nutrition, they often suggest ordering a full course of pure vegetarian dishes for the whole family. When I lovingly prepare some simple but nutritious vegetarian dishes for them, they really enjoy it and would even advise me not to eat processed foods. Mother is really cute. I never force her to eat vegetarian food with me, but she always eats vegetarian during my short stay at home. She even mischievously blames me for letting the non-vegetarian food she receives from others decay, because she cannot eat it when I am home.

I often tell mother interesting and heart-warming stories about the monastic order, and how we work to beautify the Center. As time has gone by, I have noticed that mother has changed slowly; she has become more interested in the enjoyable and aesthetic aspects of life. She has begun to plant flowers and herbs outside the house to create an atmosphere of welcome. She also grows big and attractive fruit which she presents to others to reciprocate for the gifts she has received from them. Sometimes, she pretends to be naive and nag me, "You ought to change!" And I would respond, "Yes! One has to change. So please switch to a vegetarian diet like I have!" Then she laughs like an innocent child.

The selfless sacrifice of our parents for us has constantly brought this question to mind: Can I make the same selfless sacrifice on the path of spiritual practice? I can not repay my parents with worldly position, reputation, wealth or tangible materials. Nevertheless, I have told myself deep within to be sincere in spiritual practice, and to use this precious human body to serve the multitude, so as to repay my parents for the sacrifices they have made in a meaningful way.