Meng Zong

His given name was Cung Võ, and he was from Jiangxia, living during the Wu Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms period (China).

His father died early, so Mạnh Tông lived with his old mother. He was very filial, diligently caring for her day and night.

One day, his mother fell seriously ill. Many renowned doctors and skilled healers were brought in, but none could cure her hardly curable disease. His heart was in turmoil; he worried about medicine and prayed to Buddha and the heavens for blessings to save his mother. In her critical condition, his mother called him and said, “I crave a bowl of bamboo shoot soup. If I can eat it, I’ll surely recover quickly.” Hearing this, he hurriedly searched everywhere for bamboo shoots, but it was winter and the weather was bitterly cold, so there were none. He sadly lamented, “Without bamboo shoot soup, my mother will surely not survive!” His heart was filled with immense sorrow and pain. Finally, he sat embracing a bamboo stalk and wept.

His filial piety moved Heaven and Earth. Suddenly, several bamboo shoots sprouted from the ground where his tears had fallen. Meng Zong was overjoyed, bowed in gratitude to Heaven and Buddha, and quickly broke off the shoots to cook soup for his mother. Naturally, her illness subsided, and she gradually recovered till she was entirely well. His reputation spread far and wide, and he became a role model for others. He is listed among the “Twenty-Four Filial Piety Stories” of China. Later, a type of gray bamboo, named Meng Zong bamboo, was created, its shoots having a beautiful shape and delicious taste. Because of this, the name of Meng Zong is attached to that kind of bamboo since then.

This story illustrates how filial piety moves Heaven and Earth, and the sacred texts state: “Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues. Filial piety reaching Heaven brings harmonious winds and rain; filial piety moving the Earth brings prosperity to all things; filial piety moving people brings blessings.”

(Filial piety is the highest of all virtues. Filial piety reaching Heaven brings harmonious winds and rain; filial piety moving the Earth brings prosperity to all things; filial piety moving people brings blessings.)

The poet Ly Van Phuc also praised filial piety:

“It shows how profound and deep filial piety is,
The love is so deep that even plants and trees feel affection.”

This is an example to remind everyone to be filial to their parents.

Explanatory Notes of the Oracle V. 3 (1975 )