Summary The topic in this paper is to describe and analyze the cultivation and praise of filial piety in the ballads of Tun Huang.
In the begaining，I point out how many pieces there are of this kind of ballads. Then I will analyze in those ballads the anthors' praise of the gratitude to parents and discuss particularly the praise of the gratitude to mother as compared with the same theme in the buddhistic Legends (Bian Wen).
In the ballads the author praised the Book of Filial Piety and its annotation by Hsiuan Zun，the Emperor of Tang dynasty. We will find the historical significance of the ballads both traditionally and contemporaneously and interpret its implication of piety. In the ballads we can find also the ways and methods how the ordinary people practice and carry out the mandate of filial piety. By the praise of filial piety in the ballads, it is evident that in Tang dynasty filial piety as a mandate is emphasized both by the government and by the lower society.
For the buddhists, they made a better use of their doctrine to proclaim the practice of filial piety. It can be seen still that all the bhikkus and bhikkunis looked up to filial piety through leaving home life. Also it can be seen that Confucianism fused into Buddhism during Tang dynasty.
