How to Benefit Your Parents
A student was concerned about how to present the Dharma to her parents, and how to benefit them through the Dharma, and sought Rinpoche’s advice. They were in fairly good health, but were advanced in years. This student was specifically asking whether to stay some time longer away from home to take more teachings or to return to spend time with them and to attend her father’s 85th birthday.
One thing is for them to see that you have found happiness and satisfaction by meeting the Buddha’s teachings. That may impress them, and cause them to wonder what Buddhism is.
Then, on top of that, as you become more loving and kind to them, this will definitely cause them to take an interest in Buddhism, to read and to learn. Then they might even come to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings or to other lamas’ teachings.
So, it is good for you to go, in this case, to visit your parents, and along the way you might help them, by explaining Dharma to them. This way you are repaying their kindness in the best way, by engaging their interest and explaining the Dharma to them. Then you will know that you have done what you can. You won’t have any regrets, thinking, “Oh, I didn’t think of them, I didn’t get to help them.”