through marriage, filial conduct for a woman meant faithfully serving her in-laws, in particular her mother-in-law, and giving birth to a son. By fulfilling these duties, she also gained prestige for her own family. If the mother and daughter-in-law did not get along, filial piety demanded that a man should get rid of his wife in order to please his mother. He could always get another wife, but he would only have one mother. While continuing the family line was probably the most important issue for the vast majority of the Chinese, Buddhist monks and nuns were required to remain celibate. Their refusal to fulfill the obligations of filial piety made them suspect in the eyes of other Chinese. Along with the eunuchs at the emperor's court and Taoist priests they were often believed to conduct themselves in an immoral or criminal manner.
             There were many filial piety duties that encompassed the passing on of a parent. In preparing for death, the elderly person could have an active role in preparing their coffin and tomb. The actual burden, however, was on the filial piety son. The son wanted to have an elaborate funeral ceremony to show the extent of his loyalty and honor for his deceased parent. The measure of how elaborate the funeral ceremony was depended on the financial state of the family. An elaborate funeral service often brought less well to do families into debt. This ceremony, though, often decreased the shock of the parent¡s death, because the filial son felt that he had done his best for the deceased parent. The son had given both glory and grief for the departed. These acts were expressions of his filial sentiments. The son was able to give glory to the parent, through the elaborateness of the ceremony. He was also able to spend time grieving for his departed parent.
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