The thesis entitled “A Study of the Gratefulness Behaviors Possessed by the Middle School towards Their Parents of Mae On School, Mae On District, Chiang Mai Province” consists of 3 objectives as 1) to study the concepts and doctrines of the gratefulness in Buddhism, 2) to explore the beliefs and behavioral expression of the gratefulness of junior high school students towards their parents of Mae On School, Mae On District, Chiang Mai Province and 3) to propose the right approach for cultivating the virtues of the gratefulness of junior high school students towards their parents of that School. This is conducted by the survey research method. The sampling group of this research specifies 200 junior high school students of Mae On School, Mae On District, Chiang Mai Province. The tool used in this research was a rating scale questionnaire. The collected data were subsequently analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, and standard derivation. From the study, it can be found that:

For the concepts and doctrines of the gratefulness in Buddhism, it can be said that the gratefulness is an important virtue for humanity and the basic virtue of human, making human relationships. It also is a cause of responsibility for humanity, making prudence and responsibility in duty.  Consequently, it can break selfishness, the main enemy of goodness. Therefore, the gratitude should be expressed to both human beings and objects such as roads, residential houses, other environments, etc.

The beliefs and behavioral expression of the gratefulness of junior high school students towards their parents of Mae On School, Mae On District, Chaing Mai Province can be mentioned that most students have the beliefs of gratefulness as a sign of good people at the highest level. In contrast, they have the beliefs of gratefulness as a self-worth at very low level. The behaviors of self-practice of the gratefulness towards their parents are at the highest level. This may be due to other complications, such as parenting, the transfer of knowledge from the teachers and close environments.

Last, the right approach for cultivating the virtues of the gratefulness of junior high school students towards their parents of that School can be seen that most students have comments, suggestions, and guidelines for cultivating beliefs of the gratitude in Buddhism from the high level to the low level as follows: going to the temple for making merit, listening to Dharma and propagating Buddhism, and next being grateful to their parents and benefactors, chanting and listening to the teachings which are maintaining disciplines. The guidelines for cultivating the virtues of the gratefulness of the students towards their parents are from the high level to the low level as follows: helping mothers and fathers work more with the willingness, and next repaying the parents by ways of making them proud and happy, and not making them sad.

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