Responsibilities Within the Family. Responsibilities Within the Society... The Buddha delivered many discourses on the life of lay followers. In one of these discourses, which is called the Sigalovada Sutta, the Buddha talked about the roles and responsibilities of members within the family and within the society. He defined the ideal relationships that the lay follower should develop with respect to his family and the society at large. These relationships are based on the acceptance of reciprocal responsibilities between people."