Q7: Is it especially efficacious to pray and ask Bodhisattva Guanyin for a child?

A：In the Universal Gate Chapter, Bodhisattva Guanyin not only rescues the sentient beings from the Seven Disasters and the Three Poisons, but also fulfills the wishes of parents wishing to have children. As stated in the Universal Gate Chapter, if a mother wishes to give birth to a son with blessings, virtues, and wisdom, or a daughter with ethical conduct and a dignified appearance, her wishes will be granted by making prostrations and giving offerings to Bodhisattva Guanyin. If the mother wishes to give birth to a son, she will be granted a son; if a daughter, she will be granted a daughter. There was once a legend which describes Bodhisattva Guanyin utilizing his supernormal powers to grant children, while simultaneously representing one of his myriad manifestations. This is one reason why Bodhisattva Guanyin’s Dharma method is particularly approachable; he fulfills secular beings' wishes in bearing children and continuing their lines of lineage.
 
Can women really make a positive impact on their expected child's dispositions and temperaments by reciting the Universal Gate Chapter and Guanyin's epithet during their pregnancy? To answer this question, Master Sheng Yen gave a reassuring explanation: "Pregnant mothers' constant contemplation on Bodhisattva Guanyin and his wondrous virtues of tenderness and compassion generates a natural influence on the fetus, thus making it the finest maternal and prenatal education."

Translation: Ariel Shen (沈純湘)
Edited by: Keith Brown, Chia-Cheng Chang (張家誠)
Photo: Quan Tsai (蔡全)