Q144: Hi Master Lu, can we perform recitations during postnatal care? What should we be aware of for both the mother and the child? Can we perform recitations while breastfeeding?
A144:
It is a Chinese tradition for a woman to have postnatal care which lasts approximately one month. Giving birth is considered to be one of the major Karmic Passes for a woman, therefore it is best to take time to rest and recover after giving birth.During postnatal care, the mother can perform recitations, but it is best to recite without making any sounds.
This is because her body may not have made a complete separation from foreign spirits. During labour, it is possible that many foreign spirits would like to be reborn into the human realm. Therefore, even after the mother has given birth, many other foreign spirits may still be staying around to wait in line. If the mother performs an excessive amount of recitations, then it is possible that other minor foreign spirits would come and collect the merits from her recitations. As a result, the mother may suffer from headaches, discomfort throughout the body, or bleeding after labour.
If the mother would like to perform Daily Recitation or recite Little Houses, it would be best to perform the recitations during day time. After the one month period of postnatal care has passed, conditions would gradually improve and she can perform recitations during night time as well.
According to Chinese tradition, the “Full Moon” ceremony is held one month after a baby is born, and parents would give out hard boiled eggs to visitors attending the ceremony. These eggs have the eggshells dyed in red colour. This also has special meanings.For infants less than one month old, their souls and spirits are usually not yet complete, and many surrounding foreign spirits may enter and exit from the infants’ bodies. In addition, when a newborn has incomplete souls and spirits, if a visitor has an aggressive facial expression or a visitor has foreign spirits occupying their body, the infant’s souls and spirits would be scared away. As a result, the infant would cry and become unsettled. This is the reason why it is not recommended to visit a newborn during the first month.The mother can perform recitations during breastfeeding. Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors would understand that she is not properly dressed during this time. While breastfeeding, it is best to recite the Heart Sutra (Hsin Ching) as much as possible. This would be beneficial for the child.
