送子观音

请常念:

南无观世音菩萨

Om Mani Padme Hum 唵嘛呢叭咪吽

送子观音的由来

http://story.zgfj.cn/newsShow.aspx?upId=17362

佛教传入中国后，佛和菩萨的形象逐渐为国人所熟悉。人们常见的东方香积世界阿閦佛、南方欢喜世界宝相佛、西方安乐世界无量寿佛、北方莲华庄严世界微妙声佛，以及驾狮子持智慧之剑的文殊菩萨、骑白象的普贤菩萨，都是从印度传来的。而“送子观音”的形象，却是中国佛教所创造的。《法华经》中说：“若有女人设欲求男，礼拜供养观世音菩萨，便生福德智慧之男；设欲求女，便生端正有相之女。”这是民间“送子观音”的由来。 “送子观音”俗称“送子娘娘”，是抱着一个男孩的妇女形象。“送子观音”很受中国妇女喜爱，信徒们认为，妇女只要摸摸这尊塑像，或是口中诵念和心中默念观音，即可得子。 据说晋朝有个叫孙道德的益州人，年过五十，还没有儿女。他家距佛寺很近，景平年间，一位和他熟悉的和尚对他说：你如果真想要个儿子，一定要诚心念诵《观世音经》。孙道德接受了和尚的建议，每天念经烧香，供养观音。过了一段日子，他梦见观音，菩萨告诉他：“你不久就会有一个大胖儿子了。”果然不久夫人就生了个胖乎乎的男孩。
　　《异祥记》中也有类似的记载：南朝宋代有个名叫卞悦之的居士，济阴人。行年五十，没有儿女。娶妾几年，也没有怀孕。便向观音菩萨祈求继嗣，发愿颂《观音经》一千遍。从此每天念经，将满一千遍时，妾已怀孕，不久便生下一个儿子。 　　　　相传无代南京大宁坊有个叫王玉的人，年过四十无子。至无二年（1336），于友人马公酌家神前，见到一部《白衣观音经》，便专心致志地念起来。以后每天都念，从不懈怠。次年四月十四夜他的岳母刘氏梦见一个白衣人，头戴金冠，抱着一个婴儿，对她说：“我给你送圣奴来。”刘氏接过婴儿，抱在怀里。第二天，她女儿即生下一个儿子，模样和梦中白衣人送来的婴孩一样，于是就为这个孩子取名“圣僧奴”。
　　中国佛教之所以创造出一个“送子观音”来，无非是基于下述原因： 　　　　一、 受儒家“不孝有三，无后为大”思想的影响，认为婚后没有孩子，断绝香火，是对祖宗最大的不孝。所以创造出“送子观音”珲，使之成为没有孩子的夫妇叩拜、供养的主要神灵。 二、 受封建伦理“多子多福”思想的影响，认为子孙满堂、香火旺盛，是最大的“福气”。所以创造出“送子观音”来，使之成为新婚夫妇祈求生儿育女的主要神灵。 三、 受中国传统“母以子贵”思想的影响，认为“养儿可以防老”，没有儿女老了就没有依靠；儿子升官发财，父母也能富贵、享福。所以创造出“送子观音”来，使之成为天下母亲祈请保佑早生贵子的主要神灵。 送子观音是观音菩萨化身之一，通常作手捧婴儿的中年妇女相；也有作观音双手合十状，前立一童男。此外，还有“子安观音”，亦为中年妇女的形象。这是中国佛教为了保佑孕妇安全生产而创造的神灵形象。

http://www.wku.edu/~yuanh/China/tales/guanyin.htm

Guanyin Who Gives Up Her Babies to Others

One legend deals with one of the many forms of Guanyin, that is the Song Zi Guanyin (Guanyin Who Gives Her Own Babies to Others). Song Zi Guanyin had been a shepherdess known for her preeminent dancing skills. One day, the king had a party to entertain his five hundred warriors who had helped in his victorious battle against his rival. He invited the shepherdess to dance for them despite her pregnancy. She had to obey the king. She meant to perform a dance or two and came back home, but the half drunken warriors insisted that she dance with them. In the turmoil, she had a miscarriage, which dealt her a fatal emotional blow.
After her death, she became the wife of Hades. To compensate for the pain she had suffered in life, she gave birth to five hundred children. Even though, she felt no solace. Urged by her desire to retaliate, each night she would transform herself into a ferocious ghost and came to this world to prey on children. The world was seized with terror.
Nevertheless, she found one of her five children missing as she came back from her killing mission one night. She searched high and low but to no avail. Her misery was boundless. As she was about to collapse when Buddha appeared before her. Buddha told her that he hid her child in order to save her soul.
"You have five hundred children and yet you feel so painful when one is missing. You know that earthlings had only one or two in each family. How much pain would they suffer when they lose one?" Buddha asked her.
The ghost realized her sin and would like atone for it. She gave all her five hundred children to those earthlings who had reproduction problems and prayed for one.
This story is another example of a human being becoming a gui or ghost that could be transformed into a shen or spirit.