At last, after seventeen years here comes the right question: “We are trying for a baby and we would like to raise the future Buddha. What do you think we should do in preparation from our perspective as future parents?” I’m basking in the joy for a moment and despite my loss of hope for the current generation, I will pretend to remain in good faith and offer my view on how it could potentially work in the proverbial next two or three generations.
The primary and fundamental thing on the Path to spirituality, as well as on the journey to give birth to the future Buddha, is always the initial intention. Just like all the decisions we take are the starting points of all the subsequent opportunities we may encounter, so is the initial decision to give birth to the future Buddha (and promote pregnancy itself to a much higher level), the very foundation of all the next steps to be taken to achieve that.
The next important thing is to realize and overcome the programming of human mind in our materialistic oriented society. In our country (not only the mothers-to-be but also) the obstetricians turned such purely female part of life (as pregnancy and birth is) into madness and adapted all to suit the male views and objectives. Doing so, they completely forgot or better say disregarded the female psyche. The female psyche of a mother-to-be is the most important condition of physically and emotionally healthy (spiritual) child. Our society is completely stuck in unhelpful illusions about life and negative myths about pregnancy and birth. If you dare to face a very refreshing view (like a smack that would wake you up from a bad dream), look up and watch short French film (made by a woman) The Green Beautiful.
The Buddha, right after his birth, was already displaying the 108 signs of the spiritually awoken being (word buddha means awaken) – be it the shape of his ears, feet, fingers, his perfect complexion (with no birthmarks); but also his growing up was perfectly ideal, never interrupted by any negativity. Compared to that, nowadays we live in a dysfunctional society, breathe polluted air and consume contaminated water and food. We live in fear about our own future and without a clue how to think positively and transform that into actions (to change our own world for the better). Often, the only thing we know how to do is to (eventually) work out which way is the wrong one by many trials and errors, instead of figuring out and focusing on the right one.
Ideally, a woman who makes the decision to conceive, give birth and raise a truly happy and spiritual being (child) would prepare herself beforehand in all ways possible – physically, emotionally and spiritually by thorough cleansing of her own self. When an Indian woman wants to conceive a spiritual son, she meditates, sings mantras celebrating the good traits of her future son, thinks positive and happy thoughts way before it all happens. She does so even at love making and throughout her whole pregnancy so that her developing baby profoundly feels how wanted and loved he is and what great beliefs his mother has for and in him. Her partner should be similarly prepared too – or, in other words the conception itself should be perfectly and consciously prepared. This would give their baby the best possible start in life, and she/he in turn can later conceive and raise a child that is the second generation of happiness (where else would you want to start truly changing our own ways for the benefit of everyone?).
What I’m trying to say is, that naturally born baby, whose mother sang to him the whole pregnancy period and who has bonded with his mother fully right after birth, and whose little foot literally did not touch the ground for his first nine months (as his mother lovingly carried him at all times), who had sufficient and healthy food and lots of love, care and respect will grow into a strong person with a good character. Someone, who is emotionally stable and the little stresses in life won’t hurt him. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, prince Siddhartha (later known as Buddha) had such ideal conditions in life. But this by no means mean that there isn’t a way to create such conditions to raise the future Buddha now (especially as today, the children are often more intelligent than their parents and have access to information – enabling them to make conscious choices in life). How do we know that there isn’t one growing up somewhere in the world now? Why couldn’t there be more of them? It would be a person who realizes his evolutionary and genetic gifts and dispositions and who eliminates all of his or hers possible traumas and damage.
Paradoxically, this advice is written by a man, and therefore naturally targeting the rational part of female mind and future fathers of the enlightened people. As I keep saying, women don’t require such repetitive dedication and discipline when it comes to spirituality, they need to remain true women and not get confused into adopting typically male way of thinking and acting (or succumb to unhelpful illusions).