Q: Dear Master Lu, I would like to wear a pendant with an image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva on it for protection. What should I be aware of? Can women wear this kind of pendant? Does the pendant need to be blessed?
A:
- You can certainly wear a pendant with the image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva on it around your neck, regardless of your gender. Since we are now following Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, we can receive more protection and blessings if we wear a Guan Yin Bodhisattva pendant.
- The entire pendant should only contain the image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Avoid wearing those that contain figures of Chinese zodiac animals, or other images or text on the back of the pendant.
- The pendant should only be made of one single type of material. Ideally gold, but jade is also acceptable. However, avoid those made of a combination of materials, for example, jade with gold plating.
- If the pendant is made of jade, the colour should be pure and should not be multicoloured. A slightly darker shade of white would be the best choice. Green would not be as ideal.
- It would be best if the pendant can be blessed by Master Lu. Otherwise, you can perform recitations and pray to Guan Yin Bodhisattva to bless your pendant by following the steps mentioned in Q&A 93: Things to be aware of when placing statues or images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on an altar.
If you do not have a Buddhist altar and are not able to have the pendant blessed, you can still wear the pendant around your neck. As Buddhist practitioners who perform recitations and cultivate our minds daily, we will receive protection and blessings from Guan Yin Bodhisattva. - It is usually fine to wear pendants while visiting the toilet/bathroom, but we must remove them when we take a shower. It would also be best to remove the pendant before going to bed, especially during intimacy between couples.
- If the pendant drops in the toilet or in other unclean places, it cannot be worn again and you must recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance 49 times. If it drops in a clean place and it is not damaged, you should recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance 7 times and you may still wear it. If the pendant is damaged, then it should not be worn and you must recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance 49 times.