Q: Is the rearing of child spirits (such as aborted babies or those who died prematurely) a Buddhist practice?
A: It is not Buddhism. Proper Buddhist practice would be to guide the deceased swiftly to a good rebirth – including deceased infants.
Q: Some say raising them is meritorious and good for our Karma as it allows them to accumulate merits in order to be reborn. Is that true?
A: That is folk ‘black magic’ practice. What is truly meritorious would be to guide the infant to a good rebirth, and not to trick and make use of spirits for selfish and usually immoral purposes, while keeping them attached to not wanting to take a proper rebirth. This creates bad karma for the ‘owner’. We can help accumulate merits for the deceased simply by doing good in their name and sharing merits with them. In some countries, there are folk practices mixed with Buddhism. That’s why it can be confusing. We must know how to separate the two.