Question: Why do some say it is not advisable for the pregnant to visit wakes?
Answer: This is probably in case the baby is spiritually not strong, such that s/he is susceptible to negative influence by unseen beings. This is just a precaution. The mother can practise chanting to protect herself and her child if she visits.
Question: I have also heard of people saying that if a person’s luck is not good, one should avoid visiting wakes?
Answer: This is probably because of the reason similar to the above. However, if one visits a wake not just for doing so, but to practise chanting out of compassion and generosity to benefit the deceased, this surely increases one’s positive karma to some extent.
Question: Can I say that ‘one’s luck being not good’ is equivalent to one’s overall energy level or mind being weak?
Answer: There is no such thing as ‘luck’, because there is no ‘random karma’; while karma is created intentionally; never by chance. When a person focuses on being negative, such as being depressed, one’s positive energy drops, which weakens the mind. It’s the other way round too – when one’s mind is weak, one tends to be negative, which makes one’s positive energy drop. The simplest but most powerful way to instantly increase the pure energy of the mind is to nianfo mindfully (practise mindfulness of, say, Amitabha Buddha, by chanting his name).