user2265: Genetically speaking producing your own children perpetuates your own genes.
Buddha spoke at length about the 31 Planes of Existence.
What is Buddhism's (not just Theravada) position on having children? Namely the benefits of producing and caring for children?
Or does Buddhism mostly see them as a constraint (i.e. Rahula "chain") and there is no connection between between your own progeny and the afterlife?

user254: There's a Zen story that may be topical, here: Is That So?
Not producing, but at least caring for children.
I suppose the children benefit (from your care), and you get to do the right (caring, virtuous) thing.
I suppose there may be down-side to it too: if that circumstance prompts you to be selfish, aversive, grasping, cruel, etc.

user11479: Ahmed,
From "Living in the World" in Awareness Itself by Ajaan Fuang Jotiko:

§ Once, when one of Ajaan Fuang's students was being pressured by her parents to look for a husband so that she could settle down and have children, she asked him, "Is it true what they say, that a woman gains a lot of merit in having a child, in that she gives someone else the chance to be born?"
"If that were true," he answered her, "then dogs would get gobs of merit, because they give birth to whole litters at a time."

How ever, once you have organiced your "Rahulas" production, you have certain duty out of you "linga"-worshiping (bhava-tanha) or craving after sensuality (kama-tanha) to care for it and get rightously ride of it (tanha). That starts with not harming it right from the moment of conception. "This has come into beeing."
So seeing such, the burdens and sacrifies other need to bear, one does no more desire for birth and a womb but tries to pay ones last dept of gratitude, giving all back and maybe even share the highest gift, once then made his own.
If you would not have been father, mother, son, daughter once, if not having Upanissaya to the Dhammas father, how could this seed possible cause a conception of light, here and now?
Its good to celerbrate the fathersday, and getting the lessons of gratitude understood rightly by performing.
Nobody called you to come.
(Note: This is a seed of Dhamma and not meant for commercial puposes or other wordily gains.)

user-1: Buddhism holds a favorable view on having children because only a human can become a fully enlightened Buddha, and being born as a human is a rare occurrence.
I know you asked for a general Buddhist perspective, not just Theravada, but the Chiggala Sutta does a great job of illustrating how rare a human birth is.

"Monks, suppose that this great earth were totally covered with water, and a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole there. A wind from the east would push it west, a wind from the west would push it east. A wind from the north would push it south, a wind from the south would push it north. And suppose a blind sea-turtle were there. It would come to the surface once every one hundred years. Now what do you think: would that blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole?"
"It would be a sheer coincidence, lord, that the blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, would stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole."
"It's likewise a sheer coincidence that one obtains the human state. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, arises in the world. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world. Now, this human state has been obtained. A Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, has arisen in the world. A doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.

The Wikipedia page Human beings in Buddhism states the same thing from a general Buddhist standpoint.

2265: <p>Genetically speaking producing your own children perpetuates your own genes.</p>

<p>Buddha spoke at length about the 31 Planes of Existence.</p>

<p>What is Buddhism's (not just Theravada) position on having children? Namely the benefits of producing and caring for children?</p>

<p>Or does Buddhism mostly see them as a constraint (i.e. Rahula "chain") and there is no connection between between your own progeny and the afterlife?</p>
 254: <p>There's a Zen story that may be topical, here: <a href="http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/3isthatso.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Is That So?</a></p>

<p>Not producing, but at least caring for children.</p>

<p>I suppose the children benefit (from your care), and you get to do the right (caring, virtuous) thing.</p>

<p>I suppose there may be down-side to it too: if that circumstance prompts you to be selfish, aversive, grasping, cruel, etc.</p>
 11479: <p>Ahmed,</p>
<p>From &quot;Living in the World&quot; in <a href="http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/thai/fuang/itself_en.html#top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Awareness Itself</a> by Ajaan Fuang Jotiko:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>§ Once, when one of Ajaan Fuang's students was being pressured by her parents to look for a husband so that she could settle down and have children, she asked him, &quot;Is it true what they say, that a woman gains a lot of merit in having a child, in that she gives someone else the chance to be born?&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;If that were true,&quot; he answered her, &quot;then dogs would get gobs of merit, because they give birth to whole litters at a time.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>How ever, once you have organiced your &quot;Rahulas&quot; production, you have certain duty out of you &quot;linga&quot;-worshiping (bhava-tanha) or craving after sensuality (kama-tanha) to care for it and get rightously ride of it (tanha). That starts with not harming it right from the moment of conception. &quot;This has come into beeing.&quot;</p>
<p>So seeing such, the burdens and sacrifies other need to bear, one does no more desire for birth and a womb but tries to pay ones last dept of gratitude, giving all back and maybe even share the highest gift, once then made his own.</p>
<p>If you would not have been father, mother, son, daughter once, if not having Upanissaya to the Dhammas father, how could this seed possible cause a conception of light, here and now?</p>
<p>Its good to <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/21075/fathersday-how-would-a-western-disciple-of-the-buddha-make-use-of-this-fest">celerbrate the fathersday</a>, and getting <a href="http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/authors/thanissaro/lessonsofgratitude_en.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the lessons of gratitude</a> understood rightly by performing.</p>
<p>Nobody called you to come.</p>
<p><em>(Note: This is a seed of Dhamma and not meant for commercial puposes or other wordily gains.)</em></p>
 -1: <p>Buddhism holds a favorable view on having children because only a human can become a fully enlightened Buddha, and being born as a human is a rare occurrence.</p>
<p>I know you asked for a general Buddhist perspective, not just Theravada, but the <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.048.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chiggala Sutta</a> does a great job of illustrating how rare a human birth is.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Monks, suppose that this great earth were totally covered with water, and a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole there. A wind from the east would push it west, a wind from the west would push it east. A wind from the north would push it south, a wind from the south would push it north. And suppose a blind sea-turtle were there. It would come to the surface once every one hundred years. Now what do you think: would that blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole?&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;It would be a sheer coincidence, lord, that the blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, would stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole.&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;It's likewise a sheer coincidence that one obtains the human state. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a Tathagata, worthy &amp; rightly self-awakened, arises in the world. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a doctrine &amp; discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world. Now, this human state has been obtained. A Tathagata, worthy &amp; rightly self-awakened, has arisen in the world. A doctrine &amp; discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Wikipedia page <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_beings_in_Buddhism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Human beings in Buddhism</a> states the same thing from a general Buddhist standpoint.</p>
