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黃意寬1951年出生於廣東省廣州市，1958年隨父母赴香港定居。提起家中宗教信仰，意寬總是講不清﹕父母親拜伽藍菩薩，母親在香港黃大仙處拜神，因那裡有伽藍菩薩像，結交了一批「拜神婆」，常念《關帝經》、《心經》；雖然講不清，但母親常念的《心經》上的句子，「……色不異空，空不異色；色即是空，空即是色」，卻自小即深植她腦中。
18歲移民加拿大，定居溫哥華，一日母親聽說上人將來金佛寺，慕名前往皈依，但不叫她皈依，說，「妳時候未到」，就此錯過了皈依上人的機會。這事意寬什麼時候想起，什麼時候後悔。
婚後搬來卡格里，母親當初雖然不叫她皈依，但確叫她常上寺廟親近佛法。幾經波折，於1991年找到了舊的華嚴聖寺。本來只想進去看看，哪知道進去後，看見佛像，心中就有說不出的舒適，但想起夫婿，又不禁悲從中來。夫婿是加國人，心地善良，但受時代潮流的影響，喝酒吸毒，不可自拔；意寬心中鬱悶，因此雖找到了正法寺廟，也很少來修習。
1993年終於結束了這段婚姻。一日在電視上看見比丘恆佐師，在龍舟競渡時，灑楊枝淨水，唸大悲咒，才又想起華嚴寺，但一直拖到2000年父親往生了，為做七，才在周末時到華嚴寺去念《地藏經》。七七滿後，心裡一團高興，適逢拜《梁皇寶懺》，便請了假來參加；也不知為什麼，頭三天拜時覺得非常傷心，淚流滿面，止不住地哭，累旁人多次去拿面紙，頻頻勸慰，「不要緊，不要緊，這是常有的事。」
拜完寶懺，意寬覺得好像脫了胎，換了骨似的，心境開朗，也皈依了法名親喜。從此每星期二、四、六、日，有時外加星期三，都上華嚴寺聽經、打坐，照顧櫃臺，做義工，華嚴寺成了她的第二個家！
親喜十分精進，剛背完楞嚴咒第一會，每年都來萬佛聖城拜《萬佛懺》。今年拜完《萬佛懺》，慶祝浴佛節時，又受了五戒。現在就等小的孩子大學畢業，兒女債畢，就準備申請出家，一心向道。
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Penny Huang was born in Canton in 1951 and her parents emigrated to Hong Kong in 1958. When describing her religious background, Penny could never be clear: her parents prayed to Sangharama Bodhisattva and her mother prayed to spirits at Great Immortal Huang’s in Hong Kong because there was an image of Sangharama Bodhisattva there. She had befriended a group of “grandmas who worshipped gods” and often recited the
Sangharama Sutra and the Heart Sutra. Although she couldn’t say why, the phrases in the
Heart Sutra that her mother often recited, “Form does not differ from emptiness;emptiness does not differ from form; form is just emptiness, emptiness is just form” left impressions with her.
She emigrated to Canada at the age of eighteen and lived in Vancouver. One day her mother heard that the Venerable Master was coming to Gold Buddha Monastery, so she wanted to go and take refuge out of admiration. Her mother told her not to take refuge because “It’s not time for you yet.” She therefore missed the chance to take refuge with the Venerable Master. Penny regrets this every time she remembers it.
She moved to Calgary after marrying. Although her mother told her not to take refuge at that time, she did tell her to go and draw near the Buddhadharma in the temple. After several attempts, she found the old Avatamsaka Monastery in 1991. She had only wanted to go and check it out at first but once she saw the Buddha images inside, she felt an indescribable sense of relief. She then became sad as she thought about her husband, a kind Canadian man affected by modern trends and addicted to drinking and drugs. Penny was unhappy and frustrated, so although she had found an orthodox temple, she rarely went to cultivate.
Her marriage finally ended in 1993. One day she saw on television that Bhikshu Heng Tso was at a dragon boat race sprinkling pure water with a willow branch as he recited the Great Compassion Mantra. She remembered Avatamsaka Monastery and decided to pay a visit, but did not do so until her father passed away in the year 2000 and she arranged for a 49-day recitation of the
Earth Store Sutra at the Monastery to help with his rebirth. She went to the Monastery on weekends during this period. She was full of joy after those seven weeks. Incidentally the Jeweled Repentance of the Emperor of Liang was taking place, so she took time off of work to participate. For some inexplicable reason, she was extremely sad and cried nonstop during the first three days. People next to her had to pass her tissue paper on numerous occasions and constantly comforted her, saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay. This happens often.”
After the Jeweled Repentance, Penny felt as if she had become a whole new person and her spirits were uplifted. She took refuge and received the Dharma name Chin Xi (Drawing Near Joy). From then on, every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and sometimes Wednesday, she would go to Avatamsaka Monastery to listen to the Sutras, meditate, staff the reception desk, and be a volunteer. Avatamsaka Monastery has become her second home!
Penny is very diligent. She has just finished memorizing the first section of the Shurangama Mantra. She comes to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to bow the Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance every year. After completing the Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance this year (2002), she received the Five Precepts on Shakyamuni Buddha’s birthday. Now she is waiting for her youngest child to finish college. When she finishes paying back the “debt” she owes her children, she plans to apply to leave the householder’s life and concentrate on practicing the Way.
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