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In 1938 her husband suddenly went blind. She had no money for medical expenses,
and had nowhere to turn. With great sincerity she vowed to become a vegetarian
and recited the Universal Door Chapter of the Lotus Sutra and the Great
Compassion Mantra on her husband’s behalf. Seven days later his eyesight
returned. With this experience Upasika Wu came to believe more deeply in the
power of the Buddhadharma.
In
all she had four sons and five daughters, but lost her eldest and second sons
early in life. Her eldest daughter was exceptionally intelligent, graceful, and
attentive to her studies, and Upasika Wu saw to it that she was able to complete
university training. Unfortunately she also passed away. Her death grieved Mrs.
Wu, and two months later she went to Kao Min Monastery south of Yang Chou and in
1942 became a disciple of the Venerable Master Lai Kuo. When she heard the
monastery's bell and drum she wanted to leave the home life, but realized that
she still had the responsibility of her mother and a growing family.
In
1943 her mother-in-law died. Upasika Wu and her husband spent a two-year
mourning period praying for her rescue by reciting sutras without cease. Although travel was dangerous in those days, she and her husband
accompanied the coffin to the gravesite, paying no heed to the possibility of
trouble on the road. As a result of their confidence, sincerity, and filial
devotion, they completed the journey without incident.
During
the next year her fourth son was stricken with pneumonia. The attending doctor,
misdiagnosing the disease, prescribed the wrong medicine, and her son died.
Pilled with immense sorrow, Upasika Wu sighed, "The world is full of
impermanence. Everything changes and nothing is eternal. It's all like a dream,
an illusion, causing perpetual sorrow."
In
1945 the war was over, and the Allies had defeated Japan. Upasika Wu traveled to
Shanghai to care for her third son who was ailing. Because of Her devoted
attention he eventually recovered. Three years later China was torn by
revolution and became Communist. Upasika Wu's second and third daughters had
already married and so they stayed on in Yang Chou while she, her husband, her
third son, and her fourth and fifth daughters moved to Taiwan. She continued her devotions on Taiwan, and with her husband she
frequently visited Shan Tao Temple, Shih P'u Temple, and Lin Chi Temple to hear
Sutras and listen to the doctrines. At home she recited the Buddha's name
faithfully and without fail every day. When all her daughters and sons were
finally married, she thought that she could lead the quiet life, but again her
home-life was full of complications, and so she again did not leave home. In
1955 she received the Bodhisattva precepts from the Venerable Master Pai Sheng.
In 1960 her husband passed away, and she spent the next three years in a
vigil, reciting Sutras on his behalf.
In
1965 she vowed to bow- to every character in the Avatamsaka Sutra, and in 1966
she went to Lin Chi Temple intent upon quiet cultivation. She planned to remain
there and finish out her life. The following year, however, her son and
daughter-in-law left the country and it was necessary for her to return home.
She was entirely alone during this time, and continued to be mindful of the
Buddha and to increase her cultivation.
In
the winter of 1973 her son accompanied her to the United States and soon she had
a chance to meet the Venerable Master Hua. Astonished to find a bright-eyed
Sramana of great virtue in the United States, she was overjoyed to have the
opportunity to draw near to the Master. Both she and her son took refuge with
the Master shortly after they met him in December 1973, and Upasika Wu received
the Dharma name Kuo Chi. Upon meeting the Master, Upasika Wu thought about how
she did not have much time left, and again is eager to leave the home-life.
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