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未學佛時，黃雪玲是個典型的闊太太，講究吃喝穿戴，追求物質享受。在她三十八歲那年，婚姻有了危機。這年，恰逢宣公上人第一次到馬來西亞訪問。她隨著朋友去聽上人的法語開示，也鼓起勇氣，向上人報告自己的痛苦。上人當時教她念誦觀世音菩薩的聖號，她認真照辦了。不久，黃雪玲逐漸察覺，自己的性情變得柔和、忍耐、包容，不再動輒發怒。她的轉變感化了先生，兩人終於平安度過婚姻危機。可惜好景不常，六年後，她的丈夫往生了。盛年寡居，她內心頓然感覺失去依靠，因此，她不但繼續持誦觀世音菩薩聖號，又加上早、晚課，〈大悲咒〉、《普賢行願品》，每逢初一、十五，還拜〈大悲懺〉。從禮佛、拜懺、誦經咒當中，她找到了內心堅強的泉源。
一九八八年起，她發心吃長素。一年多之後，困擾她多年的貧血，竟然不藥而癒。她更經常自拜佛中，得到許多感應。不過，佛法最令她感動的是，大慈大悲的平等精神。她舉例說，宣公上人的十八大願，就很令她感動，尤其第十四大願，她流利地背誦著：「願一切眾生，見我面，乃至聞我名，悉發菩提心，速得成佛道。」
一切無求，老老實實修行，便是他的寫照。尤其家裡有一男四女，最小的還在唸設計，但他們在聽到父母想出家後，都非常贊成他們的決定，這些孩子在他們學佛之後，經一段時間的薰修，不但吃素，也變得很柔順，很懂事，真是一個模範的佛化家庭。
從追逐浮華、愛好應酬的生活，到如今長齋禮佛、一心嚮往西方淨土，黃雪玲的人生，是一百八十度的大轉變。她說：「自從聽了師父宣公上人的教導，我的人生觀整個改變。現在我知道，生命中要把握的是什麼了。」
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efore studying Buddhism, Huang Xueling was a typical rich man’s wife. She was particular about food, drink, clothing, jewelry, and pursuing material enjoyment. In the year when she was thirty-eight, her marriage was floundering. During the same year, the Venerable Master went to visit Malaysia for the first time. She went along with friends to listen to the Master’s Dharma talk. She also summoned up the courage to tell the Master about her misery. The Master taught her to recite the holy name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, and she earnestly followed his instruction. Not long after, she found that she had gradually changed into a more patient, amiable, and generous person. She no longer lost her temper easily. Her change of temperament influenced her husband and they solved the marital crisis peacefully. However, these happy circumstances did not last long: her husband died six years later. Being widowed in the prime of life, she felt as if she had lost her refuge. Therefore, she not only continued to recite the holy name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, but also added the morning and evening recitations, the Great Compassion Mantra, and the “Chapter on Universal Worthy’s Conduct and Vows” to her daily schedule and bowed the Great Compassion Repentance on the first and fifteenth of every lunar month. Through bowing, repenting, and reciting mantras and Sutras, she discovered an inner source of strength.
In 1988, she made a resolve to become vegetarian. A year later, the anemia that had bothered her for many years was gone. She also received many responses from bowing. However, to her the most touching thing about Buddhism is the spirit of equality and of great kindness and great compassion. For example, the Venerable Master’s eighteen great vows have moved her deeply, especially the fourteenth vow, which she recited fluently, “I vow that all living beings who see my face or hear my name will all bring forth the Bodhi mind and quickly accomplish Buddhahood.”
From her past pursuit of luxury and love of social intercourse to her present lifestyle of being vegetarian, bowing to the Buddha, and single-mindedly yearning for rebirth in the Western Pure Land, Huang Xueling’s life has been completely turned around. She says, “Ever since I listened to the Master’s teaching, my view of life has totally changed. Now I know what it is I should take hold of in my life.”
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