吳果同居士,原名翠鑾,臺灣嘉義人,小時家中生活困苦,十幾歲時獨上臺北,半工半讀完成學業。家中不信佛,崇尚一般民間信仰,葷菜祭神明,但果同在任臺北國泰醫院副院長秘書時,因慈濟功德會欲蓋醫院,時有接觸,得聞佛法,心中歡喜,遂積極參與各種佛教活動,常到寺廟當義工,並禮臺北縣土城鄉承天寺廣欽老和尚為師,但尚無真信,亦不持素。
1989年皈依宣公上人,當時皈依的人法名全叫果同;1993年在臺灣板橋體育館於上人座下受五戒;同年欲更進一步修持佛法,也在高雄六龜妙通寺受菩薩戒。持戒後生活逐步改善,發現修行的力量不可思議!因高齡懷孕,醫生建議做「羊膜穿刺」,她堅持不做,努力誦《地藏經》;臨產時,胎位不正,醫生要剖腹生產,她喝大悲水,隔了一晚,再去照超音波就正常了,平安生產。
因緣湊巧,臺北法界印經會辦「兒童讀經班」,便送兩個孩子去讀經,自己有時也隨喜參加法會;接著又於1997年陪孩子參加萬佛城暑期班,連自己的帶他人的,一共5個孩子,浩浩蕩蕩進軍萬佛城。那次孩子玩得高興,大人看得也歡喜,從此對本會道場留下了深刻的印象。
因是第一次來萬佛城及參加暑假班,又不懂英文,在機場出關時很害怕,大家就努力念「觀世音菩薩」聖號,不久有位華航地勤小姐過來問他們去哪。「去參加夏令營。」「是不是萬佛城?」「對!」「好,我幫妳們。」在她幫助下,他們順利過關,也沒檢查。
這5個孩子裡有一家不是佛教徒,這孩子預藏牛肉泡麵,同行人全不知情;他在萬佛城吃了後,他在美國剛買的電視遊樂器就不見了,在城裡所住的地方遍找不著;回臺後,接到晚回臺的同學說,他的電視遊樂器在萬佛城的垃圾桶裡找到了!
以後果同送兩個兒子到加拿大念書,先寄住多倫多朋友處,因無寺廟,深以為苦,後來聞知溫哥華有金佛寺,本會所屬,便於2001年6月舉家遷來溫哥華定居。現兩個兒子是金佛寺佛教青年會的基本成員,也是讀經班九、十年級的高材生,每周六、日定時聚會。果同也是週日育良小學讀經班的老師,與金佛寺佛青會一起學習《楞嚴經》,並在金佛寺當義工,護持道場,每天誦經、持楞嚴咒;孩子持大悲咒、禮佛,一家人忙於修行、學習,其樂融融,是佛教家庭的典範。
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Chui-Luan is Upasika Wu’s maiden name. She is from Jia-Yi, Taiwan. Life in her younger days was poor and difficult. At the age of ten she left for Taipei by herself and worked part time to complete her education. Her family did not believe in the Buddhadharma, but followed the traditional belief and offered meat dishes when worshipping gods and deities. However, when Upasika Wu worked as secretary to the Vice President of Guo-Tai Hospital in Taipei, the Tzu Chi Foundation was raising funds to build a hospital. She learned about the Buddhadharma due to these contacts. She also participated in various types of Buddhist work and volunteered in temples. She took refuge with the Venerable Master Guang Qin of Cheng-Tian Monastery, Tu-Cheng village of Taipei county. However, at that point, she did not have full faith in the Buddhadharma and was not a vegetarian.
In 1989, she took refuge with the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. At that time, all those who took refuge with the Master were given the same Dharma name, “Guo Tong”. In the year 1993, she took the five precepts with the Venerable Master Hua at the Ban-Qiao Auditorium in Taiwan. That same year, she received the Lay Bodhisattva precepts at Miao-Tong Temple in Liu-Gui, Kao-Hsiung County, and the condition of her life improved. She also began to realize the inconceivable power of cultivation! As she was expecting a child in her advanced age, her doctor advised her to have an amnion puncture. She refused to have the operation. Instead, she recited the
Earth Store Sutra with great resolve. Before her due date, the fetus was not in the right position and the doctor wanted her to have a Caesarean operation. Instead, she drank water blessed by the Great Compassion Mantra. After one night, she had an ultra scan which showed that the fetus was in the normal position, and she had a peaceful delivery.
It so happened that Buddhist Books Distribution Society of Taipei was conducting a Chinese Classics Class for Children. She enrolled her two children in this class and she herself also attended the Dharma assembly. In 1997, she accompanied five children—two of her own and three of her friends’—to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) to attend the Summer Camp. All the children and adults had a wonderful time in CTTB that summer. She left with a profound and positive impression of the Way-place after that experience. As that was her first time traveling to CTTB, she was very nervous at the airport arrival gate, because she did not speak English. Everybody recited Guanyin Bodhisattva’s holy name vigorously. Later on, a China Airlines hostess walked towards them and asked where they were going. They told her they were going to participate in a summer camp. She asked, “Are you going to CTTB?” “Yes!” “Okay, I’ll help you.” With her help, they cleared customs smoothly without any further checks.
Among these five children, there was one who was not a Buddhist. This child had brought some instant beef noodles without anyone knowing. At CTTB, after he had eaten the noodles, the computer games which he had just bought in the U.S. disappeared, and he was unable to locate them even after searching every corner in CTTB. After he returned to Taiwan, his classmates told him that his computer games were found in the garbage bin!
Later on, Guo Tong sent her two sons to study further in Canada. At first, they stayed at her friend’s house in Toronto. As there was no temple around, she was quite afflicted, but heard about Gold Buddha Monastery in Vancouver, which is part of DRBA. In June 2001, her family immigrated to Vancouver. Her two sons are members of Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth (DRBY). They also attend the 9th and 10th grade Chinese Classics Class every Saturday and Sunday. Guo Tong herself is currently the Sunday School teacher for Gold Buddha Monastery, and together with DRBY they study the
Shurangama Sutra. She also volunteers her service in supporting the monastery. She recites Sutras and the Shurangama Mantra everyday. Her sons recite the Great Compassion Mantra and bow to the Buddha. Her whole family cultivates happily and is a model Buddhist family.
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