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柏克萊聖寺成立初期，在星期六晚上的佛經講座，總是見到一位梳髻的老太太，認真的坐在第一排聽經。大約兩年後，中英文雙語的講經開始有越南文翻譯。老太太才轉到樓上，戴上耳機聽越文翻譯。筆者此時方知老太太對中文聽不很懂，英文也不太懂；但他認真，不缺席的坐在第一排聽經，令人印象深刻且感動。
老太太今年82歲，本名張玉美(法名果美)，父親為海南島人，後至越南。老太太在越南時即皈依三寶為佛弟子，平日熱心於放生與助念。20多年前，老太太與家人來到美國，那時去舊金山的越南寺廟。大約在1986年，老太太隨同友人到金山聖寺(那時位於15街) 以越南式長粽供養上人。上人聽其敘述長粽要煮8小時才熟，特別讓她們拿來看看。之後雖然交通不便，老太太偶爾亦隨佛友到金山聖寺聆聽上人講經說法。她還記得有一次聽上人講完經後，頂禮上人 上人慈悲的摩其頂。
柏克萊聖寺成立後，因地緣之利，老太太即常到柏克萊聽經。1995年恆實法師，恆達法師及恆顯法師等應居士們的邀請，到柏克萊北方的San Rafael講法，老太太以地主之便及多年親近道場的經驗，帶領在家眾籌備講經場地及供僧等事項。
上人圓寂後，老太太更是一心向著上人的法脈，而於1995年7月在聖城再度皈依三寶，法名果美。老太太不僅自己學習佛法，並且帶著兩位女兒一起到道場學習。其中一位女兒回憶說：當初不懂母親為什麼要到道場聽經，甚至有時還反對。但在日漸薰陶下，其女兒亦在聖城皈依三寶，受五戒及菩薩戒。如今非常感謝母親當初的勸導與帶領。
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From the very beginning when Berkeley Buddhist Monastery was established, every Saturday evening, there always was an elderly lady who sat in the front row, listening to the sutra lecture attentively. About two years later, besides the bilingual Sutra lecture in Chinese and English, the Vietnamese translation started. The elderly lady moved upstairs to listen to the Vietnamese translation via earphones. The author then realized that the elderly lady understood neither Chinese nor English well enough. But she had never been absent even once and persisted in sitting in the front. The author was impressed and deeply moved.
The elderly lady, who is 82 years old now, is named Zhang Yumei (Dharma name Guomei). Her father was from Hainan Island, China, and moved to Vietnam later. Back in Vietnam quite some time ago, she took refuge with Triple Jewel. She was keen on freeing captured animals and reciting Buddha’s name for people who were near death. About twenty years ago, she came to the United States with her family and started to go to a Vietnamese temple in San Francisco. Around 1986, she and her friends began regularly visiting Gold Mountain Monastery in San Francisco (then on 15th Street). They offered Vietnamese sticky-rice cakes to Master Hua. Master Hua heard that the sticky-rice cakes needed to be boiled for eight hours. He took a special interest and asked them to show the cakes to him. After that, even though it was inconvenient to take bus to the temple, she still occasionally came with friends to listen to the Master’s Dharma talk. She still remembers how fortunate she was when the Master blessed her by touching her head after his talk.
After Berkeley Buddhist Monastery was established, she came to Berkeley to listen to Sutra lectures because it was closer. In 1995, Dharma Masters Heng Sure, Heng Da, and Heng Xian were invited to give Dharma talks in San Rafael where Ms. Zhang lives. Since she lived so close and had been to monasteries, she helped to arrange the location of the lecture and made lunch offerings.
After Master Hua passed away, she followed Master Hua’s teachings. In July 1995, she took refuge with the Triple Jewel again at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and received the name Guomei. Ms. Zhang not only studied the Dharma herself, but also taught her two daughters. One of her daughters recalls that she didn’t understand her mother’s resolve in going to Way-places for Sutra lectures, and even opposed the idea. But later on, gradually under their mother’s influence, the two daughters took refuge with the Triple Jewel at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and received the Five Precepts and the Bodhisattva Precepts. They appreciate their mother for her encouragement and guidance.
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