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過去多年來，在聖城或在柏克萊聖寺，常可見到一位長髮蓬捲，溫文柔和的中年婦人，參加法會及聽經，她的法名為果萍。2003年12月12日，於聖城返家的路途中，由於夜幕低垂，天雨路滑，車子旋轉失控，果萍居士於車禍中往生。享年54歲。在其往生前一個星期六的晚上，於柏克萊聖寺聽完經後，她還分贈自家庭院所種的紅柿給佛友們，並且殷懃叮嚀要等紅柿熟透再放進冰箱；同時她又熱心的幫人詢問到聖城打佛七之交通。紅柿尚未熟軟，而她卻驟然往生，令佛友們錯愕及懷念。
果萍居士出生於越南。父親有一半血統為中國人，她在越南時即學習佛法，大約1981年左右來到美國。據其先生回憶說，剛開始時，她到舊金山的越南廟去聽經，供養三寶，和幫忙教導小孩。她也去越南「金山寺」，在那兒她有個法名，玉寶。數年後遇見上人，即皈依上人，法名果萍。1994年，法總在柏克萊的分支道場成立後，經朋友告知，從此果萍和家人就常來聽經，參加法會。幾年前開始與佛友一起，固定每星期三送午齋供養。此外，她也送早餐供養住家附近，愛莎布朗特市(El Sobrante)的一間緬甸寺廟 (Alotawpyie Burmese) 的出家人。對她來說並無南傳北傳門戶之見， 只要有機會、有能力，都樂意隨喜供養三寶。此外她也曾幫忙一越南出家人，在東灣建立道場，雖未成功，卻也結下該出家人參加其喪禮之緣。
她的兒子說：「我母親很喜歡煮食物，常常要我邀請同學一起來分享，我的同學都喜歡她。她在我們的社區很活躍，學校的老師、花店的老闆、雜貨店的收銀員都認識她…從我高中到大專，她每天都叫我起床…。」「還有一件事，以前不明白，覺得很奇怪，為什麼她常拿食物餵附近來的貓和狗？媽媽跟我說：『這些貓狗是很可憐的。』現在她往生了，這些動物仍然來，我們就繼續餵它們。」她的大女兒說：「我媽媽非常慈愛，雖然我結婚有自己的家庭，她還是一樣的關心我……每次節日家庭聚會時，她總是忙進忙出，看看每個人是否都照顧到了？而她自己，總是最後一個坐下來用餐。」
她的先生說：「果萍自己素食已經很多很多年了，也常勸人要素食，但她並不強迫家人素食，每次都隨順家人準備兩種食物。3年前小女兒主動自願吃素，而我自己因為有應酬，無法完全素食，可是後來我也是全素了…。在佛法方面，是她帶領我入佛門的。她很熱衷道場的活動，且鼓勵家人參與，我只是接送她；到了道場，我看自己的書，不理會他們的活動，這樣過了15年，我終於踏入柏克萊聖寺的佛堂聆聽法師講法。一年多前我在聖城皈依三寶並受持五戒。」
她的朋友說：她是一個很有趣的人…很孝順…對朋友很熱心。據另一位佛友說，果萍平時與她在社區大學學習太極拳及繪畫(這是她生前最後一幅作品，大海、白浪和綠草，襯托著矗立在岸邊的燈塔，那寧靜與祥和，躍然紙上)。在往生前2-3個月，果萍即停止去上課，師友問其原因，答以「要把時間多放在念經及誦咒上」。之前她發願要每天持大悲咒108遍，初時不易達到，後來朋友告知，分早中晚各36遍(18顆手珠兩圈)即可完成108遍，她乃成就；此外她早晚都有固定的功課。
從她先生，兒女及朋友的敘述中，可以了解果萍是位慈祥和藹且熱心的典型家庭主婦，她克盡為人妻，為人母的責任，同時盡力於佛法的修學。家人在她長期的潛移默化下，開始吃素並皈依三寶，果萍堪為在家學佛者的楷模。
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 For the past many years, a middle-aged lady with long, curly hair, ever so peaceful and gentle, could often be seen at either the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) or Berkeley Buddhist Monastery (BBM) during Dharma Assemblies and Sutra lectures. Her Dharma name was Guo Ping. In the evening of December 12, 2003, on the way home from CTTB, Upasika Guo Ping passed away in a car accident at the age of 54. The car she was riding in spun out of control due to the slippery road conditions caused by the rain. The week before her death, on a Saturday night, after the Sutra lecture at BBM, she gave some home-grown persimmons from her backyard to her Dharma friends and repeatedly advised them to wait until they were completely ripe before refrigerating them. Also, she eagerly helped others get rides to CTTB for the Amitabha Buddha recitation session. Her Dharma friends were shocked to learn of her sudden death before the persimmons were ripe. She is greatly missed.
Upasika Guo Ping was born in Vietnam where she studied Buddhadharma. Her father was half Chinese. She came to the United States around 1981. According to her husband, she first went to the Vietnamese Tu Quang temple in San Francisco to listen to Dharma lectures, make offerings to the Triple Jewel, and teach the children there. She also went to another temple called Kim Son Monastary where she was known by her Dharma name of Dieu Bau. Several years later she met the Venerable Master Hua and took refuge with him under the Dharma name of Guo Ping. Her friends told her about BBM after it was founded in 1994. Then Guo Ping started coming to BBM with her family for Sutra lectures and Dharma Assemblies. A few years ago, together with a Dharma friend, she regularly brought meal offerings on Wednesdays. Furthermore, she made breakfast offerings to monastics at Alotawpyie Burmese temple in El Sobrante near her house. To her there was no distinction between the Mahayana and Theravada traditions. She was happy making offerings to the Triple Jewel whenever she had the opportunity. Guo Ping had also tried, although unsuccessfully, to assist a Vietnamese monk to establish a temple in East Bay area. This monk also attended her funeral services.
Her son said, “My mother loved to cook and often invited my classmates to our house to share our meals; they all liked her very much…. She was quite active in our community; our teachers from school, the florist and cashiers at grocery stores all knew her…. She got me out of bed every day for school when I attended high school and community college…. Another thing I found strange that I didn’t understand before was that she often fed the cats and dogs in our neighborhood. She told me they were pitiful. Now that she is gone, these animals still come to the house, so we continue to feed them.” Her eldest daughter said, “My mother was very kind; even though I have my own family, she still cared so much about me…. During family gatherings around the holidays, she was always busy preparing this and that, and made sure everyone was taken care of. She was always the last one to sit down to eat.”
Her husband said, “Guo Ping was a vegetarian for many, many years and often tried to convince others to be vegetarian. She didn’t force her family to eat vegetarian food. She always prepared two types of food for us. Our youngest daughter became vegetarian on her own three years ago. I could not be vegetarian in the beginning but eventually I became vegetarian also…. My wife also brought me to the Buddhadharma. She enthusiastically participated in activities at the temple and encouraged her family to do so. In the beginning I was her driver to and from the temple. Once we got there, I read my own books and didn’t join in. After 15 years, I finally went in the BBM to listen to the Sutra lectures. I took refuge with the Triple Jewel more than one year ago and also took the Five Precepts.”
One of her friends said: “She was an interesting person…very filial…very warm to her friends.” Another Dharma friend said that she took Tai-Chi and drawing classes at the community college. She stopped her classes about 2 to 3 months before her passing, and when her teacher and friends asked the reason, she said she needed more time to recite Sutras and Mantras. She had made a vow to recite the Great Compassion Mantra 108 times a day. It was not easy in the beginning. Afterwards, a friend told her to recite 36 times each morning, afternoon and evening (counting twice on an 18-bead bracelet) completing a total of 108 times. In addition, she did the morning and evening recitation consistently.
From the above descriptions by her husband, children and friends, we can see that Guo Ping was a traditional housewife who was kind, easy to get along with and warm. She was a caring wife and mother and at the same time studied and cultivated the Buddhadharma. Under her constant, quiet influence, her family became vegetarian and took refuge with the Triple Jewel. Guo Ping was a role model for us who study and cultivate the Buddhadharma at home.
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