Woman has Man in it;
Mrs. has Mr . in it;
Female has Male in it;
She has He in it;
Madam has Adam in it;

Okay, Okay, it all makes sense now... I never looked at it this way before...

Ever notice how all of women's problems start with MEN?

MENtal illness
MENstrual cramps
MENtal breakdown
MENopause
GUY necologist
AND When we have REAL trouble, it's a HISterectomy.

Send this to all the women you know to brighten their day.
Send this to all the men just to annoy them ......

Remember You Don't Stop Laughing Because You Grow Old,
You Grow Old Because You Stop Laughing !

The water that flows in river is real enough in itself, but if you consider it in relation to the whole course of the river, it becomes something illusory. If you stand and watch it, you won't see the water you are looking at now when you come back to the same place the second time - it just keeps flowing past. If I step into the river, then immediately lift my foot and put it back in the same place, I won't be treading on the same water that I stepped on the first time, because that water will have already gone past. So when we step into the water, we are always doing it for the first time.

It is the same with the great current of life: every day that we experience is something completely new, but we are not aware of this at all. Our days are only the processes of all actions (including acts, speech, thoughts), and that is why they are "like dreams, illusions, bubbles or reflections". You should think carefully about this. For the enlightened, every day is a new life, so every day they are able to be "lofty and outstanding". If you see every day of life as being just the same as all the other days, you will end up in the depressed state of mind. But if you can rouse up your vital energy through Dharma practice, the quality of your life will also rise steadily till it passes beyond the level of normal perception. This is how it is with the Enlightened One and anyone has the potential to become enlightened, and this is Buddhism in a nutshell.

Every part of the body has its own name. The head is called “head,” the hands are called “hands,” and the feet are called “feet.” You can look throughout all the different parts of the body, but you won’t find anything that is called “I”. Then why is the word “I” used here? It is a general name used to refer to the entire person.

In modern English language, each person refers to himself or herself as I, which is the first person singular pronoun. This is just a sign, a mark, a reference, an expedient, or device without which we cannot deliver any discourse, or make sense of our identity. In the course of deep contemplation towards attaining dhyãnã, the practitioner reverts to a state before the arising of the first thought. When attained, the practitioner knows but he does not put the state so attained in words because dhyãnã is nirvana, a state beyond description and thoughts.

In our practice, we strive to attain:

True Sincerity
towards others,
Purity Of Mind
within,
Equality
towards everything we see,
Proper Understanding
of life and the universe and,
Magnanimity and Compassion
in helping others in a wise unconditional way.

In attaining these, we will

See Through
to the truth of impermanence,
Let Go
of all wandering thoughts and attachments,
Attain Freedom
of mind and spirit,
Accord with Conditions
go along with the situation, and
Be Mindful of the Buddha Amitabha
follow his teachings, and vow to reach the Western Pure Land.

Purpose: We cordially invite you and your friends and relatiives to participate in the "2-Day Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) Chanting Retreat"and a "Pilgrimage" to celebrate 9th anniversary of the establishment of the Lingyen Monastery of Canada.

Date and Time: 2-Day Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) Chanting Retreat
September 19, 2008 - September 20, 2008 (Fri and Sat)
8:00 am - 9:40 pm daily

Pilgrimage
September 21, 2008 (Sun)
9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Venue: Lingyen Montain Temple Canada
10060 No. 5 Road, Richmond BC V7A 4E5 Canada
Tel: (604) 271-0009

Activities:
The 2-Day Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) Chanting Retreat: Participants will recite the Great Compassion Mantra and the holy name of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) Bodhisattva to pray for blessings.
The Pilgrimage: Led by the monks, participants will engage in a "Three Steps, One Prostration" pilgrimage in which they circle the temple grounds once to pay homage to Avalokitesvara (Guan Shi Yin) Bodhisattva.
The Vegetarian Lunch: From noon to 1:30 pm, the Temple will offer healthy and delicious vegetarian food with noodles to the public and build a favorable affinity with guests who attend the celebration.
Vows and Prayers: With the superior merits attained from reciting the mantra and the holy name of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) Bodhisattva and from the pilgrimage, we repay the kindness of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, of our nation, of our parents, of our teachers, and of all sentient beings. We bow in repentence, not only to eliminate our own boundless karmic hindrances and enhance infinite blessings and wisdom, but also to help our deceased relatives and mentors, and even people who in the past have established negative karma with us, to attain liberation. Our prayers are for our current relatives and friends to live long and blessed life, for our ancestors to transcend to the blissful land of the Buddha Amitabha, and for all sentient beings of the Dharma Realm to attain Buddhahood.