Partners

Rock climbing is more suited for couples, one person does the climbing the other does the belaying. Without a partner to belay, one can only climb laterally, not vertically.

Staying single is great for freedom and resposibility but partnership allows one to advance furthermore. May it be partnership in marriage, career, sports or practices, we need good partners.

I have a great partner in my marriage, an ex-partner with my career, many good partners with my practices, and now I am looking for a partner for rock climbing...

Patti is back

Patti is back from her more than one month vacation two days ago. She gave me a call last night wanting to find out how was my trip to Ann Arbor.

I was touched by her phone call. Coming back from a long trip and she had Betty and I on her mind all this time. That's what friends are for...

Cherishing each other, appreciating each other, supporting each other...

Rock Climbing

Yesterday I went rock climbing for the first time in my life. My brother was amazed that his over 50 years old sister could climb. He sent me his condolence knowing that I should be full of pains and aches the next day.

My daughter did suffer soreness today but not me. I learned my lesson while I was doing yoga exercise in Ann Arbor last month. In Ann Arbor, after the first yoga lesson, I was as stiff as a robot the next day. Then I noticed I should not use direct force or bodily power to perform anything, I ought to utilize indirect force or borrow exotic power to carry out duties. Thus I was fine in the following yoga lessons.

I did the same with my rock climbing. I had not used up my body energy to climb up, I follow the flow… Either I am wiser with my age or getting better in my Buddhism advancement…

Can you tell which climber is me, my daughter and my niece in the photo?

Who cares about the Truth?

Yesterday my mom told me a story about the history of a piece of furniture that we found in the attic.

She mentioned that furniture was bought before I was born, where it was stationed when I was young, how it had been travelling around the world with our moving. She had such a fine details of exactly what had happened, very stunning!

I was amazed that I have no recollection of it at all. My memory must be fading very badly.

When I talked to my husband about it, he said that piece of furniture had the style and workmanship of the late 70's and early 80's, so it could not be older than me. Well, if I remembered right, it was bought around that time.

Before, I would search and investigate to prove my mom was wrong. But now, I will not dare to be bothered. Her story is told only to me, it does not concern anyone. She will be upset to find out her memory is incorrect.

I notice and understand that mom is getting old and starting to make up tales or fantasize. The episode indicates to me how our minds can twist things around to deceive ourselves and others.

How is the Truth being manifested? What is the Truth? Where does the Truth lie? When will the Truth be revealed? Who cares about the Truth…

How the mind works...

Last night I had a dream and Mingte Shi Xiong was in my dream.

I have never met Mingte and I do not know how he looks like.

The interesting point is that his face and look are my other friend's.

In the dream, I questioned "How come you look exactly like my other friend, C.Y. ?"

Now I realize that our mind cannot produce an outcome that we have no information on or concept about. Either I makeup a new face for Mingte through imagination, or pull one out from the data bank of my mind (in this case C.Y.) , or I have to be in deep samadhi to go beyond forms and concepts.

Samadhi can lead us into a higher realm, but there is danger involved if one does not have wisdom and right view to go with it. This is where benevolent dharma friends and Sutras are essential.
--

Yoga retreat in India - my story

Back in November, I was debating if I should go to Taiwan to join the Yoga session held by Da Huayen Monestary in Taipei.

With Venerable Haiyun coming to North America, we were all very busy. Susan of Taipei said I could go at the last minute as all I needed was a plane ticket to Taipei, which could be done easily.

Then I met Cecilia in the farewell party of Venerable Haiyun, before we left for Ann Arbour, U.S.A. Cecilia told me that she was going to join the retreat in India, held by the same Acharya. I thought it would be so marvelous that I could go to India instead of Taipei, since the training should be much more intensive there. But I was leaving for Ann Arbor the next morning, so I did not have time to have a thorough talk with Cecilia till I returned to Toronto.

When I came back, I found out from Cecilia that I needed to have a valid passport (My passport is expiring soon, which was not good enough for the India trip) and a visa. I applied for the passport immediately and got it by the end of November.

Then the Mumbai incident happened and everyone advised me not to go. Thus I did not apply for the India visa. When Cecilia was back from her trip few days ago, I told her about my decision of not going. It is not my own safety but the anxiety that I will put onto my family that concerns me.

So I may go to the 2010 yoga retreat, anyone interests in joining me?

Whatever will be will be, the future is not for us to see...

--

Chinese herbal doctor

My son has been seeing a Chinese herbal doctor for his abnormal heart beat rate for the past few months.

We have tried every kind of western medicines and specialists possible to find out what the problem is without success. Finally this herbal doctor seems to be able to help him regulate his hormones and bodily metabolism. That makes his mom very happy…

But the more interesting aspect of seeing this herbal doctor is that every time we meet (as my son does not speak much Chinese I have to be present) I learn a lot of knowhows on living a better life. His experience in life and medicine benefits me tremendously.

Taking advantages of every encounter that manifest in front of us is a good practice itself.

--

Fringe Benefits

I brought my car to the dealership for a 96,000 km tune-up. The mechanic found out that there were a leakage of coolant in the cylinder head gaskets and a leakage of oil in the side valve cover gaskets. The bottom line was $1950.00 plus tax for the repair on top of the tune-up cost.

I was not ready to pay so much for an old car. So I brought the car to my Dharma brother who owes an automobile repair shop. He fixed my car with a new timing belt for $600.00, tax included. I was so grateful that he charged me so little.

He is a dedicated Buddhist practitioner. And I truly believe that he charges me unreasonably cheap all the times in respect of the time and devotion that I put forth for the Dharma. We hardly know each other on a personal level, but our dedication for the Dharma connect us together.

Each person walks his own path. However, our akin vision will put us on the common ground.

--

The Irony to A Simple Story

Sharing the following email with you:

The Irony to A Simple Story

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" the mouse wondered - - -he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning :
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said,
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.

In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.

So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember ----when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life.

We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

SEND THIS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER HELPED YOU OUT AND LET THEM KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE.

REMEMBER. . . . . . EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;
OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a FRIEND.


--

Test how old is your brain.

Test how old is your brain.

A. click link below. press START

B. screen will display 3 2 1, then a number pattern. Remember the pattern

C. when pattern disappears, click in the circles the order of the pattern from small to large

D. it'll figure out your brain's age try it.

http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html

Do it for fun...

Gold Wrapping Paper

Sharing the following email with you:

Gold Wrapping Paper

I received this from a friend who had a choice to make. It said that I had a choice to make too. I've chosen. Now it's your turn to choose.

The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her five year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and she became even more upset when the child used the gold paper to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the next morning and then said, 'This is for you, Momma.

'The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over reaction, but her anger flared again when she opened the box and found it was empty. She spoke to her daughter in a harsh manner. 'Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package?'

She had tears in her eyes and said, 'Oh, Momma, it's not empty! I blew kisses into it until it was full. 'The mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around her little girl, and she begged her forgiveness for her thoughtless anger.

An accident took the life of the child only a short time later, and it is told that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the years of her life. Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems she would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and GOD. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

You now have two choices:1. Pass this on to your friends, or2. Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart. As you can see, I took choice No. 1.

Friends are like angels who lift us to our feet, when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.

If you receive this more than once in return just know that your friends have also thought of you .

Jennifer J. James

--

Tie you to my heart

Sharing the following email with you...

※ Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kinds of battle.

※ A sharp tongue can cut your own throat.

※ If I want my dreams to come true, I mustn't oversleep.

※ Of all the things I wear, my expression is the most important.

※ The best vitamin for making friends..... _B1. _ ·

※ The happiness of my life depends on the quality of my thoughts.

※ The heaviest thing I can carry is a grudge.

※ One thing I can give and still keep...is my word.

※ I lie the loudest when I lie to myself.

※ If I lack the courage to start, I have already finished.

※ One thing I can't recycle is wasted time.

※ Ideas won't work unless ' _I _' do.

※ My mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open. ·

※ The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

※ The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime! It is never too late to become what I might have been.

※ Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right.. Forget about the one's who don't.

※ Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

※ Friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back.

※ Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away.

※ Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and wrong.

※ Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late. I don't want to let that happen so I'm gonna tie you to my heart so I never lose you.

Send this to all your friends including me and see how many you get back. Even send it to your balloons that you think have flown away forever. You may be surprised to see it return. Send this heart to everybody you like. You may also return it to me.

---

Gratitude towards Eva and Harton from the bottom of our heart

Betty and I had a great time in

Ann Arbor last month.

We have learned so much from the lectures of HeShang.

So nice to meet Kristen, finally, in person.

She looked terrific.

The meals prepared by Po Ling Xi Jie were

filled with love.

The Yoga classes taught by Eva were

superb.

Our hearts were touched by the hospitality and sincerity of

our hosts,

Eva and Harton.

Having a chance to spend a week with Betty was

remarkable.

Everything was great, even the harsh weather on our way back was very

memorable.

Gratification, gratification and more gratification…

I am speechless…

---

Christmas tree at the Eaton Centre

I had not been to the Eaton Centre for a long time. Last week when I went there, I was amused by this pretty Christmas tree.

.

But my daughters would not take a picture for me. They said: "There is nothing special about this tree, it is just a Christmas tree."

.

So I asked my son to take a picture of the tree the next time he went there. And this is his shot.

.

There is one small advantage of having many kids- if one does not listen to you, there are others...

.

Christmas card

This year I decided to quit the tradition of writing Christmas cards, since we are in the internet era and I am a Buddhist.

However, my daughter offered to do the writing and mailing, so I let her take over this tradition from now on.

If you receive a card from my family, you will notice the handwriting is different from previous years.

Do not know what will happen next year, but she was very happy writing them this year...

Upcoming event from Dhrama Drum Mountain

Above is the poster for Dharma Drum Mountain (Ontario) Buddhist Association 10 years celebration, in case you have time to join.

The website is: www.ddmba-ontario.ca

Phone number: 416-855-0531

Let us be thankful

My friend wrote to me:

"Besides the daily support from our parents especially when we are growing up, let us not forget to be thankful to all those who surround us now- our colleagues, our friends, familes and those who make our lives easier in each and every way. Sometimes even to those who made us mad, as they helped us learn more about ourselves.

Let us be thankful of each day that we live, live it well- healthy and happy so we can grow old together and still be good friends and family."

What's the world needs now...is LOVE, sweet love...

No not just for some but for everyone...

Sharing lkw's email with you:

WHAT LOVE MEANS TO CHILDREN

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it, touching words from the mouths of children: What does 'Love' mean?

A group of professionals posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds. The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissie - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mummy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

And the final one --
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a con test he was asked to judge. The purpose of the con test was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

When there is nothing left, that is when you find out that love is all you need. Take one minute and give this a shot!

********
My response:
So heartwarming...

Beware of plug-in room freshensers...they may cause house fire

Sharing the following email with you:


House fires--please read!!!!!

Received from a friend who is in the property insurance business. It is well worth reading.

The original message was written by a lady whose brother and wife learned a hard lesson this past week. Their house burnt down.. nothing left but ashes. They have good insurance so the house will be replaced and most of the contents. That is the good news. However, they were sick when they found out the cause of the fire.

The insurance investigator sifted through the ashes for several hours. He had the cause of the fire traced to the master bathroom. He asked her sister-in-law what she had plugged inthe bathroom. She listed the normal things....curling iron, blow dryer. He kept saying to her, 'No, this would be something that would disintegrate at high temperatures'.

Then her sister-in-law remembered she had a Glade Plug-In, in the bathroom. The investigator had one of those 'Aha' moments. He said that was the cause of the fire. He said he has seen more house fires started with the plug-in type room fresheners than anything else. He said the plastic they are made from is THIN. He also said that in every case there was nothing left to prove that it even existed.

When the investigator looked in the wall plug, the two prongs left from the plug-in were still in there. Her sister-in-law had one of the plug-ins that had a small night light built in it. She said she had noticed that the light would dim and then finally go out. She would walk in to the bathroom a few hours later, and the light would be back on again. The investigator said that the unit was getting too hot, and would dim and go out rather than just blow the light bulb. Once it cooled down it would come back on. That is a warning sign.

The investigator said he personally wouldn't have any type of plug in fragrance device anywhere in his house. He has seen too many places that have been burned down due to them.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK.

NOT ONLY COULD IT SAVE SOMEONE'S HOUSE, BUT IT COULD SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.

************
My response:

If it is that dangerous, howcome the government still allows it to be on the market?

New Definitions

Sharing the following email received from Nancy with you:

School : A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance : A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that you can die Rich.

Nurse : A person who wakes you up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage : It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her masters.

Divorce : Future tense of Marriage.

Tears : The hydraulic force by which masculine willpower is defeated by feminine waterpower.

Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through 'the minds of either'.

Conference : The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary : A place where success comes before work.

Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Father : A banker provided by nature.

Criminal : A guy no different from the rest....except that he got caught.

Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after.

Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic : Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn : The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc .: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience : The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb : An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher : A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead.


***
Lung Zhi responses:
I love the last one, "Philosopher" - just think of Socrates and Nietzsche...

Men Are Hard To Please

Sharing the following email with you:

Men Are Hard To Please

The problems with GUYS:

If u TREAT him nicely, he says u are IN LOVE with him;

If u Don't, he says u are PROUD.

If u DRESS nicely, he says u are trying to LURE him;
If u Don't, he says u are from KAMPUNG.

If u ARGUE with him, he says u are STUBBORN;

If u keep QUIET, he says u have no BRAINS.

If u are SMARTER than him, he'll lose FACE;
If he's Smarter than u, he is GREAT.

If u don't Love him, he tries to POSSESS u;
If u Love him, he will try to LEAVE u. (very true huh?)

If u don't make love with him., he says u don't LOVE him;

If u do!! he says u are CHEAP.

If u tell him your PROBLEM, he says u are TROBLESOME;

If u don't, he says that u don't TRUST him.

If u SCOLD him, u are like a NANNY to him;

If he SCOLDS u, it is because he CARES for u.

If u BREAK your PROMISE, u Cannot be TRUSTED;
If he BREAKS his, he is FORCED to do so.

If u SMOKE, u are BAD girl;

If he SMOKES, he is GENTLEMAN.

If u do WELL in your exams, he says it's LUCK;

If he does WELL, it's BRAINS.

If u HURT him, u are CRUEL;
If he HURTS u, u are too SENSITIVE!! sooo hard to please!!!!!

If u send this to guys, they will swear that it's not true.......

but if u don't they say u are selfish.....

The moral of the story is.......

SEND THIS TO GUYS OUT THERE ANYWAY...

Send it to girls also, gives them some laughters...

--