Monday, February 28, 2011

Daddy, how was I born?

Sharing the following email with you:

Too cute not to forward.. Enjoy

Daddy, how was I born?

A little
boy goes to his father and asks
'
Daddy, how was I born ?'

The
father answers,
'Well,
son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway!
Your
Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo.
Then I set up a date via
e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe.
We sneaked into a secluded room, and
googled each other.
There your
mother agreed to a download from my hard drive.
As soon as I was ready to
upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button , nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:


Scroll down...You'll love this
.......
'You got Male!'

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Friday, February 25, 2011

Yoga Insight: Experiencing by Mary

Last night my husband queried how come I did not write any Yoga insights recently on my blog.

Well.......

In this morning Gentle Hatha class, Mary, our yoga instructor, asked the following question:
"Why are we here?" She means why we are all here in this world, what is the propose of our existence.

Her answer is: "To experience." "To find out what it is like to feel, to sense and to experience everything. With the insights we gain from our experience, then we will be able to make a wise choice for our actions. She reminds us not to get caught by thinking too much about the past or into the future. Stay in the moment and experience the wonders of the "Whole", or in the Buddhist term, "be one with all".

That is not something easy to do, yoga helps us to get there...

And Bodhisattva Samantabhadra represents the virtue of great vows/actions through the means of experiencing....

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Monday, February 21, 2011

DDMBA: Feb 24-27 Activities

In case you are interested:


Dear Dharma Friends and Chan Practitioners,


DDMBA Ontario warmly welcomes Chan Teacher and Abbot of Dharma Drum Retreat Center,
Venerable Guo Xing Fashi, to Toronto, to oversee a series of events related to Chan Buddhist practice from February 24 to 27, 2011 at the Member’s Lounge of North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M2N 5V7.


Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony*
and Refuge Taking Ceremony

  • Saturday, February 26, from 10 am to 12 pm
  • Followed by vegetarian lunch, FREE
  • To register for the Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony or Refuge Taking Ceremony, please email meditation.dharmadrum@gmail.com
  • *Please note that this event is in Mandarin only; however, English written translations of the Great Compassion Repentance Chanting are available for participants’ use during the ceremony.

“The Buddha”- Movie Time and Dharma Talk by Venerable Guo Xing

  • Saturday, February 26, from 1:30 to 4pm, FREE

We will be showing “The Buddha” (dir. David Grubin), a two hour documentary film of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. Hear insights into the ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join the conversation and learn more about meditation, the history of Buddhism, and how to incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life.

Living Chan Meditation Workshop

  • Sunday, February 27, from 9:30 am to 4:30pm
  • FREE and limited space
  • To register, please email, meditation.dharmadrum@gmail.com with your name and telephone number. This workshop will be offered in Mandarin and English.

This is a one day workshop instructed by Chan master Venerable GuoXing. The goal is to take you deeper into life through meditation, by connecting daily living with meditative practice. Come and learn about how to apply meditative practices into your daily routine.


With palms joined,
DDMBA Ontario @ Toronto

http://www.ddmba-ontario.ca , http://www.ddm.org.tw , http://www.dharmadrumretreat.org/

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

UT: March 4- Yoga for Cats, Doga, Woga and others monsters in contemporary yoga practice

In case you are interested:

Federico Squarcini
Yoga for Cats, Doga, Woga and others monsters in contemporary yoga practice

Date: Friday, March 4
Time: 4 - 6 PM
Place: Jackman Humanities Building (170 St George St), Room 318

Modern Yoga is a phenomenon of considerable dimensions. Daily, yoga practices attract thousand of new people and every day many millions perform one of its infinite variations. While all the different kinds of yoga are supposedly traced back to the ancient past, many are ‘true inventions’ of our days. In this presentation the economical logic of the continuous reconfiguration of yoga will be addressed and it will be related to role that contemporary Indology can play in dealing and interpreting this unique cultural phenomenon.

Federico Squarcini (PhD. in ‘Social and Historical Studies of Religions’ from the University of Bologna), currently researching on history and sociology of Southasian classical religious and legal traditions, is Assistant Professor of ‘History of Indian Religions’ at the University of Florence. He is also Lecturer in Sociology of Cultural Processes in South Asia at the Post-graduate Master Program ‘Immigrati e Rifugiati’, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, and Lecturer in Indology at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’. He is author and editor of different volumes, like Tradition, Veda and Law (Manohar 2008), Yoga. Fra storia, salute e mercato (Carocci 2008), Ex Oriente Lux, Luxus, Luxuria. Storia e sociologia delle tradizioni religiose sudasiatiche in Occidente (SEF 2006) and Boundaries, Dynamics and Construction of Traditions (Firenze University Press 2005).


U of T Study of Religion: http://www.religion.utoronto.ca/

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Saturday, February 12, 2011

UT: March 3- The Trouble with Tribals: Indian Esoteric Buddhism and Fantasies of the Primitive

In case you are interested:


Christian Wedemeyer, Assistant Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School, will be a Numata Program visiting speaker on March 3, 2011, from 4-6 pm at the Jackman Humanities Building (170 St George St), Room 317. He will deliver a lecture entitled “The Trouble with Tribals: Indian Esoteric Buddhism and Fantasies of the Primitive.”

Prior to coming to the University of Chicago, Christian Wedemeyer was University Instructor of South Asian Studies and Director of the Tibetan Studies program at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark (Københavns Universitet). He has also taught at Columbia University, Barnard College, Antioch University and Wesleyan University. He teaches a variety of courses on Buddhism, South Asian religions and the academic study of religion(s) and does research on the history, literature and ritual practice of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist communities, ca. AD 700–1400.



U of T Study of Religion: http://www.religion.utoronto.ca/

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

DDMBA: Feb 12, PASS ON THE LAMP OF WISDOM - One Day Retreat

In case you are interested:

PASS ON THE LAMP OF WISDOM
DDMBA Ontario February One Day Chan Meditation Retreat


Event: PASS ON THE LAMP OF WISDOM - One Day Retreat
Date: Saturday, February 12, 2011 Time: 9:15am to 5:00pm

Location: DDMBA Ontario, 154 Poyntz Avenue, Toronto M2N 1J4


You are warmly invited to a One Day Ch'an Meditation Retreat to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of Master Sheng Yen's passing on Feb 12th. This is part of a world-wide set of commemorative events held in that weekend. Please show your support by attending and by inviting friends.

Registration begins at 9:15am, and the program of the day starts at 9:30am. Both in the morning and in the afternoon, there would be showing of Master Sheng Yen's recorded discourses with English subtitles, followed by about one hour of sitting meditation with a break half way for stretching exercises. The day's program would end with a short period of reciting the Amitaba Buddha's name and the transferring of merits. From 4:30 to 5:00pm, there would be a session of optional informal association among the participants.

Sitting in this retreat is less intensive compared to the earlier ones and is suitable to participants with a broad range of meditation experience. Instead of one full day, participants are welcome to attend either only the morning or the afternoon session. Be sure to wear loose, warm and comfortable clothing suited to sitting. DDM provides cushions, sitting mats, towels, and a light vegetarian lunch.

In the spirit of sharing with the community of Ch'an practitioners, participants of this retreat are also encouraged to contribute a vegetarian dish or snack for the retreat lunch. (Dishes contributed should not contain any form of onions, including green onions, any form of garlics, chimes as well as egg products.)

Please kindly RSVP meditation@ddmba-ontario.ca the latest by February 10 should you plan to attend the retreat and, if you plan to bring a dish, inform us about the dish that you would bring.


With Palms Joined,

DDMBA Ontario
http://www.ddmba-ontario.ca

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Friday, February 4, 2011

DDMBA: Sunday Feb 6 Chinese New Year Celebration

In case you are interested:

Sunday Feb 6 Meditation Cancellation/Chinese New Year Celebration Notice


Dear Friend,

This is to notify you that DDMBA Ontario will not be having its regular Sunday Sitting Meditation Session on Sunday February 6, due to the upcoming DDMBA Ontario Chinese New Year Celebration.

DDMBA Ontario's Chinese New Year Celebration will be held this Sunday, February 6, 2011 at the North York Central Library Auditorium. Please note that the official start and end time for this event has changed to 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, with sign-in and registration time beginning at 11:00 am.

Everyone is welcome to this joyful gathering to celebrate a New Year of opportunities and challenges with the DDM chapter. Scheduled events include:
  • Complementary potluck vegetarian meal in the company of fellow DDM members, friends and family. (Participants are encouraged to provide a vegetarian dish for this event).
  • Special Viewing of Master Sheng Yen's Memorial Concert DVD
  • Chinese New Year special activities
  • Presentations and sharing

Admission to this event is free for everyone and we encourage you to bring your loved ones to celebrate, as well as learn more about DDMBA Ontario's upcoming events for 2011.

We hope to see you at this event, as well as check our website for other upcoming events and regular activities, by visiting www.ddmba-ontario.ca.

What: DDMBA Ontario Chinese New Year Celebration
When: Sunday, February 6, 2011, 11:30 am - 3:30 pm (registration begins at 11 am; lunch at 11:30 am)
Where: Auditorium, North York Central Library,
5120 Yonge Street Toronto, ON M2N 5N9
Admission: Free


Happy Chinese New Year!


DDMBA Ontario

www.ddmba-ontario.ca

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

UT: Feb 18-20: Film & Workshop Series on Documentary Film in Tibet and Burma

In case you are interested:

New Voices, New Visions

A Film & Workshop Series on Documentary Film in Tibet and Burma

On February 18-20, 2011, the University of Toronto's Department for the Study of Religion has organized a showcase of films by emerging Tibetan and Burmese filmmakers. Filmmakers will be in attendance to discuss their films and discuss their work with Canadian documentary filmmakers.

The film presentations will be held on two of the University of Toronto campuses and will feature ethnographic films by young Tibetans from within China and young Burmese filmmakers, a lecture and film on Buddhism in Burma, and a workshop on documentary film and development in Asia. Interesting similarities between Burmese and Tibetan cultures – both of which flourish in strongly Buddhist, intellectually rich yet economically poor communities living within difficult political boundaries – make this cross-cultural comparison especially compelling. The weekend will feature works of emerging and established Tibetan filmmakers, most of which have never been shown outside China, Burmese students participating in the Yangon (Rangoon) Film School, and established Anglo-Burman filmmaker Lindsey Merrison. Films will be followed by discussions with invited Toronto filmmakers. Discussions will also focus on the special value of participatory film projects for young people living in threatened cultural groups and on the potential of open access and open source tools and practices for these communities. The event venues will be enhanced by a stunning exhibit of images by Plateau Photographers, an open participatory photography project that trains minority students in western China.

Canadian Gemini Award winning filmmakers in attendance include Shelley Saywell, Cyrus Sundar Singh and others. Filmmaker Dorje Tsering Chenaktsang (aka Jangbu), who is considered by many to be Tibet’s greatest living poet, will be joined by Anglo-Burman director and producer Lindsey Merrison, Tibetan Studies scholar Dr. Françoise Robin, and two Tibetan student filmmakers, Dondrup Dorje and Otto Wendekar, who will present their work to Canadian audiences for the first time.

Organized by the U of T’s Department for the Study of Religion, the event series is co-sponsored by the Jackman Humanities Institute, the Dr. David Chu Distinguished Leaders Program, the UTSC Tung Lin Kok Yuen Perspectives on Buddhist Thought and Culture Program, the Asian Institute, the East Asia Group, the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, the Cinema Studies Institute, Open Scholarship, and the Religion in the Public Sphere Initiative.

For more information, see http://www.religion.utoronto.ca/new-voices-new-visions/ or contact Frances Garret, frances.garrett@utoronto.ca


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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

UT: Feb 17-18: Albert Welter, University of Winnipeg

In case you are interested:

The University of Toronto/McMaster University Yehan Numata Program in Buddhist Studies

Presents

Professor Albert Welter, University of Winnipeg

On Thursday, February 17, 2011, 4-6 pm, Professor Welter will join the Numata Reading Group at U of T, Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St. George St., Room 318. Our guest, faculty, and students, will discuss the readings from “Strange Brew: The Fictional Background to Yulu Encounter Dialogues”. Please contact christoph.emmrich@utoronto.ca if you would like to join and receive the required materials.

On Friday, February 18, 2011, 4-6 pm, Professor Welter’s lecture, “The Buddhist School of Principle and the Intellectual Climate of the Song Dynasty China”, will be held at McMaster University, in University Hall 122.

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

UT: Feb 3-4: Anne Monius of Harvard University

In case you are interested:

The University of Toronto/McMaster University Yehan Numata Program in Buddhist Studies

Presents

Professor Anne Monius, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University

On Thursday, February 3, 2011, at 4 - 6 pm. Professor Anne Monius’ Lecture, “With No One to Bind Action and Agent: The Fate of Buddhists as Religious 'Other' in Tamil Śaiva Literature”, will be held at McMaster University, in University Hall 122.

On Friday, February 4, 2011, 4-6 pm Professor Anne Monius will join the Numata Reading Group at U of T, Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St. George St., Room 318. Our guest, faculty, and students, will discuss the readings from “The Vīracōliyam. Language, Literary Theory, and Religious Community, and Imagining Community through Commentary”. Please contact christoph.emmrich@utoronto.ca if you would like to join and receive the required materials.

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