SQLException: java.sql.SQLException: ORA-01000: maximum open cursors

We are receiving this error from our app (which is using JSP);  SQLException: java.sql.SQLException: ORA-01000: maximum open cursors exceeded

Database is 8.1.6.

open_cursors is set to 500 in the init.ora param file (we upped this from 100 last week).

When I check the open_cursors from the v$open_cursor view, I never see the values anywhere near 500!

Output of query;
 select saddr,sid,user_name,count(*) countcur from v$open_cursor group by saddr,sid,user_name
  order by 4,3

SADDR           SID USER_NAME                        COUNTCUR
-------- ---------- ------------------------------ ----------
8C0EF908         69 SYS                                     1
8C0E1A48         42 ESPADMIN                                3
8C0D4C08         17 CND                                     4
8C0D9E88         27 CNDI                                    4
8C0F2248         74 ESPADMIN                                4
8C0E6488         51 ESPADMIN                                5
8C0E2AC8         44 CND                                     6
                                                   ----------
sum                                                        27

Isn't the open_cursor param setting the open cursors per SESSION? If my value is 500, why do I keep getting the ORA-01000 error??? What is going on here? Am I seeing another param limit being reached and the ORA-01000 error getting thrown? Any help per advice is greatly appreciated.

PS. I am aware (from previous posts) that the v$open_cursor table actually shows ALL cursors (open,closed,cached), not just open cursors. I issue 'alter system flush shared_pool' and the output from this table goes down to 1 or 2. Then it starts to climb back up again. BUT it never reaches 500! Received on Mon Nov 06 2000 - 09:56:23 CST