Zenko Int’l (All Tiger Groups) – Online News – November 2005



Dear Kyudo friends
Greetings to all,


Snow has already whitened some of our grounds
and we can already feel winter knocking at the door.


It is with great pleasure and
lots of enthusiasm that  Zenko Int'l's
Council Members announce the launch of the

K y u d o    E x c h a n g e    P r o g r a m.


The main goals of this project are,
first,
to create and strengthen links between practitioners
of Europe and North America (N.A.) in respect of Sensei's wish
of having one strong Kyudo family and,
secondly,
to allow Kyudo practitioners to widen and deepen their Kyudo practice.

The Kyudo Exchange Program is structured in a way that will
permit a European Kyudo practitioner to practice
and learn under the guidance of Shibata Sensei XX
by attending a Kyudo program in N.A.
and similarly
to permit a N. A. Kyudo practitioner to practice
and learn under the guidance of Shibata Sensei XXI
by attending a Kyudo program in Europe.


In order for this project to be successful
some simple rules need to be followed :


___________

Rules
___________


1)
by December 31, 2005 every interested person who meets the prerequisite
(see below)
should send his/her candidacy to the Communication facilitator
(Com.fac.)
by e-mail (jean-pierre.poggi@sympatico.ca);


2)
by mid-January, 2006:

a) the Com.fac. will forward the lists (Europeans and N.A. candidates)
to each Council Member;
b) a designated Council Member of Zenko Int'l, with the presence of at
least one more person, will draw one (1) name and one (1) back up from
the list of  the Europeans' candidates and one (1) name and one (1) back
up from the list of the N.A.'s candidates;

NB: The first drawing of the Kyudo Exchange Program will be taken care
of
        by Toko Kyudojo (New York – USA) for the N.A. candidates and,
        by Oko (Europe umbrella for all European Dojos) for the European

        candidates.

c) the Com.fac will contact the winners and confirm their wish to take
advantage of the Exchange Program.
If they deny it, the back up will take the winner’s place.

3)
the winners’ names will be announced in the January Issue of Zenko's
Int'l's Online News;

4)
by mid-February 2006
the N.A. winner will have to inform the Com.Fac. of the choice of the
program he/she wishes to attend in Europe and
by mid-April 2006
the European winner will have to inform the Com.fac. of the choice of
the program he/she wishes to attend in N.A..

Reminder:
The program needs to be in N.A. under the guidance of Shibata Sensei XX
for the European winner
and in Europe under the guidance of Shibata Sensei XXI for the N.A.
winner.




5)
Zenko Int'l and Oko  will finance the entire program fee,
including accommodations, and will contribute $400.00 US for travel
expenses to each winning candidate.
All travel arrangements will be the responsibility of the winners.

6)
The winners are invited to share their experiences of the Exchange
Program  by sending an  e-mail to the Com.fac. within one month of the
program they attended. Their experience will be shared with the whole
community via the Online News.


___________

Prerequisite
___________


To be eligible each candidate must have paid his/her dues to Zenko Int'l
for the previous 3 years (2003, 2004, 2005 or 2004, 2005 and 2006) by
January 30, 2006.
If this has not been the case, one can regularize his/her situation
by paying off the unpaid dues (for 2003, 2004 and 2005) by December 31,
2005 to Zenko International:
685 South Emerson Street, Denver, Colorado 80209

Membership are(were) as follows:

Individual:               2003/04: $90         2005/06: $120
Senior/Student:        2003/04: $65         2005/06: $75
Family:                    2003/04: $150        2005/06: $150
Support:                   2003/04:   -            2005/06: $200


NB: To the N.A. potential candidates, please note the schedule of
Kanjuro Shibata XXI,
        Sensei for 2006 (as of today):

        February 24-26     Lausanne – Switzerland
        March 3-5             Dusseldorf – Germany
        March 10-12         Vienna – Austria

        Please make sure to check regularly on Zenko’s web site
(www.zenko.org)
        for any changes.

        Also take note that Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei’s schedule for
2006 will
        be available some time in early 2006.


We are looking forward to receiving soon your candidacy.
Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity to meet, practice and learn
in a different and yet very enriching environment.

Good luck to everyone !

___________


From Laurajean and Jack Stewart – Vermont Practice Group – USA
samuraihini@hotmail.com

Jack & LJ Stewart, and the Vermont Practice Group, invite everyone to
celebrate
with a NEW YEAR'S PRACTICE in St.Johnsbury, VT. @ the St.Johnsbury
Academy
on  Sat 12/31, 3-9 PM
Indoor: Makiwara & Long Distance.
This event is in cooperation with the St.Johnsbury 1st Night, and there
are an estimated 1,000 + people participating again this year ...
What a great way to start the New Year and offer our practice to the
local community.

Details:
Pot Luck meals,
bring bedrolls, etc, there's room for 20 overniters on floors at our new
Barnet property (motels nearby).

Suggested donation $25

We MUST know in advance if you plan to join us.
Thank you for calling (802) 633-2594 or sending an e-mail
(samuraihini@hotmail.com)
We are looking forward to welcoming you.

___________


From Dennis Martin – Yoko Kyudojo (Maine, USA)
martin@prexar.com


Translation of the Ryukyu Kyudojo Kun
By Dennis Martin

The dojo kun spells out the founding and guiding principles of a
traditional ryu or school. As such it is imperative that each serious
student know the kun and attempt to live up to these principles.

With the help of my Japanese teacher I was able to translate the dojo
kun that is under the glass on the shrine at Ryukyu Kyudojo in Boulder,
Colorado. At Karme Choling, July 2001, Sam West and I sat with sensei to
verify the translation. Other than emphasis his translation agreed with
mine. It was proposed that the calligraphy would be redone and copies be
sent to all dojo. The only possible change mentioned at the time was to
change Ryukyu to Zenko. Beginning class with everyone reciting these
principles as vows is traditional and is a way for all members to join
together to keep these principles in mind throughout our practice.

What follows is the translation of the dojo kun. Where two words appear
as for example ”develop/nurture” it indicates how the word can be
translated in more than one way.
The English may appear a bit awkward in places because I preferred to
preserve the wording as close to the Japanese as possible. Regardless,
the meaning should be clear.

RYUKO DOJO KUN
(note: long vowels are not indicated)

SHUSHI
Starting from the left of the Japanese document, the first two kanji
mean “main or core principles/purpose”. Its position indicates what is
contained herein is of great importance.

1980 SHOWA GOJUGONEN ROKU GATSU NIJUYON NICHI
 This is the date: Showa 55 (1980) year, 6th month (June), 24 day. To
the left is katakana for Boulder, Colorado.

The next four lines that follow are preceded by the kanji, “hitotsu”,
meaning that each of the statements starting with this kanji is of the
greatest importance. What I wrote here is in the sequence as found on
the document. However, when the statements are read, the sequence is:
line 2, line 5, line 3, line 4

Statement 1
HITOTSU. RYUKYU KYUDOJO WO MYOMEISU
Line two: “Decreed name (as of this date) is Ryuko Kyu Dojo

Statement 3
HITOTSU. DOJO NO HO WO GENSHUSHI HEKI RYU CHIKURIN HA WO SHUTOSU
Line three: It is of utmost importance to strictly observe and guard the
principles of Heki Ryu Chikurin Ha (as those of this dojo.) – Sensei
strongly emphasized “to guard” the principles of Heki ryu.




Statement 4
HITOTSU. SHINTAI WO NERI SEISHIN SHUYO NI HAGEMU
Line four: Be diligent and work hard to nurture spiritual/mental
training and self discipline in practicing/training the body.

Statement 2
HITOTSU. SOGORIKAI TO WAGO WO HAKARU
Line five: Strive to continuously develop/nurture harmony/unity and
mutual understanding.   After translating this sensei said “good
friends”.

IJO
The last line indicates the end of the kun.


___________


From Ken Rawie   -   Miyako Kyudojo   (Washington D.C. – USA)
kenrawie@compuserv.com


I’d like to share with you an inspiring email Vivi Spicer of Washington
DC sent me recently. When she found out the DC Kyudo group was going to
buy a "3 Vows" booklet for her, she replied with the following:

     I never paid Zenko dues this year because it just
     got lost in the activity when [my husband] Peter
     had his stroke this spring. Now I plan to send a
     payment directly to Sensei instead of sending dues
     to Zenko. This is because Sensei directly supported
     us last spring by calling and leaving messages of
     encouragement. It's also because of Sensei's effort
     to clarify the direction of Kyudo, [by publishing the
     "3 Vows"] at his own expense.

Here it seems Sensei gave us all two good examples of how to live by the
3 Vows: (1) by his calling Vivi last spring, he is showing concern for
others; and (2) by publishing these booklets without concern for his own
finances, he is showing us his dedication.

In the end, we persuaded Vivi to accept a booklet as a gift. It’s just
another small gesture of concern and loyalty, like sending her cards or
flowers. The crisis is over, but Vivi's burden continues, as she juggles
caring for Peter and working. And our obligation to help her continues,
too.



On another matter, Sensei's attendant Carolyn Green has verified the
$3(US) booklet price doesn't cover postage. This means that Sensei is
going to take a loss on this project! So I propose we all pay $5 per
booklet to cover the following:

     - Shipping for the booklets we order;

     - Anything left over helps with shipping for
       those who pay only $3. (Why should I pay for
       those people? Because if I don't, Sensei will!)

Here are some more ideas: If you order booklets as a group it reduces
the shipping cost, and leaves more money for Sensei. And some folks in
Miyako are buying more than one booklet. Others are paying more than $5
for their order. Thanks for considering this!

More from Vivi’s email:

     You're doing great. Hang on, because I still
     hope to practice Kyudo again. You should start
     planning who will perform "first shot" for
     the new year [at the Shambhala Center]. I
     have some white sheets to cover your hay
     bale [target].

Vivi’s advice to me here might be helpful for others, too. Now that
Sensei has announced our relationship with Shambhala, some Kyudo groups
may be wondering how to proceed with that. Maybe one way to begin a
conversation with your local Shambhala group is to offer to perform a
Kyudo demonstration at their "Shambhala Day" (new year) celebration. In
Washington we call it a "first shot" ceremony, and it is the first event
of the day.

This year Shambhala Day will be held on February 28, 2006, following the
Tibetan lunar calendar. In Washington, they typically start the day at
around 8:30 (Eastern Standard Time) with the first shot, and then they
recite a liturgy called the "Sadhana of Mahamudra." Then there is a gap
of maybe a half hour or so, after which all the Shambhala centers
connect to a world- wide conference call to hear an address by their
leader, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. After that, people indulge in a
delicious coordinated pot- luck lunch. Other centers may do things
differently, especially in different time zones, but I hope this might
help give a sense of what may happen. You might even pick up a new
member or two!

Another way you might get ideas for working with Shambhala is to ask
them for a copy of their quarterly newsletter, the "Dot." It will talk
about things Shambhala is doing world wide. The next issue is due to
arrive soon, and I hear it has an article on the announcement of
cooperation between Sensei and the Sakyong Mipham, Rinpoche.

Finally, Vivi ends with:

     Thank you for your ongoing patience with
     our situation.

I’m sure Vivi’s thanks go to _everybody_ who participated in the support
effort for her and Peter. Sensei's challenge to us all is to give "good
help" to our community. Please keep up the good work! There's a lot more
all of us can do.

Ken Rawie
Miyako Kyudojo
Washington, DC

___________


Well, it’s `` already `` the end of this Online News’ Issue.
Hope you’ve enjoyed it.


Please do not forget to let me know of the new Kyudo practitioners of
your Dojo or Practice Group’s e-mail address.

We’re looking forward to receiving news to be shared
in our next Online News’ Issue (to jean-pierre.poggi@sympatico.ca by
the 15th of the month).



All the best to all,

Jean-Pierre
On behalf of Zenko International (All Tiger Groups)


Council Members:


Baltin, Max - Oko Representative
baltin@nrw-go.de

Boorstein, James - Chairman
jboorstein@earthlink.net

Mains, Ellen
dranyen@yahoo.com

Poggi, Jean-Pierre – Communication facilitator
jean-pierre.poggi@sympatico.ca

Symanski, Don - Head Instructor
donsymanski@indra.com

Timischl, Eberhard – Oko Representative
e.timischl@privatklinik-wyss.ch

Wenninger, Michael - Financial Comptroller
mwenninger@earthlink.net