Zenko Int’l (All Tiger Groups) – Online News – December 2005 Dear Kyudo Friends, Warm greetings, A new year is beginning and with it our best wishes of good health, peacefulness and happiness to all. ____________ EXCHANGE PROGRAM Thank you to all of those who have sent in their interest in order to participate in the Kyudo Exchange Program. As indicated in the November issue of the Online News, the winners’ names will be announced in the January issue of the Online News. Good luck to all participants. ___________ ONLINE NEWS on Zenko’s website Thank you to John Taylor and Christopher Triplett for having made this possible. Please take a minute to visit Zenko’s web site (www.zenko.org) and see how easy it is to find the previous issues of the Online News. ___________ REPORT on the Tenth Annual Pan Helvetic / Pan European Kyudo Seminar (18th - 20th November 2005) Koko-Kyudojo, Bern, Switzerland After spending a pleasant day wandering around the quiet old capital city of Switzerland in the Winter sunshine, we where warmly welcomed by the members of the Bern dojo to the annual autumn/winter seminar. Practice was then possible in two halls, one for Makiwara practice, the other long distance, which provided a plenty of space to practice for the some 35 practitioners in attendance. The program brought together people from Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland. The following days started at 8:00 am taking breakfast together, all meals over the weekend where taken together, eating in the dining area of the Nursing School, with the exception of Saturday evening when we ate in a small restaurant in a community centre, which afforded the possibility to continue sampling the different beers available in Bern. In the course of the weekend there where seminars on Saturday on the general care of a Yumi and on the Sunday on the Nakashikake. The theme for this years talk and following group discussions was "Kyudo and Meditation". I came away with some thought provoking ideas on ego. After lunch on Sunday, a Birthday cake complete with candles appeared out of the kitchen and to the sound of everybody singing Happy Birthday the cake was placed in front of one of the founding members of the program to blow out the candles and distribute the cake. In the break in the afternoon session, there where Japanese buckwheat biscuits, brought back by a dojo member on a recent visit to Japan, a gift from Shibata Sensei XXI, accompanied by his wishes for a good strong practice. The closing demonstration was dedicated to all practitioners who because of illness could not attend. The weekend practice came to an end as it started with a small snack, but this time accompanied by glass or two of Sake. A wonderfully well organized program where as one takes ones leave, at the same time tired after the intensive practice, but energised and inspired for the regular practice, it's difficult not to think about coming back next year. John Taylor Shuko Kyudojo, Munster, Germany ___________ 3 VOWS / BOOKLET In November 2005 we received an e-mail entitled `` A message from Shibata Sensei `` signed by Carolyn Green with respect to the 3 Vows. Said message and the Booklet sent later on aroused reflection, questions and comments within our Kyudo Community. Zenko International’s Council invite discussion and comments to take place via the Online News and suggest that said comments be also sent directly to Shibata Sensei (via Carolyn Green – Carolyn@windhorse.com) with c.c. to the Council (for e-mail addresses please see the end of this document). Please note that the Council will not issue its own statement. Here follows questions raised by Alfred Schmidt from Gako Kyudojo, Vienna, Austria and Sensei’s response. Dear Carolyn, I would like to thank you very much in the name of our GAKO-students for the booklet, "Three vows...,” which you sent us. For me it was very interesting to read, but also a little confusing. On one side, it explicitly states that "Kyudo has been and always will be open to all committed students, without regard to their relationship to Shambhala" (affirmation-paper, 4th paragraph). On the other hand, throughout the booklet there is a very strong Shambhala perspective expressed, e.g., many quotations and photos of Chogyam Trungpa. So, I have this very simple question to ask Sensei, which I would like you to address to him. Is a personal connection to the Shambhala world a precondition to practice Kyudo in the tradition of Kanjuro Shibata XX? Does Sensei want all his students to develop a personal connection to Shambhala? It would be very useful and clarifying, if we could have a clear answer to these questions. Thank you very much in advance! Best regards from GAKO-Kyudojo Vienna Alfred GAKO-Kyudojo Wien http://www.gako-kyudojo.at.tf/ Von: Carolyn Eve Green [mailto:carolyn@windhorse.com] Gesendet: Samstag, 17. Dezember 2005 18:43 An: Alfred Schmidt Betreff: Re: A question to Sensei Dear Alfred, Thank you for your email and your candid question. Personally, I am glad these questions are arising. Genuine discussion certainly seems to be vital to our health as a kyudo family, so I appreciate your willingness to facilitate communication. Here is Sensei’s response, delivered as directly as possible: “This very question is budo thinking. It is target shooting style thinking. Using the seven co-ordinations to polish one’s style, to have good shooting don’t mind! The point is for everyone to make their deep hearts good and clear. Hitting the target, not hitting the target, either way is fine. Japanese kyudo, the ‘dan’ system, has become about target shooting only. The ‘dan’ system is only for the enjoyment of ego. In India, meditation practice occurs in the (Avaduti Mandala?) practice halls, meditation halls. Our kyudo is the same. It takes place in a Zen meditation hall, a practice hall, not a sports hall. Shambhala vision is the same. Trungpa Rinpoche also came from an Onyumishi line. His grandfather was Onyumishi in Tibet. So, Trungpa Rinpoche very quickly understood the essence of kyudo practice. Unlike what has happened in Japan, he understood the unimportance of hitting the target. Thus, he helped lay the ground for kyudo practice in the West. The vision we shared is the same. I am not forcing anyone to practice in any particular way. Do as you please. Come or go. But this is the kyudo that I teach. It is meditation, not a sport.” (END QUOTE) This was Sensei’s first response, yesterday. This morning, I went over the text of this answer with him once more and he added the following: “This is a good practice point. In the ‘dan’ system everyone begins at zero. Then, they progress from zero to one, two, three, four. This is their encouragement to practice. In particular, new students want this kind of encouragement. Without this kind of encouragement, many people quickly give up. They become three day monks. It is much harder to practice without this kind of goal in mind. To quickly understand this point about the unimportance of target shooting and rank is difficult. It takes a lot of gambatte, perseverance, and patience. In China, the old style was to eat what is bitter. One hopes for a soft futon, but instead sleeps on a hard rice mat. One hopes for sashimi and sushi, but instead eats low food. I’m the same. Everyone is the same. I like delicious, good food, but I have cut my hope for it. To understand this quickly (like looking up a word in the dictionary) is not possible. It comes from time and long practice.” Then, I said to Sensei: “So, for many people this question about the connection to Shambhala is a bitter question. Are you saying that they need to ‘eat it’, to chew on it, in some sense?” Sensei responded: “Of course! Budo, karate, kendo, are all about cutting other people. Kyudo is about cutting one’s ego. The real old samurai practiced in the same way. They did not rise in rank by cutting other people. They cut their own hearts, their own egos. Meditation, meditation, meditation. The budo style is that sometimes you cut other people. If someone is a woman or a child or weaker, you might send them away because they are seen to be of no use. But in kyudo we do not push or pull anyone. Everyone is invited to help.” (END QUOTE) Alfred, I hope this is of some benefit. Feel free to stay in touch and I will do whatever I can, as well, to facilitate communication. Best regards to you and all of Gako Kyudojo, Carolyn ___________ 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