Zenko International (All Tiger Groups) – Online News – January 2006 Dear Kyudo friends, Warm greetings, Has someone seen Winter somewhere, so far? What an amazing month of January! From what I have seen and from what I have heard, well, Winter sounds pretty much like Spring. Should we be surprised? We hope that you’re all well. Here follows the January Issue of Zenko’s Online News. Enjoy your reading. ___________ ZENKO WEBSITE - NEW If you haven’t visited Zenko’s website lately, you will discover the `` Students Area ``. Information for Zenko’s Kyudo Students such as: - 2003 events - Practice Info - 2003 Equipment Report To get to the ``Students Area``, please use the following `` Username `` and ``Password ``: Much more to come. Enjoy your visit … ____________ EXCHANGE PROGRAM The drawing with respect to Zenko’s Kyudo Exchange Program (for a North American Kyudoka to go to Europe) took place on Monday January 23, 2006 at Toko Kyudojo, New York, USA. Congratulations to David Wilburn who is the winner for North America. David is in the `` difficult `` process of deciding which of the programs he will be attending in Europe under the guidance of Kanjuro Shibata XXI, Sensei. Well, `` good luck `` in your reflection David. We will be following David’s journey to Europe and come back to you with `` all `` the details. HOW did Toko Kyudojo deal with the drawing ? Here follows Glenn Petersen’s description: On January 23rd the drawing for the North American winner of the 2006 European/North American Zenko program exchange was held at Toko Kyudojo in New York, during our regular practice. There were five entrants in the running. In order to make the drawing engaging and appropriate to the circumstances, the name of the winner and runner-up was to be selected by shooting and arrow into a paper with the names of the entrants in equal sections. The person whose section was pierced would be the winner. To decide who would shoot the arrows, eighteen of the practitioners present drew straws. The person with the longest straw was to shoot for the winner; the person with the shortest straw was to shoot for the runner-up. I had prepared in advance a circle of paper divided into five equal pie-shaped sections, with each of the five entrants' names in one of the sections. The paper circle was attached to a makiwara with the blank side facing out so that none of the names were visible. The paper circle was not shown to anyone in advance, so that no-one knew the position of any of the names. Also, the names of the entrants were not revealed before the drawing. The drawer of the long straw went up to the makiwara and shot one arrow into the paper circle. The paper was removed from the makiwara for inspection, and section pierced by the arrow determined the winner. The runner-up was selected in a similar manner. In order to ensure that the winner was not selected again, and that the position of the names on the paper remained concealed, the paper circle used to select the winner was not reused. Four regular sheets of paper were prepared in advance, each divided into quarters with the four possible names. Each name was put in a different quadrant on the various sheets to make the results more random. Once the winner had been determined among the five entrants, the correct sheet of paper with the remaining four names was attached to the makiwara with the blank side out, and shot at by the drawer of the short straw. The paper was then removed and inspected to determine which entrant's section had been pierced. Happily, everyone present seemed to find this selection method to be amusing and engaging. We are hopeful that this will continue to be an enjoyable task for other dojos that have the honor of conducting future drawings. Best Regards, Glenn Petersen Toko Kyudojo ___________ FROM ALBERT SIMON – Suiko Kyuodojo – Montreal (Quebec) - Canada "The yumi is the teacher," said Sensei, years ago, "it teaches us to treat ourselves with discipline and others with kindness". When I started practicing Kyudo, those simple words told me that I was in the right place, doing the right thing. And on my first day, I also learned from one of the instructors, the importance of maintaining my natural dignity. Since that time I have passed to others what I've learned, whenever I could, as part of Kyudo training. I knew about those notions before Kyudo but it felt good to find them included as part of the practice. We don't need to recite vows to be reminded of them. Doing is the practice, not reciting vows or slogans. For example, some people talk endlessly about compassion but truly compassionate people don't need to be reminded. They know and they do. And what they do is what they are. It is common for children to recite texts in groups but whenever adults purposefully recite anything together, it is either a religious behaviour or an expression of allegiance to an organization or a leader. Kyudo is, however, a haven of meditation and neutrality, a place - as well as a time - where people from different backgrounds get together and leave their personal beliefs at the door of the dojo. They can walk in with an uncluttered mind and practice Kyudo and meditation. They can listen to others without judging, they can sincerely offer their help to others when needed, and they can also practice their form with an unwavering determination. What I have just listed here are examples of Chi, Jin, Yu, the subject of many talks by Sensei until 2004. No group recitation was necessary for us to get the message. Nor did we need slogans for realizing the importance of balance and for practicing Kyudo with a clear heart, two elements at the core of Sensei's teachings for many years. All we needed - and still do - was quiet determination. Let us encourage each one of us to work with others and to work on ourselves through Kyudo and meditation, balancing our body, mind and emotions. And to achieve that, let us continue to practice Kyudo, and keep it, as it has been, neutral. Albert Simon, December 17, 2005 ___________ KYUDO PROGRAM – Toko Kyudojo – New York – USA Toko Kyudojo in New York City announces that registration is open for our annual winter/spring Intensive with Don Symanski. It is a 3 day program open to people who have been maintaining an active practice. The program is a full three days. 8:00 to 5:00 pm Friday through Sunday April 21- 23, 2006. Practitioners from out of town often arrive on Thursday night. This has been a powerful program and an excellent opportunity to focus more intensely on your practice. This year the theme will be Kinko : Balance. The program cost is $165 before March 15 ( $185 after). Space is limited. To be on the list you must send a deposit, first come, first served. Mail to: Toko c/o the NY Shambhala Center 118 West 22nd Street NY NY 10011 or by Pay Pal on our web site after February 8 - tokokyudojo.org. Priority will be given to those registering for all three days. You may put yourself on the list for 2 days time and if the program is not full we will notify you. Additional information about the focus of the program and a daily schedule will be mailed out in the next two weeks, and posted on our web site. Some housing with dojo members will be available. Some scholarships are also available. We look forward to seeing you in New York. Questions / comments: info@tokokyudojo.org Or co-coordinator David Wilburn: ganbate@gmail.com ___________ Well that’s it for the January Issue of your Online News. 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