The following is a short speech given by Shibata Sensei at the end of a Sunday morning Kyudo class in Boulder on 2 April 1989.
It was written down by Don Symanski and edited jointly by Don Symanski and Ellen Mains.

"What does zazen mean? Does it mean to be high? Sometimes you sleep, sometimes you're high ... an hour goes by, two hours. Kyudo is almost the same. When you shoot at the target, sometimes there is too much hope. Your style of shooting is full of hope, hope, hope. It's like businessmen who hope, hope, hope to make a lot of money. My only hope is that you can become more relaxed. You are hoping, hoping too much.
Meditation is non-thinking, all non-thinking. I say the heart alone should be strong. You should work alone to make your heart beautiful. Do you understand? Kyudo is the same. Everybody practices the Seven Coordinations and the Five 'Taste Qualities' ('Gomi'). Gomi is very, very difficult to understand. First we work on the style, the Seven Coordinations. Everyone starts to look good: Ashibumi, Dozokuri... Uchi-okoshi, Hikitori... good.
But you can't see the Five Flavours. The Five Taste Qualities are inside you. They are feeling. You can taste sugar and salt. If sugar rots your teeth, it is not so good. Too much salt is not so good either. But you cannot see the five qualities of taste. They are different for everyone. Everybody has a different style. When you practise the Seven Coordinations, you can observe them and correct or adjust them. Now, practising the Seven Coordinations is still difficult for everyone. Later, the five qualities of taste will emerge. But for now, practise the Seven Coordinations.
At the moment, everyone is like the inside of an egg. In the beginning, the inside of an egg is white and yellow. At this moment, everyone is like this white and yellow. Later, when the yolk develops inside, you can pick up the egg and hear a "beep-beep-beep" sound inside. This is the moment when the egg cracks and a chick comes out. To say "five flavours" sounds a bit strange. In Japanese, "gomi" means taste. But it is difficult to explain the meaning. In meditation and kyudo, you have the chance to have a beautiful heart. Everyone can have a beautiful face. Sometimes women use make-up, or a man puts on a suit and shows an elegant style. But inside, there is a question mark. I hope you will let a good mind and a good heart emerge through meditation and kyudo. Thank you very much."

By Kanjuro Shibata Sensei XX