More Food for Thought

From The Prophet
by Kahlil Gibran

You have been told that life is darkness,
and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness
save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there
is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when
there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love:
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself,
and to one another, and to God.

Food for Thought

As Dr. Shinichi Suzuki so aptly put it, “Only practice on the days you eat.”

Kyudo is Life

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.“
Aristotle

I ran across this quote today and immediately thought of how this relates to Kyudo. One of the things brought up at the Autumn Kyudo Alliance seminar this past weekend, was the phrase from the Kyohon, “Kyudo is Life“.

On Page 9 of the Kyohon it states:
Kyudo is not simply a way to create well-being and train the body, but a way to bring enhancement and cultivation to your life… we, as practitioners of Kyudo, who are expected to master such virtues as discipline, modesty, gentleness, self-restraint, and reflection through the shooting, can realize these qualities in our own life.

In regard to kai on page 70, the subject is again brought up, stating:
…at the full draw you must wipe away negativity like doubt, anxiety, faint heartedness, fear, and self-depreciation and make the effort to fulfill the spirit with self-control, composure, endurance, and determination, founded on the right belief. This disciplining of oneself in this very precious way is connected to Shasoku-Jinsei-Shooting is Life.

As Blackwell Sensei has said, “Practice as if you are testing…”. I take this to mean with sincerity and determination, doing our very best each time we shoot. The Way is in the training.

Hopefully, if we practice faithfully and strive for excellence in our Kyudo, we will bring excellence into our own lives as well and learn the true meaning of “Kyudo is Life”.

2009 Kyudo Seminar

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Originally uploaded by USC Upstate

Spartanburg, SC

2009 Kyudo Seminar

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Originally uploaded by USC Upstate

USA, Japan, Canada, Mexico and Argentina

2009 Seminar

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Originally uploaded by USC Upstate

Okazaki Sensei
Spartanburg, SC

2009 Kyudo Seminar

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Originally uploaded by USC Upstate

Okazaki Sensei

2009 Kyudo Seminar of the Americas

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Originally uploaded by USC Upstate

Miyauchi Sensei, Kubota Sensei, Okazaki Sensei

2009 Kyudo Seminar of the Americas

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Okazaki Sensei
2009 Kyudo Seminar of the Americas

2009 Kyudo Seminar

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Originally uploaded by USC Upstate

2009 Kyudo Seminar of the Americas

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Originally uploaded by USC Upstate

2009 Kyudo Seminar

2009 Kyudo Seminar

Test Day

Makiwara Practice

2009 Kyudo Seminar of the Americas

Yatori on Test Day

2009 Kyudo Seminar of the Americas

Test Day

2009 Kyudo Seminar of the Americas