Zen and the Ways Kyudo Retreat

Kyudo Retreat

May 13- 22, 2025

prerequisite:  Touch and Go Introduction to Meditation.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche invited the 20th Generation Samurai, Shibata Sensei-- Bowmaker to the Emperor of Japan and Head of a Chikkurin Ryu branch of the Heki School of Japanese archery --to come to the United States and instruct his direct students in the martial art of kyudo in 1982.  Sensei taught what he called "mind kyudo" which he said was the same as "standing zen." 

He differentiated this approach to kyudo from what he called "sports kyudo."  In Japan, Sensei said, kyudo had become "sports kyudo," and that students were more interested in hitting the target than in developing the awakened mind.  Trungpa Rinpoche's students were receptive to the teachings on "mind kyudo" and they also purchased many of his bamboo yumis or bows.  Sensei moved permanantly to Boulder, CO from his home in Kyoto in the mid 1980's.  The claim that all kyudo in Japan is "sports kyudo" is not exactly true--though there is nothing quite like turning it into a competitive highschool sport to kill the spirit of it.  One only has to watch highly trained kyudoka in Japan and now the west to realize that these practitioners have reached a very high level of spiritual and physical refinement in their practice.  It is the close connection between Trungpa Rinpoche's Shambhala and Dzogchen teachings that makes our training in kyudo unique here at DMC-- and that is the purpose of training in kyudo here.  You will not be training with a kyudo master during this retreat-- you will be training with a kyudo instructor-- Tashi Armstrong.

Tashi was a direct student of Shibata Sensei starting in 1987.  Lived at Shibata Sensei's house in Boulder in 1993-4.  Was made an instructor by Shibata Sensei in 2000.  He was a direct student of Vidyadhara Trungpa Rinpoche and was accepted as a tantric disciple in 1986.

Class equipment will be provided along with room and board

$795.00