Be the Arrow

Went to check out a kyudo class, the Japanese Zen style of archery. There is a group that practices in a nearby Shambhala meditation center. We started with twenty minutes of silent meditation. Tonight we didn’t have archery practice, instead watching a video of the lineage holder Kanjuro Shibata XX at the Smithsonian. He gave a kyudo demonstration and answered questions. The twentieth bowmaker and kyudo master to the Japanese emperor in a lineage since 1104, he came to America to teach because in Japan kyudo has become primarily a competitive sport and not a meditative art. I was really surprised that America would now be the anchor for the spiritual side of this practice.

The class went for drinks afterwards: a surprisingly American spin on class bonding for a zen art. Lucy the instructor is quite friendly and unimposing. John talked my ear off, but he’s just like that. Reiko suggested I meet a gay friend of hers; not the first time someone thought I was gay from a first impression. She later apologized by email but that wasn’t necessary. It was just kind of her to try to set me up.

Moving

i must move in a month or so. i spent more time today cleaning out and organizing things. i have a huge pile of things to give to good will. it’s puzzling where all these things came from.

i’ve noticed that little decisions can have a big impact on my day to day happiness and clarity, and in unexpected ways. the fact that i don’t have a TV now has a huge impact on my lifestyle.

i was listening to a Thich Nhat Hahn CD of one of his lectures called Peace Making, where he recounted a story of a single mother who had to move to a new neighborhood. Shortly after the move her son was getting into all sorts of trouble, because of the other children who lived in that neighborhood. She was wise enough to realize the interconnectedness of her environment and what was happening. She took a second job to raise enough money so she could then move again in a couple months to a better place. Her son then began to get better. I guess you could say that the place that you live is more interconnected with who we are and how we feel than perhaps we realize.