Category Archives: buddhism

Mind / Body / Bow

Posted on July 14, 2017 by karamatsu

Another long delay! Maybe this is how it will be for a while? Things are happening but slowly, and in a one step forward, one step in a totally random direction sort of way. I went through a period where … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhist practice, dozukuri, kai, kyudo, kyudo notebook, mind | 3 Comments

Kyudo Notebook: Demons

Posted on August 23, 2015 by karamatsu

I can’t believe I haven’t written anything since June. Time goes so fast in the summer time, in part because people try to cram a full year of activity into the warm months, before we all go into hibernation. There’s … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, buddhist practice, kyudo, kyudo notebook, mind, shinsa | 4 Comments

Buddhist Notebook: Compassion and Emptiness

Posted on February 14, 2015 by karamatsu

It’s often said that when someone has realized emptiness it enables them to have even greater compassion for other beings. I’ve wondered about that because, with my limited intellectual understanding, I often find myself getting frustrated with people, rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, buddhist notebook, buddhist practice | 4 Comments

Buddhist/Kyudo Notebook: Training

Posted on February 4, 2015 by karamatsu

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the intersections between Buddhism and Kyudo. There are many, of course, but one of the more central has to do with the notion of 自然の離れ, a natural release. Dan DeProspero says it’s in … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, buddhist notebook, buddhist practice, kyudo, kyudo notebook, mind, shinsa | 4 Comments

Kyudo Notebook: Nagoya 2014 (5) 美

Posted on April 25, 2014 by karamatsu

For all that I learned and experienced in Nagoya the conversation that remains with me most deeply and unexpectedly was with TSH, a friend from Taiwan who I met for the first time the day before the seminar began. After … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, buddhist notebook, buddhist practice, kyudo, kyudo notebook, mind | 4 Comments

Kyudo Notebook: 心

Posted on January 18, 2014 by karamatsu

Recently I had a bit of a heart-to-heart with my teacher at an onsen. We have a party there every January to kick off the new year. What he’s been telling me since last year (or really before that… hmmm…) … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, japan, kyudo, kyudo notebook | 6 Comments

Kyudo Notebook: The Show Must Go On

Posted on August 30, 2013 by karamatsu

I haven’t written anything in a while because I’ve been struggling on various levels, and it’s hard to write when the conclusion still seems far away. It all began a few weeks ago when I happened to manage the best … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, hanare, kyudo, kyudo notebook, taihai, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Kyudo Notebook: More of the Same

Posted on July 30, 2013 by karamatsu

Over the weekend we had an enteki taikai, shooting at 60m. The last time I shot at that distance was the same taikai a year earlier, so… coming to it fresh, to say the least. But my first four practice … Continue reading →

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Kyudo Notebook: The Value of Competition

Posted on July 18, 2013 by karamatsu

A while back someone mentioned reading about a taikai here, and seemed to feel it was somehow not in the true spirit of kyudo. We had our monthly mini-taikai today and on the way home I was thinking about it, … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, buddhist practice, kyudo, kyudo notebook, mind, shinsa, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Kyudo Notebook: Essays in Idleness

Posted on May 17, 2013 by karamatsu

I’m in Kansai now, and have some down time while my travel partner isn’t feeling well. So I bought Kenkō’s Tsurezuregusa, the Essays in Idleness, and have been enjoying it quite a bit. There are many good passages that, contrary … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhist notebook, japan notebook, kyudo notebook, mind, quote | Leave a comment