Shambhala Mountain Center Blog

Kyudo practice includes the idea of moral and spiritual development. Today many archers practice kyudo as a sport, with marksmanship being paramount. However, the goal most devotees of kyudo seek is “correct shooting and correct hitting”.

There are many different types of kyudo schools, some of which descend from military shooting and others that descend from ceremonial or contemplative practice. Within the different schools, emphasis varies from aesthetics to efficiency.

The ultimate goal of kyudo can vary also. Some believe that the goal is to attain the state of “truth-goodness-beauty”. This means that an archer with a virtuous spirit and attitude toward all persons and things will shoot beautifully.

In kyudo the unique action of expansion that results in a natural release is sought. When the technique of the shooting is correct the result is that the arrow hits the target. To give oneself completely to the shooting is the spiritual goal, achieved by perfection of both the spirit and shooting technique leading to “no thoughts, no illusions”.

Join Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei and deepen your practice in the Way of the Bow in six day intensive kyudo retreat. The emphasis will be on practice, practice, practice. Join fellow students from around the world as Sensei offers teachings on kyudo mind, manners, and dignity, and shares his incomparable knowledge of kyudo equipment. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center today to learn more.

Kyudo is a form of archery that originated in Japan, where it was pre-historically used for hunting and then later developed for use in warfare. Soon, the ceremonial use of the bow was adopted from China and continued in Japan after it ended in China.

When the samurai took power, archery education become a requirement in Japan. This led to the development of archery schools and a growth in archers’ participation in warfare. In fact, while Japan was consumed by civil war in the 15th and 16th centuries, the popularity of archery and its many schools grew exponentially. However, the use of bow as a weapon came to an end when the first Europeans arrived in Japan in 1542.

1603 – 1868 was an era of peace in Japan, where archery became a “voluntary” skill, practiced partly in the court in ceremonial form and partly in different forms of competition. Traditionally trained as fighters, during this peaceful time the samurai adopted Zen Buddhism, which was introduced to them by Chinese monks. They took their archery skills, combined it with this new philosophy and created a new concept – kyudo.

Practice kyudo with the best! Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei will be leading two kyudo retreats this summer at the Shambhala Mountain Center. Kanjuro Shibata XX, Sensei, is a 20th-generation Kyudo master and 3rd-generation bowmaker to the Emperor of Japan. He is cofounder, with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, of kyudojos (practice halls) in North America and Europe under the auspices of Zenko International. Having trained in Kyudo since childhood, Shibata Sensei, now in his 80s, is the preeminent teacher in the Way of the Bow. Contact the Shambhala Mountain Center to learn more.

While many businesses are currently struggling to stay afloat, yoga retreat centers are experiencing an increase in visitors, especially among the unemployed, the soon-to-be unemployed and the fearing-to-be-unemployed.

While a yoga retreat may be considered an unnecessary expense in such hard times, visitors argue that the emotional and physical benefits that come from a yoga retreat far outweigh any associated cost.

Yoga retreats have become more than a place for the experienced yogi to flex their muscles. They have become healing vacations, a place where people can seek rejuvenation from the stresses of their everyday lives. Additionally, with yoga retreats typically being all-inclusive, the stress that comes from planning activities, meals and transportation is non-existent.

With the pressure of losing your job and a dwindling savings account, many people feel guilty about lying on the beach and drinking a cocktail. Whereas with a yoga retreat, you can’t help but feel that despite paying for your stay, you’re doing something good for yourself, making the expense worthwhile. You are, essentially, on a learning vacation, developing healthy habits that will be beneficial for the rest of your life.

Join one of Shambhala Mountain Centers many yoga retreats. Situated in the beautiful Colorado mountains, Shambhala Mountain Center is a premier meditation and yoga center offering the best in instruction, accommodation and cuisine. Visit the Shambhala Mountain Center to learn more.

From Kate Linthicum’s Los Angeles Times article, “In the Stillness, Space for a Rebellious Spirit”…

Levine lives in Highland Park with his wife, Amy, and his infant daughter, Hazel. He earns a living as a psychologist but travels frequently to lead meditation workshops and retreats around the world. He founded and sits on the board of the Mind Body Awareness Project, an Oakland-based nonprofit that teaches meditation to at-risk youths in juvenile halls, clinics, high schools and group homes.

His twice-weekly meditation sessions at Against the Stream are among the best-attended in Los Angeles, and they attract a diverse crowd not limited to punk rockers.

Levine has found an especially receptive audience in recovering addicts. He speaks about his own relationship with drugs and alcohol, saying meditation helped him learn the impulse control that is crucial to overcoming addiction.

“If you can sit through the itch without scratching it, then you can sit through the craving for drugs and alcohol,” he said.

Members say they come because they like his simple style.

“He doesn’t speak in riddles or parables. He’s straightforward,” said Duane Dinham, 46, who has been coming to the meditation center for the last five months — in part, he says, because he likes how Levine doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously.

“I came here because it’s non-dogmatic,” Dinham said. “He has a certain irreverence that I like.”

Before starting his meditation session on a recent evening, Levine walked into the large, airy meeting room carrying a takeout box from the vegan restaurant across the street. “Hey,” he called to the people straggling in. “Anybody want to try fried pickles?”

After the session, he cracked jokes and talked about sex and drugs.

Levine runs things with a casualness that might make a Tibetan lama cringe, but that’s what attracted Holly Brown, 39, a self-described “goth girl” who has belonged to Against the Stream since it opened.

“We all respect the Dalai Lama, but we’re living a totally different life than him,” she said. “Noah’s living our same life.”

Noah Levine’s Shambhala Mountain Center weekend retreat, The Buddhist Path to Freedom: Breaking the Addiction to the Mind, is open to all levels of experience and will provide an opportunity to learn and practice several different forms of Buddhist meditation oriented specifically toward breaking free of old ways of thinking. People in 12-step recovery programs are especially welcome. Contact the Shambhala Mountain Center to learn more.

From Kate Linthicum’s Los Angeles Times article, “In the Stillness, Space for a Rebellious Spirit”…

Continuing to meditate, he got sober with the help of a 12-step program. He attended his first meditation retreat in 1991 — with Jack Kornfield, an influential Buddhist teacher who trained as a monk in Thailand and Burma.

Levine liked Kornfield’s message — he went on to study with him — but he said he felt a little out of place.

“I was the only 20-year-old there and certainly the only punk rocker,” he writes. “Looking around, I didn’t see anyone even close to my age. This was my father’s scene, not mine.”

After 10 years of studying Buddhism, Levine was certified to teach by Kornfield. But he wanted to create a new scene — for people like himself, the kind who liked to rock out to bands like Suicidal Tendencies and slam-dance in mosh pits. So he began leading meditation groups in Santa Cruz and San Francisco and in 2003 launched a Dharma Punx group on New York City’s Lower East Side. He moved to Los Angeles three and a half years ago and founded Against the Stream last year.

Though he draws inspiration from many strains of Buddhism (including Thai, Sri Lankan and Burmese), he said, he has tried to tear down the hierarchical difference between teacher and student that is common in those forms.

“I tend to present the teachings as a peer, as, ‘We are all in this together seeking happiness,’ ” he said. “We are all the students. Can we take the wisdom and the compassion of the Buddha’s teachings and roots and leave behind some of the other things that I see as corruptions — the dogma, the power, the patriarchy and superstition?”

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Now more than ever, most of us could use an opportunity to regroup and recharge our batteries with a vacation but, we’d also like to do something good and healthful for ourselves.

A yoga retreat provides the perfect answer to both!

With destinations ranging from local to exotic, Shambhala Mountain Center is pleased to offer a variety of options for those seeking a yoga retreat.  The holistic approach to improving your mind and body is a pleasant departure from the intense-sounding ìboot campî fitness regimens.

Plan your own retreat on Shambhala Mountain Center’s 600 acres of native forests, gentle meadows and sweeping valleys.  From leisurely hiking to botanic gardens, massage sessions and healthful meals, a retreat at Shambhala is just what you need to renew and recharge.  Or, attend the program, “Living Yoga with Wendy Bramlett” Sept 11-13. It is offered in September 2009 and focuses on learning techniques to bolster your happiness during these challenging times.

Ready to begin planning your retreat?  And relaxing?  Learn more about all of the programs offered by Shambhala Mountain Center in beautiful northern Colorado.