Archer, are you missing the mark?

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. 

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. 

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; 

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Quote from Kahlil Giban's The Prophet

Earlier this week I caught a snippet of a programme on the History channel

on television on the spiritual practise of Japanese archery.

I cannot remember the exact commentary, but the few words that jumped out at me and

stayed with me for days were :

'the goal is to sacrifice the personal desire to hit the target and to rather allow

for the spirit and body to harmonise'.

Not that profound I suppose, but ponder on these words.

It also brought to mind the definition of  'sin' to mean 'an archery term that means

to miss the mark'.

Now, if you put these two thoughts together, it does become profound.

In the game of leela, in this world, you have two players, the proverbial

angel and daimon, the ego and Spirit.  At times you feel opposed,

at other times you feel as though you have the champion in your corner, but how often

do you feel in harmony with your Spirit?

What do you measure this harmony by? 

Do you look at how 'successful' your life is?

Do you measure it by how often you meet your goal?

I suppose, the important question is,

what is your goal?

And what would you say is the 'sin' of missing the mark?  One can only

know the answer to this if your know what the mark is.

When we let go of our desire to be clever or successful
or to change the world, or to create beautiful things,
we may begin to be open to the sacred truth 
of our experience as it is, not how we want it to be.

For you, as a spiritual person, in search of direct immersion in your Self and

Spirit, the mark cannot be the hitting of the target set out for you

by your personal self!!

I went to read up a bit more on Japanese archery and it seems that the spiritual practise

is regarded as a secret.  I would think that is because people have the tendency to take things out

of context and the mind has the tendency to claim ownership of that

which he does not understand at all!!

Here are some extracts of what I found, and these few lines are all you need

for your application and understanding of the teachings of the Temple of Mary.

(I am not suggesting that you take up archery!)

Kyudo is practiced in many different schools, some of which descend from military shooting and others that descend from ceremonial or contemplative practice. Therefore, the emphasis is different. Some emphasize aesthetics and others efficiency. Contemplative schools teach the form as a meditation in action. In certain schools, to shoot correctly will result inevitably in hitting the desired target. For this a phrase seisha hicchū, "true shooting, certain hitting", is used.

According to the Nippon Kyudo Federation the supreme goal of kyudo is the state of shin-zen-bi, roughly "truth-goodness-beauty",which can be approximated as: when archers shoot correctly (i.e. truthfully) with virtuous spirit and attitude toward all persons and all things which relate to kyudo (i.e. with goodness), beautiful shooting is realized naturally.

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 seisha seichū, "correct shooting is correct hitting". In kyudo the unique action of expansion (nobiai) 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 tomunen musō, "no thoughts, no illusions". 

Perhaps the best way to explain the spirit of kyudo is to put it in Onuma sensei's words: "When shooting, sometimes we will hit the target but miss the self. At other times we will miss the target but hit the self. Our purpose, though, is to hit the target as the self and hope that the sharp sound of arrow penetrating paper will awaken us from the so-called 'dream of life' and give us real insight into the ultimate state of being."

 Their belief is that matters of the spirit are not teachable and that it is a waste of time to devote any part of your study to anything other than technical proficiency. In one sense that view is correct. The development of the spirit is an ongoing, personal experience. A teacher may lead the way by his or her example but there is very little they can do to actually "teach" spirit. But as Onuma sensei also liked to say, "If one day you wish to have a large, beautiful pine tree as the center-piece of your garden you do not wait until you are old to plant the seed. The seed must be planted early and the tree nurtured over the years if it is to be truly grand at the end of your life." The same can be said of the development of the spirit.

We are often asked what makes kyudo so special; what does it offer the kyudo practitioner that they cannot find elsewhere. Without hesitation we always answer, "nothing." That is because kyudo is only one pathway among many as we travel through life. The three essential elements of kyudo, Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, are by no means exclusive to the practice of kyudo. These qualities have been an integral part of every culture throughout history and are fundamental to the creation of our arts, philosophy, and religious activities. So why do most great kyudo masters impress upon their students the relationship between spiritual development and kyudo practice? Because it is an excellent vehicle for the study of the human character and condition, and it works well in concert with all of life's other spiritual paths. Everyone that watches an accomplished kyudo practitioner is struck by the simplicity of the act, and it is easy to imagine that the same thing goes through their mind as went through ours upon seeing kyudo for the first time: That there doesn't appear to be much going on. It's just a matter of memorizing a few simple moves and holding the bow steady. The target is not so far away. There is no extreme physical exertion. No screaming and jumping about. All said it appears simple enough to be learned in a few sessions. Our teacher even supported our thoughts when, at our first meeting, he said, "Kyudo is a simple art consisting of just eight basic movements which take no more than a few minutes to complete. The practice of kyudo requires only that you align your body with the target, stand straight, fill yourself with spirit, and shoot with a pure heart and meaningful purpose."

Simple enough, we thought. But, we were in for a shock. Both of us are quick learners with good powers of observation and the ability to correctly translate physical movement into being. Kyudo looked easy enough, but that view quickly changed when we first picked up a Japanese bow. Never mind about shooting with a pure heart and meaningful purpose, it was completely overwhelming to simply keep the arrow nocked to the bowstring. It was very frustrating to say the least. For a long period of time all of our training sessions were of a strictly technical nature, giving weight to the idea of teaching technique and ignoring the spiritual aspects of Kyudo. So why did Onuma sensei insist that spirit was equally, if not more, important than technique? Because there are many levels to the development of the spirit and the first goes hand in hand with the process of learning anything new: It is the recognition and, later, the development of one's personal character. It is human nature to experience frustration, anger, joy, pride, and embarrassment when learning. And while it is extremely difficult to eliminate those emotions it is possible to temper your responses to them. And that should be one of your first considerations as you begin your practice of kyudo.

In order to control your reactions to a situation you must first recognize your reactions to a situation. Sounds simple, but while emersed in the trials of learning the last thing on our mind is self-reflection. As a kyudo practitioner, however, you must make a conscious effort each time you shoot to mentally document not only the technical aspects of your shooting but your emotional response to the shooting as well. In time, a recognizable pattern of behavior will emerge. Kyudo is an art and, as with any art form, personal emotion is reflected in the content of the art. In kyudo, anger will make your shooting tight and uncontrolled, frustration will create unsettling nervous tension, and excessive pride will rob the shooting of its beauty and elegance. It is that knowledge, and the ability to use the knowledge to control emotional self-expression that separates a true master of kyudo from a person who is merely technically proficient. It is also why an aging master, though they may suffer from diminished physical and technical capability, can still inspire all who watch them with a shooting style that is far beyond that of a younger practitioner. And it is that knowledge and control that every new kyudo practitioner should seek out for themselves, even in the early stages of their study. It is the essence of kyudo, and a sure path to a deeper understanding of truth, goodness, and beauty.

So, what is the point I am trying to get across?

Firstly, as a spiritual seeker your goal is to be in harmony with Soul and Spirit, in other words

with Self and that requires sacrificing the ego and mind and its personal desires.

If you can imagine yourself as the archer, who sacrifices the need to hit the target

in order to harmonise himself with the bow and arrow

and with the flying of the arrow, regardless of hitting the target.......

At first, the student has to practise the skill of archery.  Mastering the technical skill

takes many many years and eventually the target is hit.

The target probably could have been hit right from the beginning, if the ego was

allowed to prevail.

But through the shift of focus, the desire of the personality was sacrificed.

The need to be successful was sacrificed.

The need to look good in the eyes of the world was sacrificed.

The habit of measuring your 'okayness' by the desired outcome of your

actions was sacrificed.

The need to achieve was sacrificed.

The need to be happy because the personal goal was achieved was sacrificed.

The need to receive attention and acclaim was sacrificed.

The need to feel good about the personal self was sacrificed.

The need to prove a point was sacrificed.

The need to validate yourself was sacrificed.

The need to feel good about yourself was sacrificed.

The need to feel satisfied was sacrificed.

The need to feel happy was sacrificed.

Maybe you have a few of your own that you can add here.

When your goal is truly at-one-ment, and direct mystical living and experience,

then the personal will and desire has to be sacrificed.

I invite you into a process of transformation.  As you apply
the daily practises, try not to set a particular goal for yourself,
other than showing up to what is offered and being open to the experience
of your sacred life.

The ego and mind uses rationalisation and justification in order to maintain

its existence.  It creates belief system in order to keep you tied to

it (the mind) and in order to maintain its existence.

If you truly want to have a direct mystical experience, you have to

be willing to let go of your deepest belief systems.  They disguise themselves

in such a way that you forget that they truly are not a part of your True Self.

You have come to accept their voices as the voice of your True Self, or as the Voice of God.

The Voice of God is not a voice.  It is a feeling that resonates in every cell of your being.

It is a feeling of lightness, expansion, joy, ease and bliss.

It is actually a place of no-thing within yourself and everything - an emptiness,

devoid of reason and will and drive and knowing.  It just IS.

Expectation can preclude the opportunity for discovery.
When we try to reach a goal, we become fixated on it and we miss the
process.

Beginner's mind is the practise of coming to an experience wth an 
openness and a willingness to be transformed. 

It makes sense that if you want to become harmonised with Self which is no-thing,

you have to allow the personal self to be removed.

And here your personal will enters the picture as you have been given freedom of choice.

You can choose to cling to old habits, stubborn belief systems and comfortable

knee-jerk reactions, or you can crucify the personal will.

'Know thyself' is the epitaph in most traditions.  Know the world that

we live in.  Know the culture that you move in.  Through immersion you come to

know the world, but there comes a time when you need to wake up and realise

that you are not that.

Dr Matthew Fox has written a Litany of Deliverance from Patriarchy. (this is

and extract)  It may be worth your while to 

print this and stick it up somewhere where you can see it often - to remind you

that this is the world that you live in - your mind has been conditioned

to accept this 'sin' as reality :

A Litany of Deliverance

From Patriarchy's dualism

From Patriarchy's proneness to self-pity

From Patriarchy's sentimentalism

From Patriarchy's violence

From Patriarchy's lack of imagination

From Patriarchy's intellectual laziness

From Patriarchy's lack of authentic curiosity

From Patriarchy's separation of head from body

From Patriarchy's preoccupation with sex

From Patriarchy's fear of intimacy

From Patriarchy's reptilian brain

From Patriarchy's envy and manipulation of children

From Patriarchy's abuse of women

From Patriarchy's homophobia

From Patriarchy's righteousness

From Patriarchy's forgetfulness of beauty and art

From Patriarchy's quest for immortality

From Patriarchy's matricide, spare us O Divine One!

Secondly, as in archery, the seeker has to go through the seemingly simple

practice, day after day, year after year.  It seems so simple and unnecessary.

To the mind it seems outdated and old-fashioned.

Why is all of this necessary, when I can merely aim at the target, shoot

and hit the target and walk away feeling satisfied with my efforts and results?

Because then you have missed the mark, my friend.

Aum Isis-Maria-Sophia

In Bhakty

Bhaktymayi Ma