Dec30

Father of the Forest

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Father of Forest
seeds of your knowledge bring forth
Kyudoka saplings

This Haiku was my present to Shibata Sensei on his 90th (or 91st) birthday. Sensei Onyumishi Kanjuro Shibata XX is a 20th generation master bowmaker and archer and 3rd generation “Bowmaker to the Emperor of Japan.” Shibata Sensei is retiring this year as our Sensei but has passed the tradition to his son Nobuhiro Sibata who holds the title Shibata Kanjuro XXI thus continuing the Zenko lineage. We at Fuko Iba look forward to training with our new Sensei soon.

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About fiercebuddhist

Welcome. I am happy that our paths have crossed. Here you will find various poems, articles and photography. I hope that you enjoy them and visit often. I am currently working on writing “A Haiku A Day” so that I can, perhaps, have enough good ones for publication. If you are wondering what a “Fierce Buddhist” the following declaration should clarify. The “Fierce” in FierceBuddhist I define as “an obligation to do what I can to benefit all sentient beings, not just those close to me or those I agree with. If I see something or someone that is hurting others I must step forward and do what I can to assist them.” In the Army and in the dojo I learned how to defend myself, family and country but that does not mean I endorse the use of force. Two nonviolent examples of Fierce Buddhists that come to mind are Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama. While I do not claim be even close to them I can strive and so can you. Furthermore, my Buddhist name, given to me by Sensei Kubose, is Seiyo. His interpretation of my communication and interaction with him led him to this name. He told me Seiyo means “Fierce Sun.” The sun shines on everyone without prejudices without giving preferential treatment to anyone. This is tough to live up to, as you can imagine, but it sure sets the tone for my life. In Buddhism this is called a Fierce Bodhisattva. I am only on the path to Enlightenment and can only say to be a Fierce Buddhist.

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