"Zen archery" with Zen priest & bow maker Gerhard "SeiHo" Wiedemann *

Helpful facts

The bow, the arrow and ... "Me?"

Archery is not only a sport. It is also a philosophy and attitude towards life. During conscious and mindful archery we learn a lot about ourselves. Posture and inner attitude, tension and relaxation, release and letting go are the skills we acquire in archery.

At Baum & Bogen we practice archery from the experience of ZEN archery and are inspired by a holistic view.

Let me introduce myself: Gerhard Wiedemann, bow maker.

I have been living in exciting Berlin since 2002. During my training as an occupational therapist, I came to traditional wooden bow making in 2003 in Swabia, which has not let go of me to this day. The people I met in Berlin, who have since become friends, inspired me and gave me the courage to take the step into self-employment. Thus, since 2006 I am self-employed as a bow making and shooting survival artist.

The fascination of ZEN archery

Gerhard Wiedemann describes his personal approach

After hearing and reading so much about archery, I wanted to know more. I attended an event with ZEN Master Kurt KyuSei Österle and learned two things

With archery I can practice to be completely in the moment, to develop serenity and to find my center.

And the longbow is a companion through the life of a person who gains his strength from the wood. During its growth in the forest, this wood has absorbed energy, which is also added to the bow in the traditional manufacturing process.

I find my ash, robinia, yew and elm trees in the forests around Berlin. I have to recognize the swing of the bow already in the grown wood. The course of the fibers and the annual rings determine the later quality. Small irregularities of the growth, for example of branches, visibly reappear in the finished product. The examination of the raw material is like meditation. It does not tolerate haste.

In the ZEN retreats I got to know Michael HoKai Österle. While practicing together I soon had the idea to integrate bow making into a sesshin as a part of the practice, so that we have been holding courses together for many years now in the Felsentor in Switzerland and in the Altbäckersmühle.

The examination of the material also reminds me of meditation. Eyes and hands are equally important to me. It's called handicraft because the hands are an important sensory organ. When they glide over the wood, they often "see" more of the course of the forces than the eyes.

What is special about ZEN archery?

My esteemed friend HoKai, with whom I also host events, describes on his website the elements and basic ideas that make up ZEN archery:

Unity of body and mind

Silence: study yourself, stay completely with yourself.

Practicepatience: Bow, archer and target become one reality. This reality is the lived now.

Technique: The more precise the mental specification, the more purposeful the physical reaction.

Serenity: Being able to let go, not taking ourselves so seriously.

Breath: mindfulness and concentration show in breathing

Aim: we aim without aiming

Source: https://zenbogenschiessen.de/bogenschiessen/