About Us



Bushindo means:
“Way of the Enlightened Warrior” or the “Enlightened Warrior Path”

Bu– Warrior – (Our definition) One who has the courage to transcend fear, to be resolved in times of challenge, demonstrate peace while being able to protect peace.

Shin– Depending how the kanji is written this can be read as Heart, Mind, Truth, or Highest Aspect of God. In our training we combine all four attributes, using the word “Enlightenment” to describe them. When writing Bushindo we use the kanji character for ‘heart’ because the heart is the center of all the teachings. We begin here and end here in the jeweled heart.

Do– Way or Path of the Bushin (Warrior with heart). Do also means willful clarity of mindful purpose and directing of the divine will.

 BUSHINDO “THE TEACHINGS” is your
“EMPOWERED LIVING SYSTEM”
We love personal empowerment and have dedicated our lives to training and helping others to live the most incredible lives possible. Bushindo University has offerred many budo Martial Arts (Ninjutsu, Budo Taijutsu, DeCuerdas Eskrima, Bushindo Sword), Personal Empowerment Training, Spiritual Awakening Methods, and Optimal Life Teachings worldwide for over 30 years in the form of privates, seminars, dojos, websites, home study courses and online training.

GrandMaster Richard Van Donk has now integrated all these teachings into his one complete Empower Yourself system. Richard deeply started on the path at age 19 looking for one complete life living system….. a system that one could live all the principles and have the most awesome life possible. That took him on a vast search all over the globe studying with many masters in the fields of Body-Mind-Spirit to mastery level in them (see Bio). The Bushindo Empowered Living System utlizies the best of all these teachings of ancient, modern and futuristic.


Bushindo University


GrandMaster Richard J. Van Donk reveals his vision and story behind Bushindo.
The Bushindo System was founded in order to integrate my martial arts knowledge, my experiences of spiritual awakenings, and brain-mind research, as well as to separate these teachings from those of the Bujinkan Ninjutsu System as taught by Soke Hatsumi in which I invested two decades of study. In the past few years Soke Hatsumi has merged his arts into a kobudo (ancient warrior) fighting system now called Budo Taijutsu. Although I have trained extensively in these fighting arts, both with him and with many other Grandmasters, my heart and the passion that drives my life is the integration of the philosophical and spiritual sides of the sacred temple arts.

I am very interested in seeing how far a group of individuals can evolve ourselves as human beings.

The studies of brain-mind research, yoga, kundalini research, sound and light activation of consciousness, meditation practices, body healing methods and alternative medicine are foremost in my personal dedication now. Therefore, BushindoTM as a University was born.

What does Bushindo do for you?

Bushindo brings back the temple arts and incorporates a complete system of integrating the human organism to its fullest state of development. Based on ancient sacred teachings that I have studied since I was a young boy, I have synthesized skills of the best of the best from many systems of studies that have transformed the lives of millions and millions of people. I have taught several of these systems to others in the past and achieved great results. By using my 30+ years of research into the science of how the brain/mind stores codes and processes information to create and understand paradigms of study and forge modeling processes I am able to help almost anyone duplicate their success at a faster rate of learning by unifying these sacred arts.

Even in my martial art teachings I break the studies down into 5 categories of training; Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual, and Social. To advance yourself as a martial artist or human being you must enhance each of these levels to lead a positive and balanced life. Martial Arts for me begins and ends in Respect.

Reach us at 707-987-9322 or by e-mail at [email protected]