Last Updated: June 6, 2025

Welcome to Blue Lotus Assembly (“we,” “our,” or “us”). This website is owned by Stephen K. Hayes and operated on his behalf by the team at To-Shin Do Online, a service of Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of our website located at https://www.bluelotusassembly.org (the “Site”). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

1. The Blue Lotus Assembly website fulfills several functions.

The Blue Lotus Assembly website serves to educate the public about the Blue Lotus Assembly organization and spiritual traditions. Through this site, visitors can access information about our teachings rooted in Japanese and Tibetan esoteric practices. Visitors can also learn about how to join the Blue Lotus community or embark upon the initiatory path within our organization. We also offer blog posts by our founder Stephen K. Hayes and information about upcoming in-person and online events with Stephen K. Hayes and other leaders in the Blue Lotus Assembly organization. This site links to the To-Shin Do Online (https://toshindo.online) website where interested users can study martial arts and spiritual practice with Stephen K. Hayes and other top To-Shin Do instructors. Stephen K. Hayes is an affiliate and key contributor to To-Shin Do Online and earns a generous commission on qualifying subscriptions and other purchases made after following links on this site.

2. Privacy, Cookies, & Consent

Your use of Site is subject to the Blue Lotus Assembly Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Please review our Privacy Policy, which also governs the Site and informs users of our data collection practices.

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3. Electronic Communication

Visiting this Site or sending emails to addresses with the bluelotusassembly.org domain constitutes electronic communications. You consent to receive electronic communications and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures and other communications that we provide to you electronically, via email and on the Site, satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

4. Use of the Site

You agree to use the Site for lawful purposes only and in a manner consistent with all applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations.

5. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site, including text, graphics, logos, images, and software, is the property of Stephen K. Hayes or its content suppliers and is protected by international copyright and trademark laws. Unauthorized use of any content may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws.

6. Trademarks

To-Shin Do® and related marks are registered trademarks of Stephen K. Hayes. Unauthorized use of these marks without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All other trademarks, service marks, and logos on this site are the property of their respective owners.

7. Affiliate Disclosure

In compliance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, we disclose that some of the links on our Site are affiliate links. This means that we may earn a commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link.

Specifically, we participate in the following affiliate programs:

• To-Shin Do Online Affiliate Program: Stephen K. Hayes may earn commissions on qualifying purchases made through links to https://toshindo.online.
• Amazon Associates Program: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

We only recommend products and services that we believe will add value to our readers. All opinions expressed on the Site are our own.

8. Third-Party Services

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not owned or controlled by us. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site is provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis. We make no warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaim and negate all other warranties including, without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property or other violation of rights.

10. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall Stephen K. Hayes, its affiliates, or its suppliers be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of data or profit, or due to business interruption) arising out of the use or inability to use the Site, even if we or an authorized representative has been notified orally or in writing of the possibility of such damage.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, To-Shin Do Online, Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC, and its officers, directors, employees, agents and third parties, for any losses, costs, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees) relating to or arising out of your use of or inability to use the Site or services, any user postings made by you, your violation of any terms of this Agreement or your violation of any rights of a third party, or your violation of any applicable laws, rules or regulations. Stephen K. Hayes reserves the right, at his own cost, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which event you will fully cooperate with Stephen K. Hayes in asserting any available defenses.

12. Arbitration

In the event the parties are not able to resolve any dispute between them arising out of or concerning these Terms and Conditions, or any provisions hereof, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise at law or in equity for damages or any other relief, then such dispute shall be resolved only by final and binding arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act, conducted by a single neutral arbitrator and administered by the American Arbitration Association, or a similar arbitration service selected by the parties, in a location mutually agreed upon by the parties. The arbitrator’s award shall be final, and judgment may be entered upon it in any court having jurisdiction. In the event that any legal or equitable action, proceeding or arbitration arises out of or concerns these Terms and Conditions, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. The parties agree to arbitrate all disputes and claims in regards to these Terms and Conditions or any disputes arising as a result of these Terms and Conditions, whether directly or indirectly, including Tort claims that are a result of these Terms and Conditions. The parties agree that the Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this provision. The entire dispute, including the scope and enforceability of this arbitration provision shall be determined by the Arbitrator. This arbitration provision shall survive the termination of these Terms and Conditions.

13. Class Action Waiver

Any arbitration under these Terms and Conditions will take place on an individual basis; class arbitrations and class/representative/collective actions are not permitted. THE PARTIES AGREE THAT A PARTY MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN EACH’S INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PUTATIVE CLASS, COLLECTIVE AND/ OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING, SUCH AS IN THE FORM OF A PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTION AGAINST THE OTHER. Further, unless both you, Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.

14. Liability Disclaimer

THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES INCLUDED IN OR AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE MAY INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. CHANGES ARE PERIODICALLY ADDED TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN. Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR CHANGES IN THE SITE AT ANY TIME.

Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE SITE, WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE OR RELATED SERVICES, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, OR FOR ANY INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS OBTAINED THROUGH THE SITE, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE SITE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC AND/OR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE SITE, OR WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SITE.

15. Termination/Access Restriction

Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate your access to the Site and the related services or any portion thereof at any time, without notice. To the maximum extent permitted by law, this agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Ohio and you hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of courts in Ohio in all disputes arising out of or relating to the use of the Site. Use of the Site is unauthorized in any jurisdiction that does not give effect to all provisions of these Terms, including, without limitation, this section.

You agree that no joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship exists between you and Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC as a result of this agreement or use of the Site. Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC performance of this agreement is subject to existing laws and legal process, and nothing contained in this agreement is in derogation of Blue Lotus Assembly's, Stephen K. Hayes', and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC's right to comply with governmental, court and law enforcement requests or requirements relating to your use of the Site or information provided to or gathered by Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC with respect to such use. If any part of this agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable pursuant to applicable law including, but not limited to, the warranty disclaimers and liability limitations set forth above, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision and the remainder of the agreement shall continue in effect.

Unless otherwise specified herein, this agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the user and Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC with respect to the Site and it supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals, whether electronic, oral or written, between the user and Blue Lotus Assembly, Stephen K. Hayes, and/or Quest Martial Arts Raleigh LLC with respect to the Site. A printed version of this agreement and of any notice given in electronic form shall be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this agreement to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form. It is the express wish to the parties that this agreement and all related documents be written in English.

16. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms at any time. It is your responsibility to check these Terms periodically for changes. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

17. Governing Law

The Site is controlled, operated and administered from our offices within the USA. If you access the Site from a location outside the USA, you are responsible for compliance with all local laws. You agree that you will not use content accessed through the Site in any country or in any manner prohibited by any applicable laws, restrictions or regulations. 

These Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

18. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

Email: admin @ bluelotusassembly.org

Mailing Address: PO Box 326, Bellbrook, OH 45305-0326