SPIRITUAL WEALTH
Has there ever been a professional athlete whose fall from grace was more sudden or severe than Tiger Woods’?
He is back playing Tour events now, but a great deal of skepticism remains about his highly public rehabilitation. Many insist he is simply cultivating an image recommended by his handlers and lawyers. Some even doubt the sincerity of his attempt to reconnect with Buddhism, the religion of his youth.
But that may be too cynical. Buddhism is growing in the West, but this is still a solidly Judeo-Christian nation. So this particular revelation hardly plays to the gallery.
And several other professional golfers have recently credited their success to Buddhist teachings.
Adherents include Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, currently ranked 44th in the world, and Y.E. Yang, who became the first Asian to win a major last year when he beat Tiger in the PGA Championship. English golfer Justin Rose climbed to sixth in the world in 2007 after spending two years meditating with Buddhist swing coach Nick Bradley.
And Vijay Singh, who has earned more money than any golfer on the current Tour except Tiger, says Buddhist philosophy puts him “on a peaceful plane.”
Buddhist principles may or may not make Tiger Woods a better golfer, but they do stand a chance of making him a better person. Here’s why:
Buddhism is more than just a 2,500-year-old Eastern religion. It is a philosophy, a code of ethics, a way of life. The Dalai Lama refers to it as a science of the mind.
The Buddha – who recommended a middle way between extravagance and asceticism – never claimed to be a deity or savior. According to Buddhist tradition, he was an ordinary human being who attained enlightenment and taught others how to live with wisdom and compassion.
He taught that wisdom begins with recognizing Four Noble Truths:
The First Noble Truth: There is suffering in every life.
The Second Noble Truth: Our suffering is caused by our attachments and cravings.
The Third Noble Truth: If we end our attachments and cravings, our suffering will end.
The Fourth Noble Truth: This can be achieved by following the Noble Eightfold Path to Enlightenment.
Eventually, we all must grapple with aging, pain, economic and personal setbacks, the loss of family and friends, and, ultimately, our own passing. The first two Noble Truths describe anguish and its origins, the second two its remedy.
And The Noble Eightfold Path? Here are the basics:
Wisdom Training
Step 1: Right View: See life as it really is, not just as it appears. Everything is impermanent. In the Prajna Paramita Sutras, the Buddha says, “Regard this fleeting world like the stars fading at dawn, like bubbles on a fast moving stream, like morning dewdrops evaporating on blades of grass, like a candle flickering in a strong wind…”
Step 2: Right Intentions: Approach others with compassion and understanding.
Ethics Training
Step 3: Right Speech: Speak the truth in a non-hurtful way.
Step 4: Right Action: Behave so as to harm no one. (Many Buddhists extend this to animals and the environment, as well.)
Step 5: Right Livelihood: Earn your living in a legal, non-deceitful way.
Personal Mastery
Step 6: Right Effort: Strive to improve your behavior and character.
Step 7: Right Mindfulness: Recognize that it is always now. Be awake to the present moment and act from a clear conscience.
Step 8: Right Concentration: Use meditation, a sense of dignity and personal willpower to act with integrity and overcome cravings.
What are these cravings, exactly? It varies. Your craving might be a Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT. Your sister’s might be fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. (I think we all know what Tiger’s is.) A craving, simply put, is any unhealthy desire, insatiable hunger, psychological fixation or addictive behavior.
Buddhism challenges us to understand the nature of our anguish and practice a more skillful way of living. If we fail to do this, we may drift through life in the grip of habitual impulses, living in a way that is both ignoble and undignified.
The Noble Eightfold Path represents a road to personal freedom. The goal is to break out of your routine, and reflect on “What am I here for? Am I living so that I can die without regrets? How much of what I do is compromise?”
In particular, Buddhists believe that by meditating on death, we become more conscious of life. In particular, you are encouraged to consider: Since death alone is certain and the time of death is uncertain, how shall I live?
It’s a sobering question, one that requires you to confront your mortality and recognize that not all of your desires are reasonable or even obtainable.
It’s important to have goals to work toward, of course. But according to the Dalai Lama, once our basic needs are met, we don’t necessarily need “more money, we don’t need greater success or fame, we don’t need the perfect body or even the perfect mate. Right now, at this very moment, we have a mind, which is all the basic equipment we need to achieve complete happiness.”
Buddhism teaches that contentment is determined more by your state of mind than by external circumstances. Many of us fail to recognize how much our happiness is determined by the way we choose to perceive our situation.
And the solution is often simple: let go. (There is a Zen saying: Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day.) To be free from delusions, fear, ignorance, pride, anger, envy and hatred is to be free from suffering.
None of these principles are incompatible with other religious beliefs, incidentally. This philosophy is not about accepting a particular creed or dogma, but rather about integrating a higher level of awareness into your daily life. The objective is to bring about an inner transformation, to perfect your heart and train your mind.
That’s why Buddhism is often referred to not as a religion, but as an ethical philosophy, a spiritual practice, or simply a path to inner peace and personal freedom. It offers nothing to believe and everything to discover.
Of course, whether Tiger Woods accepts these timeless principles and acts on them is up to him and him alone.
But his PGA competitors should be worried. If he gets his personal life together, it won’t be long before he’s a holy terror on the links again.
Carpe Diem,
Alex
Alexander Green is the Investment Director of The Oxford Club. The Oxford Club Communique, whose portfolio he directs, is ranked among the top 5 investment letters in the nation for 10-year performance by the independent Hulbert Investment Digest. Alex is the author of The New York Times bestseller “The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio: Get Wise, Get Wealthy… and Get On With Your Life” and, more recently, “The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters.” He has been featured on Oprah & Friends, CNBC, National Public Radio, Fox News and The O’Reilly Factor and has been profiled by The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, among others. He lives with his family in Charlottesville, Va., and Winter Springs, Fla. This commentary first appeared on www.spiritualwealth.com. It is reprinted here with permission.
