WAY OF THE TIGER

Here is another excerpt from my coming book ( Spring,2021) THE COMPETITIVE BUDDHA.

 Tiger Woods was born and raised in the tradition of Buddhism and outwardly has claimed that his understanding of the Buddha has been the secret to his golfing success. From a very young age his ability to focus and concentrate were instilled by his Thai Buddhist mom, Tida. Supposedly, Tiger slept near a statue of Buddha growing up and even wore a Buddha necklace.

The Buddha Tiger was able to manage all performance anxiety and fear and establish a positive sense of self and peace as if he were a Buddhist monk walking the fairways. It has been said that every facet of his dominance could be traced to his solid Buddhist education. From tee box to hole, his mental and spiritual talents are palpably apparent as he demonstrates the “relaxed intensity” of the Buddha himself.

Meditation is a way to develop awareness, kindness, focus and wisdom, was and continues to be an important part of his game and life, particularly during those challenging times when his life unraveled because of his serial infidelity leading to his divorce. Buddhism helped him to pick up the pieces amid all the pain and he made a public apology admitting that he had lost his deep connection to his Buddhist way. Yet this up and down path is all part of the Buddha way which always included new beginnings after setbacks, whether it be a missed putt, a missed opportunity or a missed relationship. The lesson for Tiger was to repent and ask for forgiveness and then start again. And so he did as he brilliantly does after every flub on the fairway.

In the penetrating, profound book called TIGER VIRTUES, Alex Tresniowski writes about Tiger’s strong connection to Buddhist wisdom and how relevant it has been with every single shot. In this book, he details deep spiritual principles of being present, being prepared, the impermanence of success, tenacity, effort, patience, fearlessness, humility, intuition, balance, vision, adaptability andinner stillness and how all of these virtues impacted the athleticism of Tiger...The Way of the Tiger.

Yet the most impactful virtue was the virtue of positive thinking. Buddhist thought suggests that our lives are shaped by our minds...we are what we think. Tiger would examine his short-comings and change the narrative making it a more proactive, positive, forward-moving story. At one point in this book, the author generously quotes me from my best-seller THINKING BODY, DANCING MIND,where I say “the words you choose to cultivate in yourself as an athlete will determine your identity and beliefs about yourself...so hopefully those words are positive.” Tiger’s positive thinking manifests itself both during a round and afterwards.

The competitive way of this Tiger is through a positive mind, a beginner’s mind, the non-judgmental mind of a Buddha. But know this – while Tiger was not able to always think positively, he was able to do it at a higher percentage of time

than most of us. He simply refuses to beat himself up. When asked by a reporter what qualities he didn’t like about himself, he responded that he didn’t know...I am constantly evolving.” Tiger is the quintessential Buddha athlete.