Tag / Tiger Woods

by Tony Miller

The Pros and Cons of Tiger Hiking

Tiger has made the news a little more interesting since the holidays. Violence, sex and religion. All of these are things that move papers and sell advertisements.

Then self righteous started preaching that Tiger needed to convert to Christianity to find forgiveness. Tiger didn’t respond. His handlers didn’t respond. Nobody connected to Tiger responded! This was both good and bad. Good – It showed us that snappy rebuttals don’t always solve the problem. Bad – The media frenzy it would have caused didn’t happen. I wanted entertainment! Oh well. Aside from the parade of women something entertaining was bound to happen, right?

The apology arrived. While Tiger was busy apologizing I was busy making sure the company wide webinar the CEO was putting on was available to the 600 or so workers in my home town. By the time I was done working Tiger was done apologizing. I hit the news sites to see what I missed. Did his wife get up and throw a shoe at him? Did another woman run in holding a baby and announcing Tiger was the father? Did Fred Phelps stand up with a sign that said “God Hates Tigers” ? Nope! Nothing exciting happened.

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by Nate DeMontigny

Is There a Doctor In The House?

Add Bill Maher’s name to the ever-growing list of people who have been infected with “open mouth, insert foot syndrome”. I’m no doctor, but it could also be diagnosed as “plain old ignorance”.

I’m not sure the remedy, but it seems my good bud Rod over at The Worst Horse has given it a shot, and I couldn’t have worded it any better.

Check it out: This Is Not A Post About Tiger Woods

by Nate DeMontigny

Dalai Lama “Tiger who?”

From The Associated Press

The Dalai Lama commented on Tiger Woods’ sex scandals Saturday, saying self-discipline is among Buddhism’s highest values, one day after Woods said he had strayed from his Buddhist faith.

Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader told The Associated Press during a brief interview in his hotel suite in Beverly Hills that he had not heard of Woods, but when the circumstances were explained to him he said that when it comes to adultery, “all religions have the same idea.”

“Whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that’s important,” he said. “Self-discipline with awareness of consequences.”

In his first public comments since the Nov. 27 car accident that set off a series of shocking allegations of rampant extramarital relationships, Woods said Friday that he was raised Buddhist but needed to focus anew on finding balance between his religion and professional life.

The Dalai Lama made the remarks while in the Los Angeles area to support Whole Child International, an organization that advocates better care for orphans worldwide

by Nate DeMontigny

Tiger Woods comments on his Buddhist background

During his public apology, Tiger Woods made some comments regarding his religious background. Here’s what he said…

I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don’t realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.

I give props to Tiger for publicly stating this, as we know some folks *cough Brit Hume cough* think he cannot find forgiveness in Buddhism. As I’ve previously posted (Angulimala Sutta: Buddhist Forgiveness and Redemption) Buddhism does offer forgiveness and redemption. I think Tiger, if this is what he wants, is on the right path and I give him credit for it. I do not condone his actions, I find them utterly reprehensible, but who am I to judge. It’s not my karma, it’s his that he needs to deal with.

Overall, I hope the media spectacle will end and his family has time to heal, there are more people involved in this than just Tiger. I hope the best for Elin and his kids and hope they can put this in the past and move on.

by Nate DeMontigny

Texas Inmates Can Teach Brit Hume About Redemption and Forgiveness

Via The Huffington Post

The following quote comes from a man who recently served time at a prison in Texas. He speaks about a film about the Dalai Lama and Buddhism, and the philosophy it maintains for human beings and global problems:

I think that one of the problems of humanity is separateness. People tend to look at people as, well, that’s your race, that’s your country, that’s your religion, my opinions are more important, and you’re right and you’re wrong. And I think, if people just start looking past that, and see the true spiritual person- looking within, then they start finding more solutions, and start living better lives. It all starts with yourself. Everything has to start with yourself. You can’t move the stick out of your brother’s eye, if you have one in your own. You have to work with yourself. Work on yourself, and as you work on yourself, you’re gonna shine light on everybody else. And that light is going to wake someone else up. It’s like lighting a candle. If you have one candle, you’re gonna light others with the same flame. And I think that will be more of a practical solution to me. And the Dalai Lama, that’s what he said. He said that right there will be the solution to promote better human values. To find a sufficient way to promote that will be the solution…

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by Nate DeMontigny

Angulimala Sutta: Buddhist Redemption and Forgiveness

Ed. Note: Have heard whispers of this, but wanted to bring this story out in the open a bit more. This sutta could easily be the best representation of Buddhist redemption and forgiveness. So, next time some big time news person asks where is there proof of it in this “faith” you can quote the Buddha himself!

From Access To Insight

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi at Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. And at that time in King Pasenadi’s realm there was a bandit named Angulimala: brutal, bloody-handed, devoted to killing & slaying, showing no mercy to living beings. He turned villages into non-villages, towns into non-towns, settled countryside into unsettled countryside. Having repeatedly killed human beings, he wore a garland (mala) made of fingers (anguli).

Then the Blessed One, early in the morning, having put on his robes and carrying his outer robe & bowl, went into Savatthi for alms. Having wandered for alms in Savatthi and returning from his alms round after his meal, set his lodging in order. Carrying his robes & bowl, he went along the road to where Angulimala was staying. Cowherds, shepherds, & farmers saw him going along the road to where Angulimala was staying, and on seeing him said to him, “Don’t go along that road, contemplative, for on that road is Angulimala: brutal, bloody-handed, devoted to killing & slaying, showing no mercy to living beings. He has turned villages into non-villages, towns into non-towns, settled countryside into unsettled countryside. Having repeatedly killed human beings, he wears a garland made of fingers. Groups of ten, twenty, thirty, & forty men have gone along that road, and even they have fallen into Angulimala’s hands.” When this was said, the Blessed One kept going in silence.

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by Nate DeMontigny

Brit Hume and Fox News “Fair and Balanced”?

Have seen this posted around the internet and was absolutely amazed, better yet, appalled at the pure ignorance on a supposed “fair and balanced” TV news program, although Fox News isn’t the most “balanced” in my mind anyway. Brit Hume has been in the broadcasting game for a while, and you’d think, better yet hope, that he’d have the mental aptitude to not make idiotic remarks like this about Tiger Woods…

“He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”

What? Are you kidding me? Nope, and I’m not kidding you… watch… you’ll see…