Tiger Woods, Born-Again Buddhist

[lpetrich]

Tiger Woods Public Statement: Full Transcript For Afternoon Reading Material - SB Nation (http://www.sbnation.com/2010/2/19/1317905/tiger-woods-public-statement-transcript-apology-press-conference)
In his statement,
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.
Thus rejecting what Brit Hume had recommended for him.

Tiger Woods, Buddhism, and The Eight Fold Way - SB Nation (http://www.sbnation.com/2010/2/19/1317826/tiger-woods-buddhism-apology-statement)
Tiger Woods is a trailblazer in a new sense now: he may be the first major athlete to cite Buddhism as his religion of refuge in a public apology, as he did during Friday's public statement.
The next step is for a politician do do it. :)

[munnki]

George Bush as a Buddhist. Would it make him better or him make it worse?

[Ray Moscow]

We'll probably see a lot of people converting to Buddhism now. Geez.

[Pendaric]

It was at least one part of the statement that came across as being sincere, because if he was just citing a return to faith for PR reasons I would have thought he would have claimed Christianity in the US.

Will openly stating he is a Buddhist harm his image in the US (if it's capable of being harmed any further than it already is)?

[David B]

I don't think it will harm his image further, because it is at least an avowal of some sort of faith.

However, from what I've seen quoted, it doesn't imply any supernatural belief.

David

[Laton]

I don't think it will harm his image further, because it is at least an avowal of some sort of faith.

Yeah, but its the wrong faith for a lot of people - the real fundy leaders won't be too worried about the affairs (first stone & all that :) ) but another religion? - the torches & pitchforks will be out over that.

[David B]

I don't think it will harm his image further, because it is at least an avowal of some sort of faith.

Yeah, but its the wrong faith for a lot of people - the real fundy leaders won't be too worried about the affairs (first stone & all that :) ) but another religion? - the torches & pitchforks will be out over that.

But to those guys any faith is better than none.:bang:

David

[Laton]

But to those guys any faith is better than none.:bang:

David

True. I wonder if the Scientologists have been after him.

[Politesse]

I don't think it will harm his image further, because it is at least an avowal of some sort of faith.

Yeah, but its the wrong faith for a lot of people - the real fundy leaders won't be too worried about the affairs (first stone & all that :) ) but another religion? - the torches & pitchforks will be out over that.

But to those guys any faith is better than none.:bang:

David

Mitch Romney might disagree with you on that point. Or for that matter, Barrack Obama, whose most ardent critics are those who mistakenly suspect him of Mohammedanism. Faith is not one-size-fits-all, except in the occasional apologetics debate. There have been no atheist presidents, true, but also no Buddhists, or Muslims, or Pagans, and those who belong to any formal denomination of Christianity can be counted on two hands. Only the most generic Christians can avoid scrutiny and criticism.

[Aupmanyav]

It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint.Surely, if a robber and killer like Angulimal could be reformed, why not Tiger Woods?

[BWE]

I don't think it will harm his image further, because it is at least an avowal of some sort of faith.

However, from what I've seen quoted, it doesn't imply any supernatural belief.

David
Buddhist faith is a slippery thing.

[Haswell]

At least he didn't follow the advice of Brit Hume. I think people would hae lost any remaining respect for Tiger if he had done that.