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Competitive sport and the buddhist path?

enkoenko Explorer
edited May 2012 in General Banter

Does anyone know of any famous buddhist sportsman/woman that play competitive sports? Particularly in the west?

I have always wondered how they motivate themselves and what could be learnt from them.

For example i play semi-professional football (world game) and as i have gotten into buddhism more and more i have encountered conflictions between that extremely competitive nature that alot of sportspeople rely on for performance and my own quest for greater inner peace. In saying that i play my best when i do take an aggressive and combatative approach to a game. Naturally all is well afterwards.

The question has always intrigued me.



Comments

  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Tiger Woods practices, or used to practice Buddhism at one point in his life. I believe he might have returned to his practice.
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Phil Jackson is another.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited May 2012
    In your sporting practice, you must strive to be the best sportsman you could ever be, support your team mates, respect the other side, and play at all costs to win.

    If you lose, learn from the experience, see the reasons, which of course, are shared between you, your team mates, your coach and the other team, strive to do better, then let it all go.
    You're only as good as your last match, anyway.

    If you win learn from the experience, see the reasons, which of course are shared between you, your team mates, your coach and the other team, rejoice, celebrate, revel in the moment, then let it all go.
    you're only as good as your last match, anyway.
  • Floating_AbuFloating_Abu Veteran
    I think you would still play the best you can but you might have more perspective and things won't hang as heavily as they might otherwise perhaps.

    Go go enko!! :rockon:
  • ZendoLord84ZendoLord84 Veteran

    dunno.
    just 'be' the sport you play.
    it's all in there, winning, losing, sportsmanship,
  • mfranzdorfmfranzdorf Veteran
    Thank you for this question! I race motorcycles as an amateur. I have thought the same question but didn't think to ask. These answers will help me as well. :)
  • I_AM_THATI_AM_THAT Veteran
    Chevy Chase in Caddy Shack... See the Ball... Be the Ball... lol
  • ToshTosh Veteran
    edited May 2012

    Does anyone know of any famous buddhist sportsman/woman that play competitive sports? Particularly in the west?
    The word 'compete' has it's roots in Latin and it's original meaning was 'to progress TOGETHER'. But the word's meaning has changed, obviously.

    There is an attitude in today's world where to be a competitor, it's 'me' against 'them', but there is another view in line with the original meaning to 'compete'.

    I run, and I have a pretty good idea of who beats me in a race; I get to know them as time goes on. I try to stick with them as far as I can, if I'm in front and they pass, I try to pass them. They are not my enemies, they help me to improve my own running by helping me to push myself harder, further, and faster. And I help them in the same way.

    I believe this attitude to be 'Buddhist'.

    In this way we all progress together and the same could be applied to any sport; including boxing, though I'm sure some would disagree.

  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    Chevy Chase in Caddy Shack... See the Ball... Be the Ball... lol
    Yup!

    When we are engaged in our art/work/game and focused without having to think about what we do, when our actions are fluid, we are in the "zone"... Is that a form of meditation? How different is it to being present to the now?
  • enkoenko Explorer

    Thanks for the comments guys (and girls?)

    I think Tiger needs to work a bit harder on not doing the sexual misconduct re: his family!!

    The game and position i play (football) can be quite physical and adversarial at times so thats why i ask. But since i have been meditating and learning about buddhism, whilst my game hasnt changed much the after game perspective definitely has. Even if there are run ins on the field i dont carry it around with me afterwards which is great!

    For others that know anything about football.....apparently Roberto Baggio (former Italian star) is a buddhist after converting from catholicism

    @mfranzdorf i can imagine you need to have the adrenalin really flowing and be aggressive racing motorbikes
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