Tiger Woods will turn to Buddhism for assistance

Tiger Woods will turn to Buddhism for assistance

Disgraced golf superstar, Tiger Woods, did it Friday, in fact, with a twist. He cited the role of Buddhism in his life and will look to it to help him recover from serial infidelity.

“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,” Woods said during Friday's televised apology, his first public appearance in nearly three months.

It was Woods' most direct reference to his beliefs yet.

In a few previous interviews, Woods said he had practiced meditation and had attended temple with his mother. He has credited her, and her Thai Buddhism, with giving him the focus needed on the golf course and throughout his life.

His latest comments reflected the Buddhist teachings about desire, craving and attachment to balance.

Religion often comes into play for public figures seeking redemption from scandal before the cameras. Bill Clinton invoked God when he asked for constituents' forgiveness, as did South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. But in this country, the religion in question is typically Christianity.

In January, Fox News analyst, Brit Hume, said Tiger Woods should turn to Jesus to deal with his sins. Woods' statement on his religion seemed to some as sort of a rebuke to the public debate stoked by Hume over Buddhism versus Christianity.

Buddhists look to themselves as they work to lead an ethical life. There is no one divinity who can bestow redemption as in Christianity.

Woods addressed this so called Samsara — the Sanskrit word for the cycle of suffering during his news conference. By the way, discout golf clubs store recommend this article: Woods will announce his comeback.

“Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security,” he said. “It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.”

If Buddhists do violate certain precepts — killing, stealing and sexual misconduct among them — then they are subject to the law of karma.

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