| About Golfing Zen: This is the second in a continuing | | | | a big subject and is for the future; I?ll certainly do a |
| series of short essays dealing with the application of | | | | piece on each of those steps along the Path in future |
| Eastern spiritual philosophy to your golf game. | | | | articles. |
| The surface intent is that, as you apply the ideas, | | | | For now, the connection to golf is obvious to any of |
| your golf and your enjoyment of the game will grow. | | | | us that have suffered on the course. And who of us |
| However there is also an underlying motive: as you | | | | hasn?t suffered? Ever throw a club? Dress yourself |
| are able to see gains on the course, you?ll then be | | | | down ? either out loud or within your mind? |
| moved to alter your approach to life as well. | | | | Beyond the momentary outbursts, is your enjoyment |
| Today?s Topic: The Fundamental Truth | | | | of the game in general contaminated by not being |
| In these articles, I?ll be simplifying as we talk about | | | | good enough? Are you reluctant to play with people |
| the Eastern philosophies, and this topic title is a good | | | | that are better? Do you despair about lack of |
| example. Buddhism actually opens its doors with The | | | | improvement? Do you think about giving up? |
| Four Noble Truths. | | | | The First Noble Truth within Buddhism is equally true |
| The first of those is that our experience is marked | | | | on the golf course; our golfing dukka comes from |
| by suffering. Living means to suffer. The Eastern | | | | our excessive desire, from our grasping after |
| term is "dukka." | | | | success. And here?s the real secret? that comes |
| The second shows the source of dukka to be desire, | | | | from playing golf in an ego-driven state. If we?re |
| and the third shows how we can eliminate suffering; | | | | playing to re-enforce our own ego ? either to others |
| if it is desire that leads to suffering, then the obvious | | | | or to ourselves ? then we?re going to struggle. |
| solution is to stop desiring. Obvious, sure, but we | | | | The answer lies in a simple (granted, difficult) idea: |
| would agree it isn?t easy. | | | | we are, today, only what we are today; our swing is |
| This doesn?t mean we stop living, that we give up | | | | what it is; our mental game is what it is. Therefore ? |
| work, play, relationships, learning and growth, or even | | | | we?re perfect ? today. We can let our self focus on |
| that we forsake goals. It does mean we stop | | | | the beauty of the walk in the park, on the |
| agonizing about it all. Some things we?ll never have. I | | | | companionship of friends. We can be alert, we can |
| won?t be the next Senator from Pennsylvania, and | | | | pay attention, we can be mindful of everything we |
| I?m not going to make the PGA tour. That?s obvious | | | | see and experience, we can allow our game to be |
| enough, but most of us continue to hunger after | | | | what it is, and we can trust that we?re on a path |
| things that are permanently outside our grasp, | | | | that will take us to higher levels as we continue |
| without admitting it to ourselves. | | | | move along. And that?s true! |
| Or, there are goals that we can eventually reach but | | | | I?ll be giving you lots of ?tips? or ?thought exercises? |
| that we don?t have this minute. I?d like to have a | | | | as we move through these articles, and here?s one |
| retirement home in Asheville, North Carolina. But I | | | | that applies to this subject. You can reduce your |
| don?t, today, and if I obsess about it I can easily | | | | grasping (and thereby, your golf-course dukka) by |
| lose sight of the pleasures of my current life. It?s a | | | | detaching for the outcome. Laird Small, the head pro |
| fundamental: hungering after something not yet here | | | | at Pebble Beach, calls it ?NATO: Not Attached To |
| contaminates our today. | | | | Outcome." |
| So, the fundamental truth we?re talking about is this. | | | | Here?s one way of doing that. Your golf-course job |
| Whatever we have today is everything we need ? | | | | is to swing the club in a graceful, rhythmic, and |
| today. | | | | balanced way. The Golf God?s job is to move the |
| The last of the Noble Truths lays out how to let go | | | | ball to a new point, for your next test. Your job is |
| of desire: by following the Eightfold Path | | | | only to be mindful of how well you perform your |
| (understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, | | | | task and to then get out of the way and let the Golf |
| effort, mindfulness, and concentration). But the Path | | | | God do his. Try that, next time out. |