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Article Title: Golf And Zen - Chapter 2
Author: Wayne Smith
Word Count: 819
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?id=15796&ca=Sports
Format: 64cpl
Author's Email Address: wayneksmith@...

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About Golfing Zen: This is the second in a continuing series of
short essays dealing with the application of Eastern spiritual
philosophy to your golf game.

The surface intent is that, as you apply the ideas, your golf
and your enjoyment of the game will grow. However there is also
an underlying motive: as you are able to see gains on the
course, you’ll then be moved to alter your approach to life as
well.

Today’s Topic: The Fundamental Truth

In these articles, I’ll be simplifying as we talk about the
Eastern philosophies, and this topic title is a good example.
Buddhism actually opens its doors with The Four Noble Truths.

The first of those is that our experience is marked by
suffering. Living means to suffer. The Eastern term is "dukka."


The second shows the source of dukka to be desire, and the
third shows how we can eliminate suffering; if it is desire
that leads to suffering, then the obvious solution is to stop
desiring. Obvious, sure, but we would agree it isn’t easy.

This doesn’t mean we stop living, that we give up work, play,
relationships, learning and growth, or even that we forsake
goals. It does mean we stop agonizing about it all. Some things
we’ll never have. I won’t be the next Senator from Pennsylvania,
and I’m not going to make the PGA tour. That’s obvious enough,
but most of us continue to hunger after things that are
permanently outside our grasp, without admitting it to
ourselves.

Or, there are goals that we can eventually reach but that we
don’t have this minute. I’d like to have a retirement home in
Asheville, North Carolina. But I don’t, today, and if I obsess
about it I can easily lose sight of the pleasures of my current
life. It’s a fundamental: hungering after something not yet here
contaminates our today.

So, the fundamental truth we’re talking about is this. Whatever
we have today is everything we need – today.

The last of the Noble Truths lays out how to let go of desire:
by following the Eightfold Path (understanding, thought,
speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and
concentration). But the Path a big subject and is for the
future; I’ll certainly do a piece on each of those steps along
the Path in future articles.

For now, the connection to golf is obvious to any of us that
have suffered on the course. And who of us hasn’t suffered?
Ever throw a club? Dress yourself down — either out loud or
within your mind?

Beyond the momentary outbursts, is your enjoyment of the game
in general contaminated by not being good enough? Are you
reluctant to play with people that are better? Do you despair
about lack of improvement? Do you think about giving up?

The First Noble Truth within Buddhism is equally true on the
golf course; our golfing dukka comes from our excessive desire,
from our grasping after success. And here’s the real secret…
that comes from playing golf in an ego-driven state. If we’re
playing to re-enforce our own ego — either to others or to
ourselves — then we’re going to struggle.

The answer lies in a simple (granted, difficult) idea: we are,
today, only what we are today; our swing is what it is; our
mental game is what it is. Therefore — we’re perfect — today.
We can let our self focus on the beauty of the walk in the
park, on the companionship of friends. We can be alert, we can
pay attention, we can be mindful of everything we see and
experience, we can allow our game to be what it is, and we can
trust that we’re on a path that will take us to higher levels
as we continue move along. And that’s true!

I’ll be giving you lots of ‘tips’ or ‘thought exercises’ as we
move through these articles, and here’s one that applies to
this subject. You can reduce your grasping (and thereby, your
golf-course dukka) by detaching for the outcome. Laird Small,
the head pro at Pebble Beach, calls it “NATO: Not Attached To
Outcome."

Here’s one way of doing that. Your golf-course job is to swing
the club in a graceful, rhythmic, and balanced way. The Golf
God’s job is to move the ball to a new point, for your next
test. Your job is only to be mindful of how well you perform
your task and to then get out of the way and let the Golf God
do his. Try that, next time out.

Next Time: You Already Know.


About The Author: Wayne Smith is a former DuPont manufacturing
manager, seminar leader, industry consultant, and is the author
of two books: a manufacturing text and a golf novel. He is a
close-up magician and has been a life-long golf searcher. A
father of two, he lives in the Philadelphia area. Comments can
be directed to wayneksmith@....
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