Stumble It!So Brit Hume doesn’t think that Buddhism will allow Tiger Woods to find “the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith.” The Huffington Post cited a quoted from a 2008 Reuters interview with Tiger where he said, “In the Buddhist religion you have to work for it yourself, internally, in order to achieve anything in life and set up the next life. It is all about what you do and you get out of it what you put into it." Okay, I’m not a Buddhist but that makes a lot of sense to me. I believe that it is what is inside of us that guides us in our choices, helps us become better people and allows us to reach our goals and realize our dreams. And while I do believe that many religions can be powerful reinforcers of our personal values and help us see the benefits of their positive practice, I also believe that religion is completely unnecessary for people to be good, to make good choices and to live productive, successful, positive lives that are an example for others to follow.
Brit Hume has a right to his opinion and maybe he is as well-versed in Buddhism as he is in Christianity – I don’t know. I certainly wouldn’t make the proclamation he did if I wasn’t but I am not Mr. Hume. The opinions about his statements seem to be at opposing ends of the spectrum. Imagine that. Many devout Christians seem to think he doesn’t deserve the criticism he has gotten for “dissing” Buddhism and others think he should have kept his religious beliefs to himself. I, actually, fall in the middle. I personally think Brit Hume has no business giving Tiger Woods advice but if he wanted to offer up his opinion as to how he feels the religion he practices could help, then fine. He certainly has a right to do so. I would have left out the comments about Tiger’s preferred religion, however. Is it so awful what he said? No, but sometimes things are better left unsaid. When you’ve got a microphone in your face and the attention of a television audience I think you have a responsibility to be mindful of your words. Actually, I think we all have a responsibility to be mindful of our words and to have a grasp of their power. I’m not trying to quell anyone’s freedom of speech or freedom of religion, just saying that if what you’re saying or how you’re saying it isn’t productive and is potentially offensive to boot then why say it? I generally try to live my life in a way that does no harm to others with the choices that I make – and that includes being offensive with my words. I am not always successful – sometimes in order to “do the right thing” there is no way to avoid causing upset or offense with an action or a string of words but other times, when there is no good to be gained, when only something negative would result from my actions or words then I hold my tongue. In my opinion Hume should have held his tongue on the part about Buddhism.
Now, while I’m not a Buddhist I have found much wisdom in quotes from Buddha which is why I was kind of surprised when I read about Hume’s comments. I decided to reacquaint myself with some of that wisdom from Buddha to see if I could find anything that gave me pause and would make me want to advise Mr. Woods (who I’m sure wants my advice about as much as he wants Brit Hume’s) to desert his faith for another. I did not find any such support. I did find, however, some really good food for thought for us all, thanks to Buddha, that I thought I’d share. And if you’ve got some issue with agreeing with the below or keeping an open mind because they are “Buddhist”, just pretend your best friend or someone you know is saying the words because these really are not “religious” proclamations, they are quite simply just wise statements that have the ability to make us all, well, a little wiser. And remember “faith” can be anything you have faith in or believe in – be it a religion or simply life, love, family and friends. And “enlightenment” can be whatever brings you understanding in this world.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.
On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
I’m no religious expert but I’m guessing that all religions have some good messages that, were they not framed within the context of religion, a vast majority of people would take the time to read and would often agree with their general message. I think it a real shame that we so often close our minds to learning and growing because the education is coming from something or someone that we don’t fully understand or know or that we’ve decided, in a broad and sweeping manner, we do not agree with because it is different or “we weren’t raised that way”.
I have no doubt that faith helps people get through challenging times but there are many ways to reach a desired end, many paths to redemption. I think we’d all have an easier time facing our challenges, overcoming our adversities and enjoying life if we did so with open minds and open hearts instead of boxing ourselves in with one set of rigid beliefs to guide us in our travels through our time here on Earth. As Buddha said, It is better to travel well than to arrive. And I say “amen” to that. --AMB
Do you consider yourself to be open-minded even to opinions and beliefs of others? Are you able to find the "good" or the "useful" in message you may be exposed to that don't from a broader perspective align with your thoughts or beliefs? Do you think this makes a difference? Why?
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