I've always been fascinated by the Buddhist practice of meditation. It's the thing that initially attracted me to yoga. Performing agonizing poses for 30 minutes was, in my opinion, a small price to pay for 5 glorious minutes of relaxation/meditation at the end. Soon I was doing meditation without the yoga and enjoying the calm and well-being it produced. Unfortunately, I've been too undisciplined to keep the practice up.
My fascination with meditation turned into an interest in Buddhism once I learned that 1) Buddhism is less a religion and more a way of life, and 2) the art of meditation can be applied to all areas of your life. This has motivated me to start discovering for myself what our friends to the East have known for at least two and a half millenniums.
Much to Brit Hume's chagrin, Tiger Woods is getting back to his Buddhist roots. Apparently, Tiger's mom exposed him to Buddhist principles as a child, but he turned away from those principles as he got older.
At a recent "press conference" apologizing for his playeristic ways, Woods said "Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint."
I kind of connected with Tiger when he said this because, through what little exposure to Buddhist ideas I've had, I've learned that the cravings-lead-to-suffering principle he spoke of is evident in my dealings with food as well.
Earlier this week, before Tiger's apology, I ordered Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays, a book that seeks to use the principles of Buddhist meditation to change our relationship with food. I'm not foolish enough to think that once I read this book I'll never binge again, but I'm hoping that it will at least put me on the path to a healthier relationship with food, a path where I eventually learn, just as Tiger's learning, to resist my cravings and to practice restraint. And maybe along the way, I'll develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of Buddhism.
8 comments:
Love me some yoga, and I think I should read up on Buddhism. At the synagogue where I work, one of my coworkers is a Christian Buddhist. The Fundies would mock her and try to stone her, but I get it. Totally. What little I do know about the practice of Buddhism I find good and awesome. You've reminded me I need a library card and a little more quiet time. We've all got something, some impulse, some preoccupation, that gets in the way of balanced living.
We've all got something, some impulse, some preoccupation, that gets in the way of balanced living.
So very true, Em!
i love yoga, and i found an amazing woman who teaches a class on saturdays that i go to.
and as for meditation, well, it got me through a tough two weeks, and i dont think i can live without it.
grizz, youre an amazing woman, and i admire you.
Amazing, m/p? I feel inherently flawed. But I'm kinda learning to be okay with that. Kinda.
I can see the benefits for Buddhism and mediation, but have you ever tried therapy on the binging thing?
I haven't tried therapy, coffeypot, but I've thought about it. I'm exhausting my low cost options first. But if all else fails. . .
Good luck. Here's hoping you have a LOT more restraint than Tiger.
I always find it easier not to look at the restraint and the suffering of lent and giving up, but to embrace my new idea of myself. If you enjoy your food, knowing it will be good for your body, heal it, protect it, and that you only need this much, thank you...won`t that bring you joy instead of suffering?
I think Buddhism has a lot to do with simplicity, and perhaps humility.
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