Zen Buddhism
Buddhism is a major Asian religion studied and practiced in countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Although Buddhism is a growing religion throughout the world, in particular, the practice of meditation is spreading in the West. The United States has a center for Buddhists in Hawaii and New York and also a Buddhist community has been established in California. (Hewitt, 13-14) But even closer to home for most is the practicing of Zen Buddhism on the basketball court by former Chicago Bulls and present Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson. In this essay I will discuss how Jackson has incorporated some of the practices of Zen Buddhism into his and the players of his teams lives and how it has been effective for the game and the lives of those involved. I will also touch on his use of combined Zen and Christianity along with his extended interest in the Lakota Sioux."The Chicago Bulls' Buddha-like guru Phil Jackson inks the richest coaching deal in N.B.A. history ($6 million for one last season [with the Bulls])" (Notebook, 11). There may be some sound reasoning behind this. Michael Jordan was quoted on how some team members are starting to use Jackson's religion to help them win, "It's that Zen Budd
He and several of his former players believe that this is partially due to what they practiced in the years Jackson was coach. Fortune Magazine states in their article titled "Zen and the Art of Teamwork" the triangle offense is when, "Three players all must be in a particular place on the floor, but each has the freedom to act. Speaking on the art of coaching on page 79-80 of his book Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior Jackson explains that,"One of the main jobs of a coach is to reawaken that spirit so that the players can blend together effortlessly. He says that, "In Zen it is the gap between accepting things the way they are and wishing them to be otherwise is 'the tenth of and inch of difference between heaven and hell. To add to the remarkable character of a man, Phil Jackson incorporates yet another system of beliefs into his life and coaching. edu/issues/archives/april/is00apr0102. The ego-driven culture of basketball, and society in general, militates against cultivating this kind of selfless action, even for members of a team whose success as individuals in tied directly to the group performance. Jackson elaborates on that and says that Right Action is, "the capacity to observe what's happening and act appropriately, without being distracted by self-centered thoughts" (69). This comes with awareness that allows us to see the world and ourselves as they are, without selfish and unneeded judgments. Jackson's interest in Zen also helped incorporated the triangle offense as the structure of the game. " And Fortune quotes assistant coach Jim Clemons as saying that, "In this particular offense, the cuts and passes aren't programmed. " Another aspect of the Eightfold Path is used here.
Common topics in this essay:
Hewitt Buddhists,
Sacred Hoops,
Warrior Jackson,
Phil Jackson,
Zen Buddhism,
Angeles Lakers,
Love Deford,
Enlightenment Jackson,
Zen Don't,
Path Buddhists,
eightfold path,
phil jackson,
zen buddhism,
sacred hoops,
spiritual lessons hardwood,
fingers hand,
april 2000,
five fingers,
jackson believes,
angeles lakers,
aspects eightfold,
lessons hardwood warrior,
sacred hoops spiritual,
hoops spiritual lessons,
aspects eightfold path,
|
Acceptance Essays
