During Tiger Woods delivery of his prepared apology in relation to his extra-marital affairs he stated that he "wants to get back to his Buddhist roots." He blamed a drift from Buddhism for losing touch with his morals and priorities.
He went on to say that he plans to rededicate himself to Buddhism, the religion in which he was raised by his Thai mother, but had strayed away from in recent years.
In Buddhist terms Tiger had failed to undertake the training rule to abstain from sexual misconduct, the third of the Five Precepts which lay Buddhists are expected to follow, they are not "Thou Shalt Nots" but rather guides to living a non-harming, ethical life. The full list is:-
I undertake to observe the precept to abstain from ...
1 ...harming living beings.
2 ...taking things not freely given.
3 ...sexual misconduct.
4 ...false speech.
5 ...intoxicating drinks and drugs causing heedlessness.
"Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivate responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct." Thich Nath Hanh
No comments:
Post a Comment