“I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. 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. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.”
—Tiger Woods News Conference February 19, 2010
Tiger touches on a vital truth that underlies anxiety, addiction, anger, depression, and general unhappiness. It is what I came to call the dragon of dependency. Before discussing the dragon further, I want to share with you what I once heard that could have a bearing on Tiger’s prognosis. In contrast to Freud, Carl Jung observed that returning to their religious roots was a significant factor in helping a number of his patients achieve a lasting cure for their neuroses. This does not mean returning to dogma and doctrine but to following your faith in such a way that you become loving, compassionate, and peaceful. In addition to his continuing with his therapy, if Tiger truly practices such elements of Buddhism as mindfulness or insight meditation, then, by his example, he has the potential to be a great teacher to all of us. I’ll present more on mindfulness next time.
Essentially, the dragon is the false belief that we are dependent on something external to ourselves for peace of mind and well being. This belief is hard-wired in the primitive, reptile portion of the brain that, in being survival oriented, drives us to seek food and sex. When thwarted and/or threatened, the reptile brain impels us to aggression or flight.
• Today, when feeling stressed, stop the dragon in its tracks by pausing and taking a slow, deep breath while silently saying, “I AM NOT dependent on anything external to myself for my peace of mind and well being.” Then, breathing out, silently say, “For I have everything I need within my heart to feel good and be at peace.” Focus on how good it feels to take a slow, deep breath. Remember that love—God—the ultimate power in the universe is housed in your heart.
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