Phil Jackson And Buddhism Essay

Coach Steve Rocker is one of the most successful high school basketball coaches in Kentucky’s history. Coach Rocker was very successful in previous years. Strangely, this year was very different for him. For the first time in his professional life, he is falling short of his expectations, the community expectations, and the team’s expectations. His team lost a lot of games, but most importantly the boys had no motivation or desire to bring the team out of the rut they found themselves. His players have lost their will to win, their love for their teammates, and their passion to play. Coach Rocker’s motivational methods that have always worked before and resulted in success are now failing, and he doesn’t know why. He argues that his players have become selfish and bored with winning because they have been so successful in previous years. “And there’s no question that my guys have lost their drive to win because they’ve won so much in the past. Now all they want is individual ‘wins’…which just doesn’t cut it on a team” (Gongwer, 2010, p. 17).

Jealousy is the key factor that pushes us to do better or it can overpower our thinking abilities because we want to be the best, so we don’t think about how it can affect the people around us. This is exactly what happens in the story, “MVP,” by Clare Mishica. Derek wants to be the most valuable player on his basketball team instead of Cole so much that he forgets to be a team player. When Cole gets hurt, Derek realizes how much more important the trophy and being a part of the team is than getting MVP. Teamwork is always more efficient than trying to achieve something individually because a person can do very little alone, but together we can accomplish a lot. The saying, “Two heads are better than one,” goes along with this perfectly.

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

No other figure in history has played a bigger part in opening the West to Buddhism than the eminent Zen author, D.T. Suzuki. One of the world's leading authorities on Zen Buddhism, Suzuki authored more than a hundred popular and scholarly works on the subject. A brilliant and intuitive scholar, Dr. Suzuki communicated his insights in a lucid and energetic fashion.

The followers of the Buddha believe life goes on and on in many reincarnations or rebirths. The eternal hope for all followers of Buddha is that through reincarnation one comes back into successively better lives - until one achieves the goal of being free from pain and suffering and not having to come back again. This wheel of rebirth, known as samsara, goes on forever or until one achieves Nirvana. The Buddhist definition of Nirvana is "the highest state of spiritual bliss, as absolute immortality through absorption of the soul into itself, but preserving individuality" (Head1 57).     Birth is not the beginning and death is not the end. This cycle of life has no beginning and can go on forever

All athletes can recognize that being a part of a team is hard. It is incredibly difficult to select a group of teenagers that will (1) all get along, (2) work together seamlessly, and (3) respect their coaches. The formula for the perfect team is unknowable. One negative spirit always exists to drag the team down, to deflate their motives and increase their egos; but that does not have any effect on the sportsmanship of a team. Sportsmanship does not rely on the cohesiveness of a team. It does not correlate with how many bonding trips a team endures or how many groups of friends are on the team. It is not entirely internal or entirely external. Sportsmanship is not simply the willingness of an athlete to respect other

Zen; Buddhism's trek through history, politics, and America Zen, or Zenno (as it is known by the Japanese word from which it derives), is the most common form of Buddhism practiced in the world today. All types of people from intellectuals to celebrities refer to themselves as Buddhist, but despite its popularity today in America, it has had a long history throughout the world. "Here none think of wealth or fame, All talk of right and wrong is quelled. In Autumn I rake the leaf-banked stream, In spring attend the nightingale. Who dares approach the lion's Mountain cave? Cold, robust, A Zen-person through and through, I let the spring breeze enter at the gate." -Daigu (1584-1669, Rinzai) (DailyZen) Zen Buddhism's history begins

Tilopa once said, “It is not the outer objects that entangle us. It is the inner clinging that entangles us.” Over 2500 years ago, Buddha outlined the framework for Buddhist thought in which he declared that he taught suffering, its origin, cessation and path. The four noble truths contain the basis of Buddha’s ideas which he attained while meditating under a bodhi tree, which would later become a Buddhist symbol. While Buddhism is not practiced by many, its affect in the world can be seen in the utilization of the four noble truths that Buddha was enlightened with. By accepting the four noble truths, we are able to identify, heal, and be set free from a life of suffering.

Many people interpret Buddha as a big fat guy, that will give you luck if you rub his belly. This may be true, but Buddhism is much bigger than that. Buddhism began in Himalaya region and has been around since the first century. In Buddhism, the nature of God is a man named Shakyamuni Buddha. In this paper, we are going to look a little more into Buddhism. We will review responses from an actual Buddhism worshipper. We will also compare Buddhism to other religions.

     In reading this account on Buddhism, the goal is, for you (the reader) to understand a fascinating belief system, that has been around since before Christ ever set foot on this earth. This will provide a connection to the minds and hearts of the people who live and die in this sacred world, so that an understanding may be arroused and ultimatly give an acceptance as well as a clear path to minister to these people. The most important aspect of reaching out to people of other cults or religions could possibly be an understanding and common ground with your neighbor. Therefore, knowing Buddhism and learning about it will help give you a stepping stone in you mission on spreading the gospel of

As a college student who has lived in Smallville, USA, I do not have much experience with the other religions of the world. I have grown up a Christian Protestant my whole life, and I am a firm believer in my religion. Soon after reading the chapter on Buddhism in Huston Smith’s book The World’s Religions, I came to understand and respect the Buddhist religion. I came to learn who the Buddha as a man really was, and the steps he took in becoming a religious icon. I know understand that Buddhism is not all meditation and relaxing. There is a strict code of the four noble truths and the prescription of getting through them called the eightfold path. Much like Christianity Buddhism also has many different views on how to follow the

High in the mountains of the Himalayas chants ring out from the Tibetan monastery. For most this is a dream-like vacation to a far away land. For some of the people who live in Tibet and India this is everyday life as a Buddhist. Buddhism revolves around a strict code of daily rituals and meditations. To an outsider they can seem mystical or even odd, but these are the paths to enlightenment and spiritual salvation. Throughout the centuries, Buddhism has evolved into a major religion in Asia and other parts of the world.

Basketball is supposed to be a team sport. A team can constant of ten or twelve players but only five can compete at a team. Five players on the court working together to win. Teammates are supposed to have their teammates back. Fight to the very end for their team to get a win. This is not always true. Players have their own way of doing things. They think a team should be like this or that, but they are players who do the right things for the team. I have experienced this from my team. My teammates cab be categorized based on their performance as the “Jankin’ Jerseys”, the “Limitless LeBrons”, and the “Paparazzi Peters.”

Gautama Buddha, previously known as Prince Siddhartha (before his enlightenment) founded the religion of Buddhism. Gautama Buddha was born to Queen Maha-Maya at Kapilavastu, Nepal, Indian. Buddha taught and organized the Sangha, monastic orders, until his death at Kusinagara, at the age of 80. There are 308,000,000 Buddhist devotees in the world today. They believe that there has been Buddha before Him; Bodhisattvas who come as Saviors of all and that all beings are Buddha whether they realize it or not.

Buddhism has grown to become a major world religion since its founding by Siddharta Gautama, known as the Buddha, in 5th and 6th centuries. It now has over 300 million followers. Buddha, or enlightened one, was born around 563 BC in the town of Kapilavastu, what is now Nepal. He was born a prince, son to King Siddhartha and Queen Maya. He was raised in the palace and never left the grounds. At the age of 29, he ventured from there. Outside of the city he saw four things that changed his life: He saw old age, sickness, death, and a holy man. After seeing these things, he became a holy man himself, traveling all over India, talking to holy men. He learned about Reincarnation, Karma, and Moksha. After