One had to wonder, after all the hubbub, if Tiger Woods’ much-publicized post-scandal media statement today would address his Buddhist practice. Well, yes, it did:

“I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path, for me, is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don’t realize it, but 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. As I move forward, I will continue to receive help, because I’ve learned that that’s how people really do change.”

Update: Tida Woods, the golfer’s mom, had this to say about her son’s rededication to Buddhist practice:  “Buddhism teaches you to go deep inside your soul and look through from himself, and correct the bad thing to be a good thing. When he realized, he said okay, and went back to practice Buddhism and that will make him a much better person.”

For my ongoing coverage of the media-circus surrounding Woods’ Buddhism (versus Brit Hume’s suggestions that he convert to Christianity), click here.

Update: CNN has posted a new piece (featured on its homepage as of Friday evening): Tiger Woods’ apology brings new attention to Buddhism

Contact with a FOX publicist made earlier this evening confirmed that Brit Hume had now spoken on FOX’s The O’Reilly Factor about his recent comment regarding Tiger Woods, Christianity, and what Hume seems to see as an inferiority in Buddhism.

Here’s the video:

Note the question at the 50-second mark to learn which faith O’Reilly thinks is the one being denigrated here.

Pat Buchanan, on the other hand, has more or less conceded that Buddhism was in fact being denigrated, but seems to think that that’s okay because “there are not a lot of Buddhists watching FOX.” (TPM has a nice wrap-up.)

Okay, I’ve tried to avoid getting into the whole Tiger Woods story. There’s been way too much of it.

But one new item is too notable to, um, not note. Check it out, along with video, at Shambhala SunSpace.

Via Ananova:

Photographs of a monk skateboarding inside a historic temple have caused controversy in China. [...]

“Monks should seek quietness and riding a skateboard is such a contradictory thing to Buddhist life,” said [internet commenter].

However, a spokesman for the temple said that the outside world did not understand the life of a contemporary monk.

“People get their impressions from TV or movies, where monks are praying all day long, without any motivation or desire,” he said.

“But these days monks also enjoy sports like badminton, table tennis and skateboarding in the spare time, as well as praying.

“They even use the internet and mobile phones to promote Buddhism. This is not contradictory to Buddhism but actually is part of the Buddhist spirit.”

Right on.

Exciting news today for one of the most exciting young authors in the Buddhist realm: Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea, by Jaimal Yogis, is being turned into a film. Watch the trailer on the film’s website, here.

And, just as nice: a percentage of the film’s profits will be donated to organizations that share Jaimal’s desire and passion to care for the earth. Well done, all around!

A new piece on PopEater asks what it is that’s keeping Alex Rodriguez’s — um –  “bat” — um — “on fire.” So, why might the Yankee hitter be doing so well?

PopEater actually got a respected Buddhist academic to weigh in near the top of the article:

Kate (along with her mama Goldie) is a tried-and-true Buddhist and the Eastern religion’s influence could be bolstering A-Rod’s game.

“Buddhism encourages calm and concentration and helps to reduce the overly narcissistic idea of the self,” explains Dr. David Germano, Associate Professor of Buddhism and Tibetan Studies at the University of Virginia to PopEater. “This can help a person to immerse themselves in the interdependent flow of relationships on the playing field.”

Well said, Dr. Germano. Too bad this notion disappears with PopEater’s next paragraph:

“Or, perhaps it’s the great, movie star sex.”

Update: The New York Post is claiming that A-Rod is “trying Buddhism on for size.”

Via China Daily:

Martial arts have been an interest of Shaquille O’Neal, and he paid an emotional visit Monday to the Shaolin Temple in Henan province.

“I’ve been a lot of places but being at the Shaolin Temple has brought a tear to my eye. Buddha blessed,” the NBA superstar center wrote on his blog.

NBA Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal (R) receives a Buddha statue, a gift from Shi Yongxin (not pictured), abbot of Shaolin Temple, during his promotional tour in Shaolin Temple, central China’s Henan province, July 13, 2009. [Xinhua]

[...]

O’Neal said visiting the temple, birthplace of Zen Buddhism, was not on his China tour schedule, but he could not resist the temptation.

He was able to meet Shi Yongxin, abbot of the temple, and spent time discussing Zen (a school of Mahayana Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chan).

Click here for more.

[Via the Daily Camera:]

The walls of Front Range Boxing are lined with Lao Tzo quotes, alongside photos of Dave Gaudette with famous boxers and trainers.

“Gaudette was 16 years old when he fell in love with boxing. Another twist: At the time, he was studying to be a Franciscan priest.

“I’ve always been drawn toward the ultimate, the bigger picture,” he says. “Every once in a while, the time and the ego melts away. And that’s the closest you’re ever going to get to God. I’m talking about the ‘dis-ease’ of philosophy. If you’re satisfied with everything, there’s no impulse to look beyond your next experience.”

He continues, without a breath in between: “Do you know the story of the Buddha?”

Read the rest here.

Well, probably no more than he’s a fan of any other team — or any of us, for that matter.

But he did pretty much wear a Pats cap throughout his entire public talk at Gillette Stadium the other day.

Pix and links to more coverage at Shambhala Sunspace.

Now online at Shambhala SunSpace: an excerpt from Jaimal Yogis’ SaltWater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea. Just go here.