Buddhist Thoughts is the SLC Buddhist Temple newsletter which is mailed to Temple members each month. Here we provide excerpts from archival Buddhist Thoughts.

2002 February

Olympic Attachments
by J.K. Hirano

The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle.  The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

-- Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin

This, then, is the true teaching easy to practice for small, foolish beings; it is the straight way easy to traverse for the dull and ignorant. Among all the teachings the Great Sage preached in his lifetime, none surpasses this ocean of virtues. Let the one who seeks to abandon the defiled and aspire for the pure; who is confused in practice and vacillating in faith; whose mind is dark and whose understanding deficient; whose evils are heavy and whose karmic obstructions manifold-let such persons embrace above all the Tathagata's exhortations, take refuge without fail in the most excellent direct path, devote themselves solely to this practice, and revere only this shinjin.

Kyogyoshinsho, CWS 3-4

As everyone living in the Salt Lake area is well aware, the Olympics have arrived. I'm amazed at the impact it has had on everyone living along the Wasatch front. I was involved with the Olympic Interfaith Roundtable and was told I would be a chaplain for the Olympic athletes. It was interesting working with this group, I received phone calls and was interviewed by a variety of reporters from various states and countries. With the use of the nick name "Mormon Games" it seemed that many people were interested in what or why there are non Mormons in Utah. As you can imagine, they were quite shocked when they hear that our temple has been here for 90 years.

Although it took a while to really feel the Olympics were coming, over the past few months, I was beginning to get a little excited about the prospects of being involved. I had made schedule changes, etc, to work on the Olympics. There would be a special two day training for the chaplains to learn the ins and outs of what would be necessary. Just as I was preparing and getting psyched up for the training and beginning of all of this, I received a phone call from a man from the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Comm., it was a short phone call. The person that called said that they had lost my credential information and it was now too late to get them redone. Therefore, in short, "I'm sorry, but Mr. Hirano, you will not be able to work as a chaplain. If you would like more information about why, please write to our offices." With that phone call, my Olympic involvement was over.

I was quite amazed at my own reaction. I felt a great disappointment. I wasn't really that into the Olympics, but when I was told I wasn't needed, I felt extremely disappointed. When this happened, I realized that with all the pomp and ceremony and yes, hype, the Olympics have a great deal of disappointment. My own feelings of disappointment must be nothing, compared to what the literally thousands of individuals that compete at the Olympic level must feel, when they don't make the Olympics as competitors. Some of these people have given years of their lives to a sport and if for one moment, something doesn't go right, they do not make it to the Olympics. I wondered about the type of psychology involved with this level of disappointment. How are you able to be non attached to this type of disappointment.

Attachment is one of those things that we often talk about in Buddhism. Not being attached to things and being able to let things go, is often considered a key to meditation. Yet can you compete at any level while remaining detached. We often hear of sports stars and others using their Zen training to focus on the present. Coach Phil Jackson of the L.A. Lakers is often touted as a guru, with great insight into Zen. The ability to tune things out and to concentrate on the moment. This is great, but it is a utilitarian use for a Buddhist methodology. While thinking about my disappointment in not serving as a chaplain, I began thinking about Buddhism, the Olympics, and attachment. I once again realized how important Jodo Shinshu Buddhism is for me.

Jodo Shinshu recognizes our basic humanity and the difficulty of relinquishing that humanity in our religious endeavors. Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni Buddha, was able to give up the worldly life and to achieve enlightenment. Among the things he gave up to achieve his goal of enlightenment, was his child, Rahula. Rahula literally means obstruction. It was necessary for Siddhartha to leave his son, to attain enlightenment. His son was an obstruction that needed to be overcome.

We recognize the wonderful aspect of enlightenment and our struggle to achieve it.  However, in Jodo Shinshu Buddhims we recognize that as human beings, we can not achieve it on our own.  However, it is essential in how we have worked toward it.  Jodo Shinshu may be a very appropriate religion for the Olympics.  For with Namo Amida Butsu, we know that we have fought well.

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