Expert: Joe McSorley - 2/17/2006

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hi, my name is Linus I'm 16 years old and from sweden. I've writtent to you once before and got a very satisfying answare, but there are more questions on my mind.

I've studied buddhism for some time now and I'd say that it really brings me happiness in daily life and also I cotribute to others happiness more than before.

I can feel happy just sitting alone and focusing how incredible is that.

But there are actually one area where I feel more angry, more sad and also I don't feel like I'm doing my best.
This area is any kind of sports, I play table tennis, in this you can easily get angry and if you don't get angry in the start you've got a whole lot more to get angry on.

Before buddhism I did what everyone else does I showed my anger and got angry not at my opponent but at myself.
Now with buddhism I'm not allowed to swear, I'm not allowed to take out my anger fysicaly. Also I get totaly tangled up with staying with the moment. I've tried being happy losing and it works, it works for some time, but then I realize I played much better before and I get angry at myself for not being able to do my best.

trying to be quiet and just play the game (not take out my anger) don't work to well for me either, it feels like I store the anger inside me and it have gone so far that sometimes I want scream or thinks about what evil things I want to do to my oppenent (this was actually not the case before I studied buddhism), (even though I after know that the problem is inside me, not him).

I almost feel like I despite going to table tennis even though I did really well before and many people from our club cheered me on.
This is the only place where buddhism actually have made me worse but it is a big problem for me.

Just want to bring this up as well.
I play computer games a specific game and train hard in it.
I was really good, and I mean really good.
Many people was impressed by me and that I could be that good, but unfortuentlly the exact same thing have happened here.
Of course these games are highly dependent on how I'm feeling that day and how serious I am.

Since buddhism says I should not cling to things I should not cling to wanting to win every game right?
This results in a loss of being serious and more angre when I lose.

With all these thoughts in the back of my head I find it really hard to either play table tennis or computer seriously.

Have I missunderstood something very important?
Does buddhism not want people to involve themselves in sports?

Before I could take out my angre now It's inside me every game I play.
To me this is acutally important since I'm good at it and that I have a responsability towords other players depending on me.
I don't want to make them disapointed, I want to win more and be more happy playing like before buddhism.
Is there a way that could solve this?

Perhaps you fear that many young people live not knowing these things and calling themselves buddhists, this is not the case to be honest every time someone asks me if I'm a buddhist I've denied it and I've not confirmed for myself that I am one.
I simly follow the buddhist way because it brings me happiness and makes me a better person towards others, but now this problem have arise and I can't find how to follow buddhism and still practice sports and be good at it and get that feeling I get when I really feel I've done my best, so please help me.

As I've understood there are monks that practice material arts so in some way it should be possible, or is it just that the monks don't compete?
Answer -
Hi Linus,
  Who knew that table tennis was such an angry sport?!  I know some table tennis champs from China and they've never described it quite the way you do.  I think you are confusing anger with intensity.  If you are playing with anger it's hard to be in the moment.  If you are trying to be in the moment, you are not in the moment.  Stop worrying about this stuff and just play the game with all your heart, all your being and let it go.  There is no anger in the moment so stop clinging to anger and stop clinging to Buddhism.  Buddhism is not emotionless and anyone who teaches you it is has no idea what they are talking about.  It's not about being blank and emotionless but about being in the moment, happy or sad, angry or joyful, and not clinging to that.
Again, it's not about being blank, though some people teach it this way. This idea is completely wrong.  What you want to achieve, as an athlete is to go beyond normal action and consciousness to a state that is deeper and more profound.  This is to go beyond technique and ‘doing' to a place of pure motion and balance.  In Taoism this is known as ‘wu wei'.  Many Buddhist scholars along with their Taoist counterparts use the term ‘wu-wei' as well as ‘no mind', single-mindedness and ‘empty' to mean the same thing.  The way most people express it is in the negative as just ‘no doing' or no voluntary action but that is misleading. I think this is what you are trying to do. Here's an example.  To become proficient at playing a musical instrument you need to practice.  This practice is ‘doing' or a way or path.  The more you practice the more you are ‘doing' but you hope to reach a point where your playing becomes unconscious so that you are no longer ‘doing'.  When you reach this point you are doing it without doing, no voluntary action, you are moving freely.  You are no longer on a way or path but free from the path.  Now practicing the scales got you there but practicing the scales is not ‘it'.  You need to transcend the doing to get to the non-doing.  Most people mistake this non-doing as being placid and blank but it is the exact opposite, it is active and dynamic.  So through meditation or any other practice you strive to reach the point that you are no longer doing it, you are ‘it'.   Now the path and technique have been abandoned but not before they were mastered.  Ultimately kung fu and table tennis disappear, like the musical instrument disappears, and full expression of the art blossoms.  There is no anger here but pure ‘doing' and passion.
   Stop being angry and start playing.
  I hope this helps you, take care,
         Joe

Just wanted to say that I learn it from Buddhanet.net
Probably there are no monks who would teach things like I explaind above. Just wanted you to kown that you don't have to be afraid of monks teaching totaly wrong things  

Answer
Hi Linus,
 Thanks for clearing that up. Inreality I have met several Buddhist monks and priests who have taught things totally wrong.  It's bad enough when a lay person does it but when a monk does it, it really damages the perception of the philosophy.  I've sat in on lectures at monasteries where if I had no background in Buddhism I would have left there thinking that Buddhism was ridiculous and would not have pursued it at all.
 Take care,
         Joe