| f the principle tenets of Buddhism is the doctrine of | | | | means that you feel that there is someone or |
| non-attachment. What this tells us is that it is not wise | | | | something to compete with. That you are different |
| to become too deeply involved with something, or | | | | from me and you want to assert that difference and |
| attached to it so that you feel that you can't live | | | | show that you are better in some way than I am. Your |
| without it. Whether it is a thing, or a person or a | | | | sense of ego may feel threatened or in another way |
| teaching or whatever. To become so attached hinders | | | | subdued when it meets my sense of ego, and it |
| our progress along the way. If you consider this | | | | doesn't like that feeling, and so it offers a challenge, |
| teaching carefully, the truth of it soon becomes | | | | which may be in the form of a competitive sport, or |
| obvious. What is not so obvious however is that it is | | | | perhaps a simple argumentative confrontation. |
| possible to be negatively attached to something as | | | | Whatever challenge is offered, it is just your sense of |
| well. This means to hate something with the same | | | | ego that is doing the challenging. It is not you. You are |
| potency that you love something else. Although this | | | | not your ego; in fact there is no such thing in reality as |
| seems to be opposite to attachment, it's | | | | ego. However, for something that doesn't exist, it |
| disadvantageous effect on our training is the same. | | | | certainly causes a lot of trouble in your life. |
| Both states of mind hinder our progress. | | | | If you truly want to progress along the spiritual path, |
| I personally have to admit that I suffer from this state | | | | (and every astute person would want to), then you |
| of negative attachment with regard to nearly all kinds | | | | must discard this false notion of a separate, individual |
| of sport. The one I loathe most of all is English football. | | | | self, lose your spirit of competition, and strive to help |
| As a practicing Buddhist, I know that it is not good for | | | | other living beings instead of competing with them. |
| my own development to feel so strongly about | | | | There is no need to assert your superiority over |
| something. It means that my mind is not in balance, not | | | | another being, whether it is human or other animal |
| in harmony if you like, and I have spent a great deal of | | | | form, because you are not superior, nor is he superior |
| time thinking about why I feel this way. The conclusion | | | | to you. All are equal, all are one, and nothing else exists. |
| that I have reached is that it is because all kind of | | | | In order to make this a reality for you, it is necessary |
| sport generates the spirit of competition. This is more | | | | to get rid of that spirit of competition that you have |
| apparent in football than other sports because it is | | | | prized so highly. The sense that your football team is |
| obvious from the way that the fans go crazy when | | | | better than another team. That mindless ego that |
| their side scores a goal, that their sense of | | | | makes you shout and cheer when some grossly |
| competitiveness is very strong. It even spills over into | | | | overpaid player manages to propel that silly bag of air |
| the streets when the mindless game is finished and | | | | made from some poor cows' hide, into a trajectory |
| rival groups of fans confront each other, looking for a | | | | that results in it going in a direction that scores a "goal." |
| fight and thereby costing the taxpayer money to | | | | So what? |
| maintain a police presence to control them. Though it | | | | As long as the competitive spirit endures, the sense of |
| isn't quite as obvious with other sports, in the sense | | | | individualized ego will continue. There will thus be rich |
| that you don't usually get cricket or rugby fans kicking | | | | and poor, war famine and pestilence. Until we realise |
| hell out of each other, the sense of competition is still | | | | that this was not the way that the Eternal, (God if you |
| there. | | | | prefer), intended us to live, we shall not have peace of |
| There is no doubt about it; being competitively minded | | | | mind or peace in the world. |
| is not good for spiritual progress. To feel competitive | | | | |