This is Phil Jackson. He is the coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, he also coached Michael Jordan in Chicago. He’s won 11 NBA titles as a coach. He’s known as the “Zen Master,” and supposedly uses his Buddhist philosophy to make him a better coach. Regardless of your fan affiliation – the man is a good coach, 11 NBA titles speaks for itself. Granted, Jackson also incorporates many Native American religious practices too, and his father was a fundamentalist Christian preacher. However, for me – Zen Buddhism looks like Phil Jackson in this picture.
The man seems so centered. I picture him eating dinner and then saying, “Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” He dips his feet in, just up to his ankles – and the waves die down and stop. He turns around and his shirt is completely unbuttoned. Overall, he looks “Zenned out.” It looks like he’s getting ready to begin his Tai Chi regiment.
Brad Warner, in his book “Zen Wrapped in Karma, Dipped in Chocolate,” discussed the stereotypes on Buddhist practitioners. On page 26, Warner discussed the obvious ‘rip off’ Buddhists, “There were teachers who prattled on and on with cartoony sounding descriptions of heightened awareness that sounded like stuff from bad sixties acid-trip movies.” Jackson usually talks about how basketball is such a spiritual game. He’s very focused on a team being centered together as well – this would tide well with Buddhist stereotypes.
However, my next thought that would eliminate Phil Jackson from being a Buddhist practitioner stereotype is his salary (Jackson of course being a millionaire); however, Warner even discusses that. He talks about how being a butcher was not a “Buddhist” job – because you had to kill things. However, Warner quotes an interaction with a butcher where he puts down his cleaver, folds his hands and says to the patron, “‘Sir, do you see any meat in my shop that is not fresh?’ From this interaction the master learned that even a butcher can do his job in a Buddhist way, with attention, care, and respect” (12).
Jackson certainly fits this stereotype of being thorough and respectful – that is the Buddhist way.
Also, Phil Jackson was quoted with this little gem – whenever I’m in doubt, I always seek this advice: “If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball.”
photo credit: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Create-a-caption-Your-true-moment-of-Zen?urn=nba-184427
