Golf For Enlightenment

Those of us who play golf know how uncannily the game can mirror life and will appreciate Deepak Chopra's remark that 'golf is like lighting caught in a bottle. It can turn triumph into disaster in a split second'. Deepak Chopra is best known for his books on philosophy and health such as Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, and here he applies the principle of mindfulness to golf in a way that goes beyond the 'inner game'. The book's central character is Adam Seavin, 'a person like any one of us, with a terrible game'. He meets an enigmatic young teaching pro characterised as Leela (Play) who gives him seven lessons that can be applied to both golf and life. The central insights are how to get the mind or ego out of the way, finding the now, letting the game play you and combining passion with detachment. The desire for control leads to a self-defeating 'efforting' or struggle, which is the exact opposite of the non-doing (wu wei in Taoism) that allows the swing or putt to happen. Chopra recommends players to try a four-step approach: stop the mind, calm the emotions, rest the attention with clear focus and play the shot from stillness. This also involves letting go, centring one's attention on the 'witness' rather than the anxious ego that is worrying about the score or the impression it is making. The ego is all passion and no detachment while the game (of life) requires a balance of the two. To be free or liberated one needs to be unconcerned about outcomes (what if I drive into the rough!?) and allow the game to play you. Easier said than done, I know, but worth a try as a step on the way to transcending self-importance!