The apology, watched by millions across the country was heartfelt, contrite and I believe a necessary step toward his recovery. Woods apology contained all of necessary elements of this process. He accepted full responsibility not just for his actions but also for a part of the root cause of his actions. “I thought the rules didn’t apply to me”, he rightly admitted. “It is hard for me to admit that I need help, but I do.”
Curiously, his speech contained many of the words familiar to Christian repentance such as “atone”, “grace” and “forgiveness”. And although he never used the word “sin”, he clearly admitted that in his case rules had been broken. The reason I find this last point curious is that he framed his entire apology in light of his Buddhism.
And yet Buddhism has none of these concepts. In Buddhism there is no fully formed concept of atonement because there is no concept of sin. In Buddhism as in most Eastern religions atonement centers not on forgiveness but on “release from delusion and suffering through meditative insight into the nature of reality.”* Buddhism is not a theistic religion and so there is no God to sin against. So when Tiger says that he “broke the rules” and he is not talking about civil law, then one has to ask, “what rule?” There are no such “rules” in Buddhism. If he is talking about his rules for marriage, then why would any one besides his wife be offended if there was no greater authoritative moral law at play? As Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a leading teacher in Tibetan Buddhism has put it:
"There are no moral absolutes in Buddhism and it is recognized that ethical decision-making involves a complex nexus of causes and conditions. 'Buddhism' encompasses a wide spectrum of beliefs and practices, and the canonical scriptures leave room for a range of interpretations. All of these are grounded in a theory of intentionality, and individuals are encouraged to analyze issues carefully for themselves. ... When making moral choices, individuals are advised to examine their motivation--whether aversion, attachment, ignorance, wisdom, or compassion--and to weigh the consequences of their actions in light of the Buddha's teachings." (Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a professor of theology and a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in an essay entitled, PROLIFE, PROCHOICE: BUDDHISM AND REPRODUCTIVE ETHICS)
It is interesting to me that Tiger framed his problem from a distinctively Christian world-view and yet called on his Buddhism to get him through it. My contention is that you can have one or the other but not both at the same time.
Buddhism and Christianity are not the same thing. They are two completely different and mutually exclusive worldviews.
In Christianity we learn that it is only in coming to a knowledge of a holy and righteous God and His revealed Word that we come to understand there is a “moral law” or “covenant” that applies to us. And in this law we find the basis of our relationship with God. It is only in that understanding that we see that we have sin that must be atoned for. And it is only in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, that we are able to find that atonement.
In Christianity we learn that we are completely powerless without His grace- to know our sin, to call on His mercy, to ask for His forgiveness and to find true repentance.
Perhaps it was because Tiger’s father was raised a Christian that he was able to articulate those qualities that one finds in Christian repentance and atonement. Or perhaps he expressed these sentiments because they are a natural outcry of the human heart in the midst of brokenness and shame. But to take these expressions all the way through to there most important conclusion one must turn not to his own meditation or sense of enlightenment- but to the One who has been sinned against and who by His grace was willing to atone for that sin.
To Tiger I would say your sin is no delusion. It is real and horribly destructive with eternal consequences. Your solution will not be found in the enlightenment of Buddhas teaching, but in the sacrificial death of the Son of God, whose work of atonement we celebrate during this Lent season is the most important reality of all of our lives.
*Joseph S. O'Leary, Forgiveness and Buddhism
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