Fijian Golf Star Practices Thai Buddhist Meditation

[sabaijai]

Monk drives Vijay on

Fijian golf star and tom yum lover also has fondness for meditation

Story by TUL PINKAEW

When Fijian golfer Vijay Singh chose panang kai (yellow curry with coconut milk) and tom kaa (coconut milk and chicken soup) as the main dish for the Champions Dinner after winning the US Masters golf tournament in 2000, some Thais wondered why the news was so highly publicised on the sports pages of local newspapers. After all, in the past five to 10 years Thai cuisine has become immensely popular worldwide, rivalling traditional take-away favourites such as Chinese and Indian food.

And it was not unusual for Mr Singh, who this week missed the cut in the British Open, to have acquired a liking for its authentic taste.

But before long, everyone learned that Mr Singh's passion for tom yum kung (hot and sour shrimp soup) did not result from one night at a Thai restaurant, but had its roots back when he was playing on the Asian tour during the 1980s.

Mr Singh became close to a lot of Thais and the Fijian even has a Thai beverage company as his official sponsor. He even donates some of his earnings to charities in Thailand.

In 2002 the world number nine at that time would once again look to the Land of Smiles for inspiration, but this time it was not a new dish.

Instead, he learned meditation at a temple on the outskirts of Bangkok.

''When they [Vijay and his friends] came to see me back in mid-2002, they wanted me to teach Vijay how to be more aggressive and not keep all his emotions bottled up inside in order for him to finally reach the world number one ranking,'' recalled Phra Khru Paowana Waranusat of Wat Pai Lueng in Nonthaburi's Bang Yai district.

''I told Vijay and his friends that there was no need to go for a change because Vijay's ability to keep calm under all circumstances was his greatest asset and something that I could build on.'' Mr Singh went to Wat Pai Lueng, a remote temple located amongst paddy fields, upon the recommendation of his sponsors, who were students of Phra Khru Paowana, hoping for dharma to improve his fortunes.

In sports, and in life, it is important to learn from past mistakes but not dwell on them. Instead, one has to move on and focus on the task at hand. Meditation can help create that focus and concentration that every athlete needs, the monk said.

Through a translator, Mr Singh _ whose religion is Sikhism _ was taught the fundamentals of breathing meditation in which the purpose is to focus on the sensation of the breath, resisting the temptation to follow the different thoughts that arise.

Mr Singh was also taught Buddhist teachings focusing on gratitude, confidence in oneself and determination.

''After the weeks he spent at the temple, he [Mr Singh] asked me how many titles he was going to win. I said: 'In 2003 you will win five and in 2004 nine if you keep to the meditation routines,''' said Phra Khru Paowana.

Mr Singh managed to do just that and on Sept 6, 2004, after winning the Deutsche Bank Championship, he overtook Tiger Woods at the top of the official world golf rankings, ending Mr Woods' streak of 264 consecutive weeks as the world number one.

''I didn't know that in golf the person with the fewest strokes is the winner. Therefore, the first time I watched Vijay play I thought he was rubbish as he had so many minuses on his score, so I switched off the television before someone told me he had won the tournament,'' said Phra Khru Paowana.

The abbot said Mr Singh still calls him to ask for advice on a regular basis, and visits the temple each year at the end of every golfing season.

Since Mr Singh's success, Phra Khru Paowana has been invited to teach meditation to local athletes in sports ranging from snooker and shooting to badminton and football.

But his proudest moment was when he was asked to travel to the Philippines last December to give some words of advice to the country's badminton team competing in the Southeast Asian Games.

The Thai ladies team, which included Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, won the gold medal in the team event, its first in two decades.

''It's a shame that Thai athletes don't take meditation more seriously because if they do, they could reach greater heights by learning how to conquer their emotions,'' he said.

Phra Khru Paowana said another golfer he would like to teach is Spaniard Sergio Garcia, because he feels the 26-year-old has the potential to achieve greatness but his emotions are still running wild.

However Chaowarat Kemarat, director of the Chaowarat Golf Academy, believes that meditation alone cannot drive an athlete to greatness, as it has more to do with experience and proper physical and psychological preparation.

''I've seen parents sending their kids to temples after they had had a bad round of golf to practise meditation instead of putting more hours on the training field,'' he said.

Mr Chaowarat said training to enhance mental toughness using the methods of sports psychology is the key.

''How do you cope with a loss? How do you handle playing under pressure-packed tournaments? There is training on how to handle every particular situation. Don't get me wrong, meditation is good, but only when athletes know how to incorporate it into their game _ then it becomes useful,'' he said.

Source: Bangkok Post