Chronique littéraire 11 (Jackson)
Phil Jackson – Sacred Hoops (Spiritual lessons of a hardwood warrior)
In this book co-written by Phil Jackson (NCAA & NBA player, then coach in the NBA – in particular coach of the early 90’s Chicago Bulls that includes Michael Jordan) and Hugh Delehanty (senior editor, expert in sports and psychology), we almost follow the biographical path of Phil Jackson, and how he went from a growing up in a very Pentecostal family to a journey of discovery of Zen and Native American philosophy (esp. Lakota Sioux’ one), and how this intertwined and enriched with his basketball and personal lives.
Based on concrete situational examples he went through, Phil Jackson shows the challenges he faced in basketball as a player and coach, and in the relationships he built (with the general manager of the club, with other coaches, with players individually, with players as a conductor of a team…)
Very accessible, this book does not require any particular knowledge of basketball (even if having some will help). And everyone can get something out of it.
“Now he was an older, wiser player who understood that it wasn’t brilliant individual performances that made great teams, but the energy that’s unleashed when players put their egos aside and work toward a common goal”
“A great basketball team will throw the ball to everyone. If a guy drops it or bobbles it out of bounds, the next time they’ll throw it to him again. And because of their confidence in him, he will have confidence”
“There’s an old Zen story that illustrates this point. Two monks were traveling together in a heavy downpour when they came upon a beautiful woman in a silk kimono who was having trouble crossing a muddy intersection. ‘Come on’ said the first monk to the woman, and he carried her in his arms to a dry spot. The second monk didn’t say anything until much later. Then he couldn’t contain himself anymore : 'we monks don’t go near females’, he said. 'Why did you do that?’ – 'I left the woman back there’, the first monk replied, 'are you still carrying her?’
“According to Suzuki, concentration comes not from trying hard to focus on something, but from keeping your mind open and directing it at nothing”
“The wise leader is of service : receptive, yielding, following.”
“In Zen it is said that the gap between accepting things the way they are and wishing things them to be otherwise is “the tenth of an inch between heaven and hell”
“Albert Einstein once described his rule of work : “one : out of clutter, find simplicity. Two : from discord, find harmony. Three: in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”
“The ego-driven culture of basketball, and society in general, militates against selfless actions, even for members of a team whose success as individuals is tied directly to the group performance”
“Inevitably, paradoxically, the acceptance of boundaries and limits is the gateway to freedom.”
“To the Lakota Sioux, everything was sacred, even the enemy, because of their belief in the interconnectedness of all life.”
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are a few”
“I believe that if I can take twenty of thirty minutes before each game and visualize what’s going to happen, I’ll be able to react to it without thinking, because I’ll already have seen it in my mind”
“There is no need to overpower when you can outsmart”
“See beyond what is seen. Never forget that a wheel is made not only of spokes, but also the space between the spokes. Sturdy spokes poorly placed make a weak wheel. Whether their full potential is realized depends on the harmony between. The essence of wheel-making lies in the craftsman’s ability to conceive and create the space that holds and balances the spokes within the wheel”
“Impermanence is a fundamental fact of life”
“I used to believe that the day I could accept defeat was the day I would have to give up my job. But losing is as integral a part of the dance as winning. Buddhism teaches us that by accepting death, you discover life”
“Our whole social structure is built around rewarding winners, at the perilous expense of forsaking community and compassion”