Contrary to most media reports, Tiger Woods is not a Buddhist. His mother, however, is. Though Tiger is “steeped in the ways of Buddhism,” he is not a practicing Buddhist. In an interview I conducted a few years ago with John Anselmo, Woods’ 83-year old amateur coach who began working with Tiger when he was 10 years old, he told me it was Tigers’ mother, Kutilda, who first brought her son to him for instruction. And because his mother was originally from Thailand and was a practicing Buddhist, the young golfer had been steeped in the ways of Buddhism. Anselmo told me that he noticed immediately that Tiger had a sense of calmness about him and he attributed that quality to his having been reared in a Buddhist environment at home. He also told me that he believed that for Tiger, Buddhism was more of a way of life than a religion and that Tigers’ daily practice of meditation and the fact he was, at the time, leading a righteous life, had a tremendous influence on his mind. Unfortunately, like so many other professional athletes, Tiger has gone astray. But hopefully, after his ordeal with his soon-to-be-ex wife Elin is over, he will get his life back in order. Everyone deserves a second chance. And as for Elin, she has changed her residency to California which is a “community property” state where assets and net worth are split equally in divorce settlements. Sounds somewhat calculating to me.