Religion: “Surfing is a Zen metaphor!”

Or.... are people who say things like "surfing is a Zen metaphor" just buttheads?

Sunday morning is a wonderful time to sit down with a cup of coffee and read longer works, or go to church, or go surfing and pretend that surfing is spiritual, or read a longer work by a man who changed his name to Jaimal Yogis and asks, “Is surfing more religion or sport?” in this morning’s The Atlantic.

Let’s read some excerpts together!

One can make a good argument that surfers, or at least water lovers, have access to divine real estate. After all, Genesis describes how, “In the beginning … the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”—not a volcano, not a canyon, not a tree. Muslims perform wudu, ritual ablutions, before praying. Buddhists offer bowls of water as a symbol of clear enlightenment. Baptism is a major component of many religions; converting to Judaism requires full immersion in a mikvah, a bath that must be connected to natural water. Surfing—immersion into the liveliest of waters—has spiritual roots that started well before hippie surfers were passing the peace pipe. Hawaiian chiefs demonstrated their clout by braving big waves. When the surf raged too big for humans, it was called ‘Awili, meaning the gods were surfing.

Identifying too closely with surfing—whether spiritually, athletically, or territorially—can also add to what many see as the sport’s dark underbelly. Surfers are famous for becoming like angry zealots when access to their god—the waves— gets obstructed by crowds, fueling gang-like turf wars in hotspots like Palos Verdes. Steven Kotler’s book West of Jesus captured this tension well: “The irony of it was that most of the people considered surfing a religious experience and that their religious experience was being ruined by all the others surfing for the same reason.”

So why does surfing appear to be so much more freighted with spiritual meaning than other water sports? One key distinction is the structure and pace of the activity. Yes, there are those brief adrenaline pumping moments of actually riding a wave, but in between sets are long lulls when the surfer is just waiting, bobbing, staring at a horizon—time in which there’s nothing to do but breathe and consider saltwater’s flirtatious dance with the sunlight and sky. So whether you’re spiritual or not, there’s still a need for a contemplative solitude in relative stillness. There’s also the constant paradox of having to exert great effort to paddle, while simultaneously surrendering to the power of a wave you’re riding (or falling into)—a Zen metaphor if ever there was one.

Well? Are you convinced? Has Jaimal Yogis got you re-thinking both what surfing is and your relationship to it? Zen etc.?

Me?

No. That Yogis asshole has written three pieces for The Inertia.

1) The Tube is the Magic; It’s the Answer

2) Listening to Jimmy; The Enlightening Experience of Facing Your Fears at Padang

3) Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation are Good for Your Health, Scientists Say

Gag me with a motherfucking peace pipe.