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(CNN) -- When Tiger Woods invoked his religious
faith during his public apology on Friday, he readily acknowledged
that a lot of people would be surprised.
"People probably don't realize it," he said, "but I was raised a
Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I
drifted away from it in recent years."
But Woods said his Buddhist faith would be a key part of his
quest to put his life back together after revelations of his
marital infidelity, which he admitted for the first time. Buddhist
experts said Woods' summation of the tradition's beliefs was
accurate -- and that his remarks likely will bring more attention
to the faith in a week when its highest profile leader, the Dalai
Lama, is visiting the United States.
"I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to
doing it," Woods said, reading a statement from Ponte Vedra Beach,
Florida. "Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my
mother taught me at a young age."
"Buddhism teaches that a creation of things outside ourselves
causes an unhappy and pointless search for security," he continued.
"It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn
restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught."
A handful of Buddhist scholars said Woods' description of
Buddhist teaching was spot on. "Woods was quite accurate," said
Janet Gyatso, a professor of Buddhist studies at Harvard
University. "Craving causes unhappiness. That's a fundamental
Buddhist idea."
A 1996 Sports Illustrated profile suggested that Woods -- then
in his early 20s -- took his faith seriously. He visited a Buddhist
temple with his mother each year around his birthday, slept near a
mother-of-pearl Buddha from his Thai
grandfather, and wore a gold Buddha around his neck, according to
the profile. Woods' mother, Kultilda, is a Thai-born Buddhist.
"I like Buddhism because it's a whole way of being and living,"
Tiger Woods told Sports Illustrated. "It's based on discipline and
respect and personal responsibility. I like Asian culture better
than ours because of that."
When allegations of Woods' infidelity
began emerging after a November 27 car accident, Fox News Channel
host Brit Hume stirred controversy by publicly advising the golf
pro to become a Christian.
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"He's said to be a Buddhist -- I don't think that faith offers
the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the
Christian faith," Hume said. "So my message to Tiger would be:
Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total
recovery and be a great example to the world."
But Buddhist scholars say that forgiveness and redemption are
core components of the faith. "You're always beginning again in the
Buddhist tradition," said John Kornfield, a prominent Buddhist
teacher based in California. "You see that you're causing harm, you
repent and ask forgiveness in some formal or informal way, and you
start again."
Some Buddhism experts said that's what Woods appeared to be
trying to do today. Many Buddhists applauded Woods' statement. "The
fact that people could see this kind of behavior causes suffering
is an incredibly important message for all kinds of people who
respect Woods," said Kornfield.
Buddhism was in the spotlight this week before Woods' remarks,
with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama -- a
Buddhist -- meeting with President Obama in Washington on
Thursday.
Buddhism is among the world's largest religions, with
about 350 million adherents, including about 1.2 million in the
United States, according to a 2009 report by Trinity College. The
faith began in India about 2,500 years ago.