Is there a spiritual side to skateboarding?

[skategeezer]

I believe strongly that there is...but I am intersted to hear your thoughts...

Has skateboarding carried you thru a difficult time?
Has skateboarding kept you on a more positive path?
Have you derived soulful satisfaction from skateboarding?

OR...

is it just a piece of wood with 4 wheels and 2 pieces of metal?
(ie I am reading too much into skateboarding)


fire away...and feel free to share your stories...

[WalkTogether]

You're reading way too much into it.

But yeah, I'm having a rough time right now and skating helps. I stopped drinking and other stupid #### a while ago but skating is helping to reinforce it. What do you mean by "soulful satisfaction"?

[slickhare]

i dont think he's reading too much into it. longboarding can be very therapeutic imo because it's so relaxing just cruisin around.

[rivers]

i am at university reading Buddhism and Hindusim. I also practice some 'buddhist' stuff such as meditation what not.

I say yes skateboarding is (in my case) definatley very spiritual. it is a living embodiment of the breakdown of the illusion that we are trapped in such and such a reality.

it is theraputic. calming, energising. Solitary, communal. it is Yin and Yang. it encourages investigation into the physical realm. It allows discrimination between possible and impossible. It confirms my view that everything is connected. it confirms the advantages of non grasping.

I seem to relate complex scholastic theory to the orthopraxy of skateboarding- it helps me understand the awkward language that academia uses to transmit intricate metaphisics.

the effect pre exisists in the cause.
I might even write a thesis that skateboarding is a 'religion' or spiritual path!
And its damm good fun.

[WalkTogether]

Originally Posted by slickhare

i dont think he's reading too much into it. longboarding can be very therapeutic imo because it's so relaxing just cruisin around.

Maybe... I don't try to relax or cruise much. If I'm not at a spot, it's either trying to wheelie at full speed or pump to full speed.

[mc99david]

for me it has helped me in many ways. mostly i am (as i am sure most of you are as well) one of those people that has to have something to give me an adreniline rush at the very least once a week or i realy start getting depressed. That is why i started snowboarding quite a few years ago, but that made the summer months kind of rough, always trying to come up with something to do. for me it takes my life, and any difficult situations that i might be going through at that time and puts it all in perspective and straitens it all out. This last year has had some of the hardest things that i have ever had to deal with in my life all happen in it, and being able to skate and realy just helped me to let things be for a bit, and not worry, and then go back and deal with things with a more level head.
Skating effects me so much actualy in a possative way that my wife will sometimes send me skating if i'm frustrated about something, or stressing out about something cause she knows that when i get back i'll be able to deal with everything realy well.

[Mile_High_Mark]

Any activity can have a spiritual side. It can be skateboarding, bicycling, or jumping rope. I, personally, like activities that blend the be-here-now mantra with think-too-much-and-you-die requirement. No activity, IMO, is inherently “spiritual,” though—it’s up to the participant to make it so (or not).

[phidauex]

Sure... Why not?

Actually, for me, the building of decks (and other things) is the most spiritual part. I find it very satisfying to use my hands, to work in the garden, rake leaves, sand decks, etc. It's a type of active meditation. If I'm stressed out, I go downstairs to the workshop, and just work on things. Time just flows by, and when I'm done, I'm less stressed, and I've something cool to boot. Its like meditation, with a bonus prize at the end.

Skating is like meditation too. I've never liked the yogi style 'closed eye' meditation, where you go inside yourself, and 'shut out' the rest of the world. I prefer the Zen style, zazen, which is open eye meditation. The goal isn't to withdraw, its to open up. You sense everything that happens around you, but instead of thinking about it, "Oh, someone is coming up the stairs, must be Jane, wonder whats for dinner, blah blah blah", you just register it's presence, and go on. Normally we spend so much time thinking about just a few sensory experiences, that we miss a whole lot. In zen meditation, you don't spend time thinking about the experiences, so you notice a lot more.

But there is also sazen, which is walking meditation. Or in general, moving meditation. You do the same thing, open yourself to the world, and accept all sensory input as equal, registering it, and then moving on. If you see a monk walking around in circles, he may look like he's withdrawn, but really, he's wide open.

Skating, cycling, running, all these things are sazen to me. Especially late at night, when I'm all alone, I can just be crusing down a long gentle hill, listening to the wind, feeling the cold air, hearing the wheels on the ground, listening to the bearing spin, the tiny rattle of the bushings, the minute creaks of the deck as I bounce up and down over bumps, etc. I probably just look like a guy silently skating, but I'm trying to open myself up to everything around me.

Honestly, I think a lot of people do this without realizing what they are doing, or knowing the name for it. But thats OK, the point is the activity, not the name.

I don't really attribute any specific spiritual gains to this sort of activity, but I know that its good for me. Its good to be wide open.

My last deck design reflects my zen leanings... The little dude is the Bodhidharma, the guy in the 9th century AD who founded the Zen school of Buddhism. In Japan, they make little dolls of him called Darmua dolls, they are like Weebles, they are egg shaped, and weighted at the bottom so they don't fall over, just wobble. Which is exactly how I hope my rides will end up. They are sold with no eyes drawn in. You make a wish, or a resolution for personal improvement, and fill in one eye. Then, when your wish comes true, or you've accomplished what you wanted to accomplish, you fill in the other eye. I've got a lot to accomplish, so I suspect my Daruma will be one eyed for a long time.

The calligraphy is by Hakuin Ekaku, a 17th century Zen monk in Japan who founded the Rinzai school of Zen, which is what we think of as Zen today. He did a lot of simple and beautiful calligraphy late in his life, and he had a bit of a playful sense of humor, often including little sketches of the Bodhidharma on his drawings, sometimes looking happy, sometimes grumpy, sometimes in meditation. It reads something to the effect of, "Zen points directly to the heart. See into your nature, and become Buddha."

But I don't venerate the decks. Its just four wheels, some metal, and some wood. They are just props. The point is how you live your life, the skateboard is just along for the ride.

peace,
sam

[bean-a-reano]

When I'm jhaving a shitty day riding even just around the hood makes me fell better.

Skating helps me avoid going back to a destructive lifestyle.

[Skator]

I'm actually a massachist and this is one of the few socially acceptable ways to deal with that desire to be damaged.

[Mister Surly]

Originally Posted by Mile_High_Mark

...No activity, IMO, is inherently “spiritual,” though—it’s up to the participant to make it so (or not).

Well put. This is how I feel as well. For me, choice is the key.

[rawls]

I think its more about how you incorporate the activity into your life that accounts for the spirituality. In my case, skateboarding gives me an outlet for activity that enables me some thrill, some artistry, some speed, some fitness, and some technology that has been part of my life since the mid 70's. The spiritual aspect is in knowing where I stand in the big picture, and what role skating plays in my life and trying to keep it from being all consuming. Prioritization is key issue.

[Slim]

Sam, good to