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Mark Sanford: “Representative Buddha?”

U.S. Rep.-elect Mark Sanford isn’t a practicing Buddhist, but the Eastern meditation techniques have been a key component of his political comeback. Sanford discussed his views on Buddhism and meditation during an interview with Yahoo! News the day before his reelection to the U.S. Congress. His remarks obviously didn’t generate much…

U.S. Rep.-elect Mark Sanford isn’t a practicing Buddhist, but the Eastern meditation techniques have been a key component of his political comeback.

Sanford discussed his views on Buddhism and meditation during an interview with Yahoo! News the day before his reelection to the U.S. Congress. His remarks obviously didn’t generate much pre-election buzz, but the interview has since been picked up by The Huffington Post and other national outlets.

“A buddy of mine said, ‘Mark, you’re becoming a Buddhist Christian,'” Sanford told reporter Chris Moody. “I come from the Christian faith. That’s my faith tradition. But what I do like about Buddhism is the idea of being present. I think that that’s missed in Western culture, where we’re so busy looking a week out, two weeks out, a month out, a year out, and we’re hurried and we’re busy. And I think if there’s any one thing I learned from that year I spent on the farm in the wake of getting out of office and just having a very, very quiet year, is the importance of stillness and quietness. And that extends beyond just the physical location. It extends really into the moment of, are you really with that person or are you thinking of the next thing you’ve got to do? So I do like very much that part of Buddhism. I think it’s right.”

Hmmmm …

Sanford also told Moody that he tries “to be disciplined about a quiet time each day.”

Not surprisingly, some South Carolinians are less than impressed.

“Buddha?” one Palmetto State resident told us, “he better hope people thought he said ‘Bubba.'”

Ha!

More to the point Sanford – who desperately needs to be (and be viewed as) a substantive Congressman – probably didn’t want his first big national story out of the gate to be focused on his “quiet time” and love for Siddhartha Gautama.

Nonetheless, Sanford’s brand of “mindfulness” meditation – which is practiced by numerous celebrities and a handful of other politicians – is supposedly linked to all sorts of benefits.

“Research has linked mindfulness meditation — the practice of cultivating a nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment — to lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, improving emotional stability and sleep quality, boosting compassion and supporting weight-loss goals, among other health benefits,” reports health writer Carolyn Gregoire of The Huffington Post.

Hmmmm … frankly “being in the moment” has never been Sanford’s problem. Getting out of the moment on the other hand …

In other words we’re glad Sanford has found Eastern “centeredness,” now he needs to focus on gaining a better mastery of Eastern strategery.

***

 

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30 comments

Tank May 11, 2013 at 9:08 am

I guess I can add Christianity to the list…

Reply
Tank May 11, 2013 at 9:08 am

I guess I can add Christianity to the list…

Reply
bogart May 11, 2013 at 9:25 am

Guess when he and girlfriend are in the sexual moment,instead of calling out Oh God……he screams out his meditation mantra…omnamahaomnahamaomnahama.

Reply
bogart May 11, 2013 at 9:25 am

Guess when he and girlfriend are in the sexual moment,instead of calling out Oh God……he screams out his meditation mantra…omnamahaomnahamaomnahama.

Reply
Sikh May 11, 2013 at 11:08 am

Another Sanford embarrassment?

Reply
Sikh May 11, 2013 at 11:08 am

Another Sanford embarrassment?

Reply
TheBurgIsFalling May 11, 2013 at 12:01 pm

Did he spend time on a llamallamalama farm?

Reply
TheBurgIsFalling May 11, 2013 at 12:01 pm

Did he spend time on a llamallamalama farm?

Reply
Tantric sex next May 11, 2013 at 12:24 pm

This psychobabble is brought to you by MBC, who herself, if rumor is correct, may have been fleeing from a notorious past in Argentina. If you read the infamous e-mails there is a spot where they touch on “living in the moment.” This is typical of ego-centric people with a nasty self-serving history who have lost touch with the good old fashioned “Golden Rule.” This becomes their replacement ideology. But notice, it is still all about them and non-judgmental awareness (don’t make me deal with and sincerely repair the damage). Kind of like the unconditional love he was whining about to his former wife without ever being prepared to reciprocate it.

Reply
Carrie May 11, 2013 at 1:45 pm

True. Will we ever know the real Belen? And will we ever know how much influence she will have on Mark’s voting in the House if she was able to get him away from Christianity to ease his guilty conscience? The greatest sin a man/women commits is going against his/her conscience so to me they are worst kind of sinners.

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Tantric sex next May 11, 2013 at 2:21 pm

His new life philosophy with his revered life couch is only another bridge taking him away from dealing with the real Mark Sanford. The mystics believe soul-mates are supposed to teach or heighten each others awareness in their lifetimes together, so look for him to start incorporating that in his spiel.

Sad, he had to blow up his family unit, when he could have earlier taken the more prudent advice from his former wife when she was trying to have him slow down, appreciate what was before him, and understand about happiness coming from within.

Reply
wha...? May 11, 2013 at 3:24 pm

couch = coach = MBC = Buddha Belen

Reply
Tantric sex next May 11, 2013 at 12:24 pm

This psychobabble is brought to you by MBC, who herself, if rumor is correct, may have been fleeing from a notorious past in Argentina. If you read the infamous e-mails there is a spot where they touch on “living in the moment.” This is typical of ego-centric people with a nasty self-serving history who have lost touch with the good old fashioned “Golden Rule.” This becomes their replacement ideology. But notice, it is still all about them and non-judgmental awareness (don’t make me deal with and sincerely repair the damage). Kind of like the unconditional love he was whining about to his former wife without ever being prepared to reciprocate it.

Reply
Carrie May 11, 2013 at 1:45 pm

True. Will we ever know the real Belen? And will we ever know how much influence she will have on Mark’s voting in the House if she was able to get him away from Christianity to ease his guilty conscience? The greatest sin a man/women commits is going against his/her conscience so to me they are worst kind of sinners.

Reply
Tantric sex next May 11, 2013 at 2:21 pm

His new life philosophy with his revered life couch is only another bridge taking him away from dealing with the real Mark Sanford. The mystics believe soul-mates are supposed to teach or heighten each others awareness in their lifetimes together, so look for him to start incorporating that in his spiel.

Sad, he had to blow up his family unit, when he could have earlier taken the more prudent advice from his former wife when she was trying to have him slow down, appreciate what was before him, and understand about happiness coming from within.

Reply
wha...? May 11, 2013 at 3:24 pm

couch = coach = MBC = Buddha Belen

Reply
nitrat May 11, 2013 at 12:25 pm

Mark Sanford gives meditation a bad name.

Reply
nitrat May 11, 2013 at 12:25 pm

Mark Sanford gives meditation a bad name.

Reply
? May 11, 2013 at 9:12 pm

It’s funny how society has turned against “being judgemental” in some cases….I’d love to see what society was like if everyone ran around never making judgements…lol (which pretty closely resembles a lot of Mark Sandord’s life choices….no “judgement” necessary)

Reply
? May 11, 2013 at 9:12 pm

It’s funny how society has turned against “being judgemental” in some cases….I’d love to see what society was like if everyone ran around never making judgements…lol (which pretty closely resembles a lot of Mark Sandord’s life choices….no “judgement” necessary)

Reply
Gillon May 12, 2013 at 9:42 am

So it was really “a Buddha of second chances?”

Reply
Gillon May 12, 2013 at 9:42 am

So it was really “a Buddha of second chances?”

Reply
Shucky May 12, 2013 at 12:04 pm

Guess it is true what they say about it never being too soon to start running for your next office. The P&C ran a piece today on Mark Sanford. The tone was admiring and deferential a la Presidential historian mode.

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Carrie May 12, 2013 at 12:50 pm

On Chris Wallace show this morning, Sanford mentioned that some people have mentioned the possibility of his trying for higher office. You could see that he is thinking about it.

One more thing, he refused to tell Chris what his boys think of Belen and when he will get married.

By the way Chris said that the Sanfords’ story is like soap opera. How true that is.

Reply
Shucky May 12, 2013 at 12:04 pm

Guess it is true what they say about it never being too soon to start running for your next office. The P&C ran a piece today on Mark Sanford. The tone was admiring and deferential a la Presidential historian mode.

Reply
Carrie May 12, 2013 at 12:50 pm

On Chris Wallace show this morning, Sanford mentioned that some people have mentioned the possibility of his trying for higher office. You could see that he is thinking about it.

One more thing, he refused to tell Chris what his boys think of Belen and when he will get married.

By the way Chris said that the Sanfords’ story is like soap opera. How true that is.

Reply
Jerald May 12, 2013 at 5:05 pm

This guy is completely out of his mind, maybe even worse than Richard Eckstrom. I hope his mistress-turned-fiancee doesn’t trust him to be alone in DC.

Reply
Jerald May 12, 2013 at 5:05 pm

This guy is completely out of his mind, maybe even worse than Richard Eckstrom. I hope his mistress-turned-fiancee doesn’t trust him to be alone in DC.

Reply
Mateo May 13, 2013 at 9:44 am

I’ve heard that he is/was a member of St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Charleston. Which was in what was one of the last remaining orthodox diocese in TEC until it was purged by the national church late last year. However, St Stephen’s was always a major thorn in the side of the diocese. Super-LGBT affirming and all that comes with it. In other words, they’ll believe “anything”. This revelation of Sanford’s embracing of eastern meditation comes as no surprise here.

Reply
Mateo May 13, 2013 at 9:44 am

I’ve heard that he is/was a member of St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Charleston. Which was in what was one of the last remaining orthodox diocese in TEC until it was purged by the national church late last year. However, St Stephen’s was always a major thorn in the side of the diocese. Super-LGBT affirming and all that comes with it. In other words, they’ll believe “anything”. This revelation of Sanford’s embracing of eastern meditation comes as no surprise here.

Reply

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