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Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich,

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and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. 

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Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

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The following is a list of book recommendations  and why

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I recommend them. I remember the first time I read The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer,

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I would read a paragraph or two, put the book down, close my eyes, and try to wrap my head

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around what I had just read because it completely shifted my perspective. 

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When we talk about self-exploration, we think of a journey inward. Yet the narrative 

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invites us to take a bird's-eye view of our behavior, thoughts, and emotions,

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which can be extremely uncomfortable at times, but immeasurably valuable.

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It's not a thick book, but it took me a while to get through it because I would pause 

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so often to contemplate the ideas presented therein. We've been driving the vehicle

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that is us for many years. When you are ready to look under the hood to better understand 

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why we sometimes run hot or cold, where our limitations are, or what makes that funny

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noise in the engine, then head over to the recommended bookshelf section on 

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BuddhistBootCamp.com, and go down the list of recommended books. Re-listen to this 

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podcast episode to figure out which literary gem to tackle next, and then pass the books 

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along to someone else on the journey. The only other book I regularly return to and read

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time and time again, has gone out of print and thankfully back into print 

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multiple times over the years, it is called Passage Meditation by Eknath Easwaran.

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I remember reading it for the first time in the early '90s, and then again ten years later

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 and thinking: Are you kidding me? I knew this information ten years ago, but it took it

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that long to sink in? I guess we can only absorb what we're ready to understand 

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at any given moment and not an ounce more. But I truly believe this book timelessly

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and colloquially shares a foolproof recipe to mindful living. During my first book tour 

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across the U.S. with Buddhist Boot Camp back in 2013, I gave a talk in Richmond, Virginia,

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during which an elderly man with a long, white beard gave me strange looks 

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until the floor was opened for questions, at which point his hand was the first to go up,

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and he asked if I had ever read Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor.

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I said I hadn't, and he strongly recommended that I give it a go. Driving from one book event

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to another every day, I spent many hours on the road, so I downloaded the audiobook,

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narrated by the author himself, and my jaw dropped. I remember emailing my publisher

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right away and telling him that if I had actually read this book prior to publishing 

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Buddhist Boot Camp, I wouldn't have published Buddhist Boot Camp. I would have 

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spent my life promoting Stephen Batchelor's work instead. He immediately pointed out

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 that while Batchelor's academic delivery resonated with me personally, 

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it covers Buddhism in a scholarly fashion from deep within, Buddhist Boot Camp is

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more of a gateway drug to Buddhism, not the intense exploration that Stephen Batchelor

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offers in Buddhism Without Beliefs, or another one of my favorites by him:

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Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist. So, if you want to best understand 

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why I often discourage people from being Buddhist, necessarily, but rather Buddha-like,

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then give his books a listen.  Next, we've got the Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.

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Or, in all honesty, anything by Brené Brown, because she's truly talented in talking

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about shame and vulnerability in such a way that doesn't send you running 

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in the other direction, but actually draws you in. Okay, so far those are all pretty serious 

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and heady titles. So let's talk about a few breezy reads that still inspire and ignite joy,

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which is an important flame to fan between all of the other heavier reads that I will

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 recommend later on. From A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, to The Art of Racing 

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In The Rain by Garth Stein, which is a book narrated in the first person by a dog.

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And then there's the Holy Man by Susan Trott. It's a fantastic book to read together 

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with someone, taking turns between chapters, about a journey to meet the Holy Man,

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and how much of the wisdom is gained on the way there, not necessarily upon arrival. 

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The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz are applicable to anyone and everyone, as they 

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relieve much of our self-inflicted suffering through the practice of never taking anything

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personally, not making any assumptions, being impeccable with our word once we 

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understand the power of language and the importance of speaking with integrity,

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and, of course, trying our best, which changes moment-to-moment. No book I've ever read 

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has ever had more highlights in it than The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama 

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or A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Both are gentle mind-benders in visualizing a much 

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brighter future if we simply shift our perspective just a little bit.

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The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho needs no introduction, just read it 

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and you'll understand. Fight Club, on the other hand, be it the book or the movie,

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 most certainly demands a warning, that it is, in fact, extremely violent and unapologetically

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 direct and forward, not even tempting to gently wake you up, but rather hit you

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on the head with a spiritual 2x4 to wake you the F-up. And speaking of the F-word, there

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are two titles worth mentioning that you might shy away from because of their

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vulgarity, but both books:, F*ck It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way by John Parkin,

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and The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach To Living

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 A Good Life by Mark Manson. I strongly recommend the audio version of 

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The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck, because the narration really makes it fantastic.

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Speaking of good narration and audiobooks, let's discuss a couple of titles that aren't

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necessarily inherently spiritual, per se, yet are extremely enjoyable and even bring tears

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to your eyes because they're so beautifully read. Aristotle and Dante Discover The 

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Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Sáenz is narrated by THE Lin-Manuel Miranda,

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yes that Hamilton guy. It's a beautiful coming-of-age story. And then there is 

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Tattoos On The Heart written and narrated by Gregory Boyle, as he tells the true story 

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of Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention program; the narration is superb.

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My favorite book of all time to physically read, not in audio, isn't the religious studies, 

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psychology, or spiritual realm type, but it's actually Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

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It is a far cry from a book that I would ever think I would enjoy as it talks about 

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World War II and Prisoners of War, yet I couldn't put the book down. It is an amazing 

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page-turner about the human spirit and what we can endure. I was actually traveling 

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across Australia when I was reading this book, and I remember arriving in Sydney,

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staying with a fantastic host family eager to show me the sights and take me out,

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but all I wanted to do was stay home and read the book; it's that good!

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Another book better in your hands than ears if you're interested in some of the psychology

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behind why we do the things we do. I really enjoyed Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)

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by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. It's about why we justify foolish behavior, bad decisions, 

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and even harmful acts. It's a great introduction to cognitive dissonance, as well,

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if you're brave enough to look under that rock. My goodness! There are so many 

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other books I can mention from Old Turtle: Questions Of The Heart by Douglas Wood,

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which appears to be a children's book, but trust me, it isn't. Much like Shel Silverstein's

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The Missing Piece Meets The Big O. It's a highly recommended book to anyone out 

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there who is foolishly looking for someone else to "Complete them," quote-unquote.

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I can't wrap this up without mentioning Conversations With God 

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by Neale Donald Walsch, which tends to really resonate with readers who believe in God

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but not in religion. If I could see you guys, I'd ask for a show of hands as I raise my own.

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And, by far, the book closest to my heart that I quite honestly never talk to anyone about

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because it is so personal to me, is the Bhagavad Gita translation by

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Stephen Mitchell. It leaves me speechless every time I pick it up because it is

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so different than anything else I've ever read. It contradicts so much of what we think 

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a relationship with God would be like, and is strangely a religious book that itself describes

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how unnecessary it is to have religious books after you have already found God.

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Here is my favorite quote from the Gita: As unnecessary as a well is to a village on the 

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banks of a river, so unnecessary are all scriptures to someone who has seen 

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the truth. For a complete list of recommended books and links through which 

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to order them, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com and click 

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on the Bookshelf Tab. Enjoy your reading and comment back on which books you liked,

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and which ones you absolutely loved. Then, share them with others. 

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Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Faithfully Religionless 

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and Buddhist Boot Camp. 

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For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com,

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where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project,

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watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list.

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We hope you have enjoyed this episode

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 and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions.

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Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love. 🙏