1 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,080 Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. 2 00:00:10,180 --> 00:00:14,130 Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, 3 00:00:14,130 --> 00:00:18,070 and inspire a simple, and uncomplicated life. 4 00:00:18,070 --> 00:00:27,550 Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye. 5 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:33,100 Let's begin this podcast with the backstory of Buddhist Boot Camp and how it came to be. 6 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:37,420 Over 10 years ago, when I left the corporate world and moved to Hawaii, 7 00:00:37,420 --> 00:00:41,900 I started emailing my friends every month to let them know what's going on in my life. 8 00:00:41,900 --> 00:00:43,200 About eight years later, 9 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,290 my friend Kim suggested that I share those emails with the world 10 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,670 because she found the letters inspirational, 11 00:00:48,670 --> 00:00:52,500 and she figured other people would benefit from reading them as well. 12 00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:54,240 That's how the emails became a blog, 13 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,640 and the blog became the book that is now Buddhist Boot Camp. 14 00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:58,810 It turns out that Kim was right, 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,070 people all over the world have found the message in Buddhist Boot Camp 16 00:01:02,070 --> 00:01:06,000 refreshing, inspirational, and more importantly: motivational. 17 00:01:06,500 --> 00:01:08,400 I think motivation is a lot more important 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,170 because inspiration without action is just entertainment, 19 00:01:12,350 --> 00:01:17,380 and my invitation is for us to go beyond thinking that something is a "good idea," to 20 00:01:17,380 --> 00:01:20,550 actually implementing it into our daily lives. 21 00:01:20,550 --> 00:01:24,120 What I love about Buddhism, is that it isn't a religion. 22 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:29,280 There is no creator theory, nor a story about the beginning or the end of times. 23 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:33,000 It also doesn't require other beliefs to be wrong, but rather strengthens 24 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,470 your existing faith, whatever it may be. 25 00:01:36,470 --> 00:01:38,520 Buddhism is all about training the mind, 26 00:01:38,700 --> 00:01:43,720 and boot camp is an ideal training method that compresses a lot of information 27 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,400 into a shorter period of time without losing any of its integrity. 28 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,430 You don't need to be a Buddhist to find the Buddha's teachings motivational. 29 00:01:52,430 --> 00:01:56,610 As the Dalai Lama says, "Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist, 30 00:01:56,620 --> 00:02:00,230 "just use it to be a better whatever you already are." 31 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:05,070 So whether it's Mother Teresa's acts of charity, Gandhi's perseverance, 32 00:02:05,070 --> 00:02:08,040 or even your aunt Betty's calm demeanor, 33 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,520 as long as you're motivated to be better today than you were yesterday, 34 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:14,740 then it doesn't matter who inspires you. 35 00:02:14,740 --> 00:02:17,300 Buddhism is not just about meditating, 36 00:02:17,300 --> 00:02:20,800 it's about rolling up your sleeves to relieve some of the suffering in the world, 37 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,700 both within and around us. 38 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:25,520 After years of studying Buddhism, 39 00:02:25,670 --> 00:02:29,090 I remember sitting there in my maroon robes, in front of the Tibetan Lama, 40 00:02:29,150 --> 00:02:31,960 and I said, "With all due respect, 41 00:02:32,100 --> 00:02:37,340 "I don't believe the Buddha ever intended for his teachings to get this complicated." 42 00:02:37,340 --> 00:02:41,290 My teacher looked around at all the statues of deities with multiple arms, 43 00:02:41,290 --> 00:02:45,380 and he himself chuckled. He said, "The Buddha didn't do this, 44 00:02:45,380 --> 00:02:48,000 "the Tibetan culture did. This is their way. 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,360 "Why don't you try Zen? I think you'd like it." 46 00:02:50,770 --> 00:02:52,840 And so I bowed out of the temple, 47 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:57,200 I took off my robes, and I moved into a Zen monastery far from home. 48 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,560 Zen was simpler; that much was true. 49 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:03,300 The walls were blank and I loved it, but the teachings were 50 00:03:03,300 --> 00:03:08,430 still filled with all the dogma that sent me running from religion in the first place. 51 00:03:08,430 --> 00:03:10,400 There are many incredible books out there 52 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,440 that cover all aspects of religion, philosophy, psychology, and physics, but 53 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,750 I was looking for something less academic, so to speak. 54 00:03:18,750 --> 00:03:21,100 I was looking for something inspirational 55 00:03:21,100 --> 00:03:24,280 that people today would not only have the attention span to read all 56 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:29,400 the way through, but actually understand and implement into their daily lives. 57 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,330 I actually pictured a simple guide to being happy, and in it just two words: 58 00:03:33,740 --> 00:03:35,200 Be grateful. 59 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,620 And that's because gratitude has a way of 60 00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:43,000 turning what we have into enough, and that is the basic idea behind Buddhist Boot Camp. 61 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:44,600 It's not about being Buddhist at all, 62 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,600 it's about being Buddha-like or Christ-like 63 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,020 or whoever-inspires-you-like. 64 00:03:50,020 --> 00:03:55,480 Because, you see, your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behavior does. 65 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,200 So it's totally fine if you love Jesus, and repeat a Hindu mantra, 66 00:03:59,500 --> 00:04:01,990 still go to temple after your morning meditation. 67 00:04:02,310 --> 00:04:06,770 In fact, my altar at home has the Buddha on it, Jesus, and Saint Francis of Assisi, 68 00:04:06,770 --> 00:04:08,930 and they get along just fine. 69 00:04:08,930 --> 00:04:13,100 In this podcast, we'll explore the difference between feelings and emotions, 70 00:04:13,140 --> 00:04:15,470 the disparity between truths and facts, 71 00:04:15,470 --> 00:04:18,240 and the countless benefits of mindful living. 72 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:20,960 So go ahead and subscribe to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast 73 00:04:21,050 --> 00:04:25,170 for episodes discussing ways to implement the ancient teachings into our daily lives, 74 00:04:25,170 --> 00:04:27,110 and then, we could be at peace with the world, 75 00:04:27,270 --> 00:04:30,750 both within and around us. 76 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,670 Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Faithfully Religionless 77 00:04:34,700 --> 00:04:36,720 and Buddhist Boot Camp. 78 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,500 For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com 79 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:44,590 where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project, 80 00:04:44,590 --> 00:04:49,100 watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list. 81 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:51,100 We hope you have enjoyed this episode, 82 00:04:51,100 --> 00:04:54,800 and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions. 83 00:04:54,800 --> 00:05:00,000 Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace, in the Army of Love. 🙏