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Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast.

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Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, 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 Oxford dictionary defines Integrity as being honest and having 

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strong moral principles. Merriam Webster takes it a step further and specifies that 

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a person of integrity is incorruptible. That one word packs a very strong punch.

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If I think of integrity in terms of honest and incorruptible, I am saddened to say that

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nobody comes to mind. It's difficult to admit to ourselves, let alone to others, that we all 

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have a breaking point for corruption and dishonesty, big or small.

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But, if I think of integrity as an intended target, then I am relieved to say that I know

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many people who at least take aim. For me, that's what the monastic vows

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are all about: clear and defined parameters to do less harm.

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When I saw the words Moral Principles in the dictionary's definition of Integrity,

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I immediately wondered, Moral Principles according to whom?

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According to our parents? According to our teachers? According to our preachers?

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They try to teach us morality, but are they themselves incorruptible?

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I won't answer that question. If you've read Faithfully Religionless, you know

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I have nothing against religion, I just don't think we need it in order to be ethical.

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We each calibrate our individual moral compasses through personal and

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collective experiences, and that is how we build character.

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I view integrity in the same light as the Zen invitation to walk on sand

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without leaving a footprint. Impossible, yet we try with each step.

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I regularly give talks at various organizations, schools, and churches, where each

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denomination offers a set of beliefs that they hope will guide their members through life.

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I walk into those churches and say, 

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your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behavior does,

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and then we talk about aligning our thoughts, words, and actions.

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Last month, I was invited to speak at a Rotary International meeting again,

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and what I admire about Rotary Clubs is that they are 100% action-based.

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More than a million members set aside their opinions about religion or politics,

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and they take action to address various needs in their communities by volunteering and

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funding projects around the globe. Their mission, put simply, is to promote integrity.

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The Buddha taught that a person with no integrity lacks remorse for their

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immoral actions. Trying to force core values on someone with no integrity is like giving

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a pair of shoes to someone with no feet.

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Pushing dogma doesn't work because whenever you push something on anyone,

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you ultimately push them away.

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As one of my teachers used to say, you can't give by throwing.

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But promoting integrity is different:

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it invites you to have a set of values without dictating to you what those values must be.

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I'm gonna say that again: promoting integrity invites you to have a set of values, but it

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doesn't tell you what those values must be.

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It's similar to teaching children to think rather than telling them WHAT to think.

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As a result, integrity takes many forms.

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To me, it means helping someone who can't help you back.

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It is unconditional kindness at its best.

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And since it is open for interpretation, my question is: what does integrity mean to you?

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At our monthly discussion about this topic, common interpretations of integrity included

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doing the right thing when nobody is watching, congruence, honesty, compassion, 

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empathy, and kindness, which are all moral principles that we each prioritize differently.

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At one of my talks a few years ago, someone said they don't know what their

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core values are, so they asked if I could simply give them a set of rules to follow.

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I laughed, of course, and said I won't chisel commandments onto stone tablets,

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but I urge everyone to write down their own morals and guiding principles, and then

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commit to living in alignment with them. 

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The invitation here is similar:

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First, define Integrity,

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and then have the courage to build your life around your answer.

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I am right there beside you, walking on sand, trying not to leave any footprints.

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Thank you for being on this journey with me, 

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for finding value in what I share, and for your generous contributions.

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I appreciate you.

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Namaste 🙏

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Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Buddhist Boot Camp, Faithfully Religionless,

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and The Opposite of Namaste.

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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. 🙏