Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich,
and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life.
Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.
Last month, I moved from Ventura to a small town two hours up the California coast,
so I haven't been able to record as many episodes as I would have liked during
the transition. When I visited Ventura during the wildfires that tore through the mountains
a of couple weeks ago, I met a friend who had lost her home in the flames.
She saw it as a great opportunity to start over, while others equated their houses
in ruins with their lives destroyed. Perspective affects our experience in life
more than the actual events that take place. And while we can't control what happens,
we have full control of how we respond. As the Buddha said, "You can't really miss
"or lose anything to which you've never developed an attachment."
It doesn't mean we don't celebrate, enjoy, or love the gifts and people in our lives, I think
we actually appreciate them even more BECAUSE they may be taken away from us
at any moment. So, on a daily basis, we either fear change, or we anticipate it.
I personally seek change in order to get ahead of it, or avoid getting too comfortable, if that
makes sense. Have you ever been so deeply immersed in a TV show, or a video game,
or a book you were reading, that you lose awareness of what's going on around you?
People are entering or leaving the house, you go for hours without eating,
and before you know it, it's the middle of the night? I remember enjoying a novel so much
one time on a train that I missed my stop by quite a few stations. This is another reason
why daily meditation is such an important part of life: it gives us an opportunity to
stop doing whatever we're doing and just BE. Breathe, take inventory of your
surroundings, scan your body and your mind, and remember where you are.
Because if we don't then we lose track of time in life not just in a day. And before we know it
ten years go by. We miss our exit, or, worse yet, we mistake the autopilot of going
through the motions with actual living, at least until something jars us awake,
be it an illness, an accident, or anything that abruptly puts a stop to our routine.
The alternative is to get ahead of surprises by actually scheduling regular stops to our
routine. Every morning, take a time out to reflect on where you are in relation to where
you've been, and where you are in relation with where you intend to go. If you are lost
at sea, as we all are, the only things that keep us going is a sense of purpose
and an intended direction. So it's important to check the compass every once in a while,
consult the stars, and keep a log of our progress. Perhaps that's why I find writing
so therapeutic; it journals and records my process like when kids mark their height
on the wall when they grow up. Except this isn't about physical growth, it's an inventory
of everything we've already let go of, as well as a few fears or insecurities, attachments,
or issues that we still need to purge. The important thing is to never discourage
progress no matter how slow, and to keep in mind that progress is not about speed,
it's about direction. So introduce a gap in your daily routine, at least a five to ten minute
break every day, to self-reflect, not to look for answers but to ask yourself some very
difficult questions like Am I the kind of person I want to be? Am I living in congruence with
my values? What ARE my values? Where, if anywhere, can I loosen my grip a little bit
and allow the process to unfold as it inevitably will so I can enjoy the ebb and flow
of the tide instead of trying to fight the ocean.
Remember: Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Namaste.
Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Faithfully Religionless
and Buddhist Boot Camp.
For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com,
where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project,
watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list.
We hope you have enjoyed this episode
and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions.
Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love. 🙏