Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast

What changes to incorporate and how to remember which ones we want to implement in our lives when this pandemic is over, getting in touch with what (not who) we are grateful for, and helping each other out on this incredible journey we call life.

On March 22, 2020, Timber hosted a live video broadcast Q&A in lieu of in-person events that have been canceled due to travel restrictions and social distancing. There will be a series of these in the coming weeks for people to tune into via YouTube from all over the world. Visit the Buddhist Boot Camp website for upcoming event information and additional details.

Stop expecting perfection from others, it's not like you can offer it in return. Consider this a relief from the burden of judgment. Forget the conventional idea of "perfection," and embrace Wabi Sabi instead.

The song that helped me get over my issues with the word "God" and ease my resistance to places of worship like synagogues, churches, temples, and so on...

I think we can do better than have great hindsight, we can train ourselves to have immediate insight. Here's how…

If you admit you miss someone or something, does that mean your life is incomplete? I may have to take back what I've often said was true for me... I don't know. What do you think?

When you know the difference between feelings and emotions, you can pause between impulse and response to avoid expressing anger when what you're really feeling is hurt, for example. Don't let your mood affect your manners. Inner peace is in the present moment, everything else is an illusion.

We can't see clearly because we often focus on how things used to be, how we want them to be, how we think they should be, anywhere other than focusing on how things actually are. It's 2020, where's your focus?

What is your true nature? Are you living in line with it or with habitual tendencies that take you away from your true nature? Do we all have the same true nature? Lots of food for thought...

As Maya Angelou said, "I may be changed by what happens in my life, but I refuse to be reduced by it." We are never broken unless we believe we are. If you find value in this podcast and what to keep it commercial-free, it is available without ads thanks to listeners just like you who show their support through BuddhistBootCamp.com/support Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Can our life's purpose be to do things on purpose? Can something as ubiquitous as shopping be made altruistic if there's meaning behind each purchase? I mean, we can't all save the rainforest first hand, for example, but what if the clothes we buy support an organization that does? At the end of the day, it's not about what we get but what we give, so let's give life meaning. If you find value in these commercial-free podcast episodes, my online posts, monthly emails, and discussion circles, then head over to BuddhistBootCamp.com/support Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Talking yourself off the ledge by knowing your way home. If you find value in these commercial-free podcast episodes, my online posts, monthly emails, and discussion circles, then head over to BuddhistBootCamp.com/support to show your support with just $1/month to keep the conversation going. Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Is desire the root of suffering as Buddhism suggests? The answer is tricky because it depends on whether you desire the journey or the destination; only one of those is available to you right now. So is desire really the root of suffering or, perhaps better stated, is happiness the absence of desire? Have a listen, think about it, and decide for yourself. This is just food for thought and if you find value in these commercial-free podcast episodes, the online posts, monthly emails, and discussion circles, please show your support at BuddhistBootCamp.com/support to keep the conversation going. Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Instead of changing who we are depending on outside circumstances, let's commit to being a certain way no-matter-what. Your response in any situation would be consistent with who you are rather than dependent on the whim of those around you. We don't so much "discover ourselves," we create who we are, so choose wisely.

This might just be the way for us to avoid judgment, segregation, and discrimination by making everyone instantly more relatable. If you find value in the ad-free Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast, Facebook page, public events, books, and programs, please consider showing your support at BuddhistBootCamp.com/support Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

I don't meditate to control my thoughts, I meditate so my thoughts don't control me. Visit https://BuddhistBootCamp.com for more information, and if you find value in these commercial-free Podcast episodes, please show your support at BuddhistBootCamp.com/support Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Are we robbing ourselves of contentment by chasing happiness?

We must stop undermining our ability to be generous by overlooking the fact that generosity doesn't have to be monetary.

The lifetime we are given (the good times, the terrible, and all the time in between), is a gift from a mysterious stranger. And the natural response to receiving a gift is gratitude, not a sense of entitlement.

Why do you do what you do? What are you trying to accomplish? Are your actions fueled by the ego? I ask myself these questions all the time to make sure I don't get into the habit of letting my ego run the show. What motivates YOUR actions? If you find value in this Podcast episode or my online posts, monthly emails, the books, or local events, please show your support at BuddhistBootCamp.com/support Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Would your life choices be different if you were to set a single intention to motivate all of your actions? What's your intention?

Every experience triggers an emotion in us and we then make judgments, decisions, and act out of that emotion, unreliable and variable as it may be. Could the labels that offered us comfort and clarity at one time in our lives later cause our segregation and discomfort? The question to ask yourself is if your narrative is working for you or against you. If you find value in these commercial-free Podcast episodes or my online posts, monthly emails, the books or local events, please show your support at BuddhistBootCamp.com/support Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy guilt. As my brother says, "Most of what weighs you down isn't even yours to carry." If you find value in these Podcast episodes, please show your support at BuddhistBootCamp.com/support These podcasts are available commercial-free thanks to listeners just like you who show their support. Thank you for being Soldiers of Peace in the Army of Love.

According to NVC (Non-Violent Communication), Unsolicited Advice is a form of violence; it's a way to bully someone by telling them what you think they "should" or "shouldn't" do. It can be very invasive when unwelcomed, so let's be mindful of what to do when we receive it, how to stop giving it, and the gift inherent in waiting for someone to ask for help rather than freely giving it. If you find value in these Podcast episodes, please show your support at BuddhistBootCamp.com/support These podcasts are available commercial-free thanks to listeners just like you who show their support. Thank you for being Soldiers of Peace in the Army of Love.

Life is going to throw some curve balls your way, take you up steep terrain, and surprise you with unexpected twists and turns. Are you ready to face it all like a champion so no challenge is overwhelming, or does everything in your life feel insurmountable? I say intentionally go without the very things you fear losing so you're prepared, trained, and ready! Keep your power instead of giving it away to fear.

Release your tight grip on things like identity wrapped in a job title or financial status, your car, home, or marital status. Keep stretching and expanding a flexible outlook as it ripples outward to encompass everything in the Universe. Turn to vapor, ice, liquid, and back again, without getting attached to any of it.

Do you have a close circle of friends who help you grow and evolve, or do you have an echo chamber in which everyone you know keeps you confined in a loop of destructive behavior, stunting your growth instead of promoting it?

Can you look at the world with a fresh, unbiased mind, and trust your own discernment instead of looking for someone whom you deem "credible" to validate it for you?

If your image (how people perceive you) is more important to you than your own values, you'd allow people to cross some boundaries (or not even set them in the first place), all to protect your image. Your actions convey your priorities, so where does your image rank compared to your core values?

In response to the Buddhist invitation to "Do No Harm," which I think is impossible, I prefer contemplating "Doing LESS Harm," which triggers awareness of our decisions' ripple effects on ourselves and the world around us until we find ways to minimize (not eliminate) the harm we cause when we eat, drink, read, watch, etc.

It's not about controlling your thoughts, it's about getting to a point where your thoughts don't control you.

What are you stubborn about, and to whose benefit?

We've been raised to never talk about it, and told that any mention of it is morbid, so how can we ever be prepared for the death of our loved ones or ourselves if we never discuss it?

The problem with being goal-oriented and future-focused is that at no given point are you where you want to be. When one eye is fixed upon the destination, only one eye is left with which to find the way.

Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent so much time making it.

If your happiness depends on something you can lose, you will spend your entire life afraid of losing it. But if your happiness depends on who you are in relation to each moment, then nothing and nobody can take that away from you.

Even if the wound is not your fault, healing from it is your responsibility.

Insecurities are the result of accepting the media's and other people's projections about us as truth until we no longer hear our highest selves reassure us of our inherent worth, which isn't measured by our job title, skin color, tax bracket, waist size, etc.

If we're dependent on outside validation for a sense of self-worth, then we run the risk of living our entire lives polishing an image that pleases others rather than having awareness of our inherent worth by simply living and working with integrity. We've been told a story of hierarchy and then urged to make it to the top so we can look down on others, but I don't think our value is a contest or a competition; we all serve a purpose. And if we can live in peace with ourselves and with others, then we are part of the solution by not being part of the pollution.

Is it the load that breaks our backs or the way we carry it?

Not forgiving is a form of self-imprisonment. Liberate yourself by doing away with the existing apology-and-forgiveness model that is similar to loan transactions in which one person is indebted to another, and get unstuck by taking the lesson from every experience, throwing away any grudge or resentment, and moving forward.

Focus on the teachings, not on the teacher. Your life is your message.

Summary of comments from the live online discussion about the previous podcast episode regarding understanding hatred.

To better understand hatred, we must first be honest about where it resides within each of us. When we fail to do that, we end up hating the hater, yet justifying our hatred as somehow "superior." Since all hate is rooted in segregation, questioning the labels we assign to everything we know and experience is a good place to start. I say Non-Judgment Day is Near, but your participation is required.

Change is natural and inevitable. The cause of our discomfort and suffering isn't change, it's our resistance to it. So the question is, are you open to change, or are you fighting the inevitable and creating your own suffering?

Is it possible that meddling is just another narcotic, a way to escape having to face our own issues, insecurities, and shortcomings, by pointing out somebody else's? If drama is an addiction, is mindfulness the cure?

The same way we filter-out harmful germs and chemicals from our drinking water, we need to install some sort of filter in our lives to keep out the harmful information that is found in our media. We need to limit how much negativity we are exposed to, and then balance it with some positive energy. Balance is something we create, not find. And by not being part of the pollution, we are automatically part of the solution.

There is a way to recall our past experiences without triggering any anger, resentment, or even judgment. Do not identify as "broken" or you will actually start believing that you are. The past is in your head. The future is in your hands.

When you feel the impulse to hurt someone (or when someone hurts you), remember we can't soothe our own pain by placing it on someone else. In fact, I think we increase our suffering when we harbor ill-thoughts toward others.

I used to rely on validation from other people in order to have a sense of self-worth, but that essentially meant I was in a co-dependent relationship with the entire world (think about it). Now my sense of value is up to me living a congruent life, striving to make sure that what I think, say, and do, are all in alignment. Give yourself the gift of true happiness, which isn't contingent on outside validation, but on the goodness within. Namaste.