Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast

We are all taught a language, but we are not taught how to communicate, which is the reason for so many arguments and misunderstandings. When the Buddha spoke of Mindful Speech, it wasn't just about avoiding gossip and verbal abuse. Mindful Speech is also about purposeful and meaningful communication. Words can be useless and lack meaning, or they can be rich and offer healing. In a world where it costs absolutely nothing to transform casual interactions into meaningful connections, there is no reason for dismissive, vague, or entitled comments between us. So, let's lead by example in our conversations, and be as truthful, sincere, and articulate as possible to make meaningful connections the new norm.

Don't ignore the past, but don't cling to it, either. We are not what has happened in our lives, nor anything we have done, we are who we choose to become today. The Buddhist concept of Non-attachment is not about erasing who we were, it's about not being confined by it.

To avoid being self-obsessed and desperately seeking the approval of others, Buddhism invites us to remain focused on WHO we are (our character), and be less concerned with WHAT we are (our identity and all the labels we wear). Egocentric identities are performative and outwardly expressive in order to be noticed, recognized, and praised, while your character isn't loud, it isn't censored, filtered, or polished to imitate perfection, because it doesn't seek attention. Your character can't be labeled, photographed, or quantified. Character is what's left after you lose everything that can be lost. Character is who we are in the dark 🙏

We all have bind spots, and I was recently made aware of one of my own. Since I'm committed to being honest and transparent, it's important that I not only share my "Ah-ha Moments" with you, but also my "Oh-oh Moments" when I fail to see things clearly. I thought exclusivity was the same as discriminatory, but now, thanks to you, I see how my own point of view was limited because of a blind spot. Thank you for walking beside me on this journey, even when I slip and fall. I appreciate you.

Are you brave enough to see yourself without any of the masks you wear at work, at church, on social media, or wherever you claim to have moral standards and beliefs to which your behavior doesn't actually conform? Of the twenty or so obstacles on the spiritual path, hypocrisy may be the hardest to face, but it's the easiest to overcome. Eliminating the internal conflict of claiming to be one thing but being another is how we bring what we think, say, and do, into harmonious alignment. Without it, life can be unbearable, and true happiness unattainable. At least be brave enough to listen and think about it. Authenticity is both terrifying and liberating at the same time. As Kurt Cobain said, "I would rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not."

Feeling overwhelmed is not a reason to overreact or act in a way that isn't in line with your core values. If you don't know what to do, it's okay to say "I don't know what to do," and perhaps all the reason to postpone doing anything until you have more clarity. With enough time, your core principles and moral compass help you find true north, the middle path, and peace with whatever decision you make.

Just like all the water in the ocean can't sink a ship unless the water gets inside the boat, all the negativity and toxicity in the world won't bring you down unless you let it in. Mindfulness doesn't make other people less irritating, it makes us less irritable. So, if you are still irritable, then you still have work to do. Part of that work involves no longer waiting for the world to accommodate your preferences or reacting when things don't go your way.

Whether you are full of love and kindness or rage and judgment, that's what's going to spill out of you when life gets rough. So, be mindful of what you consume and fill yourself with, because that's what's going to determine what kind of day you will have, how you experience this year and the rest of your life... it's up to you, not anybody or anything else. So, what's in YOUR heart?

Focus on your health, and watch all the opinions that we tend to fret and argue about become trivial in comparison because nothing is more important. Please don't wait until you are sick to realize this!

Are we only compassionate to an extent and then turn cold? Do we have a sense of compassion for wounds we can see but not others? Where do we draw the line? Is there a line? I believe compassion has no contingencies. The invitation is for us to open our hearts to understand why ALL people behave the way they do, and even empathize if they lack certain emotional capacities.

What is the meaning of Integrity? How do you define it? And do you have the courage to build your life around your answer?

We claim to fully understand what we have only partially experienced, and we dismiss other people's reality as invalid if it contradicts our own. That's our ego playing tricks on us until we argue and fight to prove that we are right by making someone else wrong. Yogananda called it "Feeling tall by cutting of the heads of other men." The entire concept that you are somehow separate from others is an illusion. We are here to snap out of our self-importance.

As long as I think there is a war inside of me, the battle will continue, but struggle is not a requirement. We can call a truce, enter a peace agreement, and stop fighting. If we want inner-peace, we must be peaceful.