Training the mind requires a lot of self-control, determination, and freedom from anger (whether you follow this particular method, transcendental meditation, yoga, or any other approach).
Buddhist Boot Camp is not here to necessarily teach you anything new, but to encourage you to put into practice what you already know; to point you in the direction of gratitude and unconditional love. We can’t just THINK ABOUT compassion and kindness; we must BE compassionate and kind. Now let’s get to work!
An ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of preaching. —Gandhi
Doing the “Right Thing”
Clyde is a single father of two. When his wife died of type 2 diabetes last year, he vowed to take better care of the family’s health by doing three new things on a regular basis: eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising, and never getting fast food again.
Tonight, with only ten dollars to spend on dinner, he will make them mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, and steamed broccoli florets. Even though he wants to buy everything organic, he simply can’t afford to right now, so he’s doing the best he can, avoiding processed foods, soda, and everything else that has high-fructose corn syrup in it.
A woman named Laura is standing behind Clyde at the grocery store. Her life is completely different than his, so her shopping cart is filled with organic and seasonal produce that she can easily afford without hesitation. Although she’s a strict vegetarian and a big supporter of local farmers, she can’t really be upset with Clyde for eating meat or buying non-organic food. Organic is better than conventional, that’s true; but conventional is certainly better than fast food. According to his time, place, and circumstance, Clyde is actually doing the right thing. They both are.
Never judge anyone for the choices that they make, and always remember that the opposite of what you know is also true. Every other person’s perspective on reality is as valid as your own, so no matter how certain you are that what you’re doing is the “right thing,” you must humbly accept the possibility that even someone doing the exact opposite might be doing the “right thing” as well.
Everything is subject to time, place, and circumstance. There are no “shoulds” in compassionate thinking!
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can. —John Wesley
Activism
I met a wonderful woman yesterday who initially came across as a bitter, aggressive, jaded, angry political activist, and outraged feminist. The more I spoke of how I believe world peace begins by looking within ourselves (changing our mindsets to eventually evolve out of greed, hatred, ignorance and fear), the more upset she seemed to get that I wasn’t proposing we do anything to change “the corrupt system.”
We spoke for a couple of hours before her defenses were dropped long enough to at least understand (but not necessarily agree) that although my approach and hers are completely different, they are to the same end.
“the system,” after all, is made up of individuals. By raising the next generation to be peaceful and compassionate, we are building future systems to operate with altruistic intentions instead of hunger for power.
This woman wanted global change to happen NOW, and I admire her for that sense of urgency and passion. We must use different tactics to reach a wide variety of audiences, so although she’s a revolutionary activist raising conscious awareness in a very different method than my own, she is, in fact, a soldier of peace in the army of love.
What I learned is that we are all activists in our own way. I may not be protesting with picket signs in an attempt to overthrow governments, for example, but I did write a book, and I am planting seeds of gratitude with the hope of remembering and reminding everyone what “for the people” truly means. I would have never considered myself to be an “activist” before, but I guess I am, in my own way.
Soldiers of peace in the army of love are sometimes difficult to identify as allies, because some use completely different methods than we do. An outsider might have thought that this woman and I were arguing, but I think we were growing, and for that I am forever grateful.
If you invite me to an anti-war rally, I won’t go. Invite me to a pro-peace rally, and I’ll be there! —Mother Teresa
Permanence
In my twenties I got a tattoo at the end of each one of my relationships. I think it’s because I was disappointed and looking for something permanent when everything else felt so uncertain.
Luckily I chose phrases or artistic depictions of things I’d want to believe in forever. They are reminders of what is truly important:
Unconditional Love, Honesty, Respect, Trust, Self-Control, Determination, Freedom from Anger, Happiness, Tranquility, Equality, Strength, Divinity, Freedom, The Spirit of Aloha, Sticking Together, A Sense of Home—and when I realized that all of those were very serious, I added a tattoo of a volleyball player as a depiction of Fun.
Are we all looking for something permanent in an impermanent world?
The moment we accept, not fear, that everything is temporary, we can appreciate each breath as a gift. Whether it’s the love of a friend, our family, youth, or life itself, let’s celebrate and enjoy that we have it today.
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. —Gandhi
The Charter for Compassion
Somebody saw me with my book in hand this afternoon and asked, “Are you a Buddhist?” and I didn’t know how to answer that. I am a lot of things, yet not one of them defines me. Although I am technically Jewish, my mantra is Hindu, was ordained Buddhist, and my morning meditation is the Catholic prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi. I study religion and psychology simultaneously (so as to understand why and how people believe what they do), and find myself wholeheartedly agreeing most with the non-sectarian Charter for Compassion, which reads as follows:
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
It is also necessary (in both public and private life) to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.
We therefore call upon all men and women to restore compassion to the center of morality and religion; to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate; to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures; to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings (even those regarded as enemies).
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
The one and only test of a valid religious idea, doctrinal statement, spiritual experience, or devotional practice is that it must lead directly to practical compassion. —Karen Armstrong
Easier Said Than Done
The most com
mon recurring response to the messages in this book is, “that’s easier said than done.”
This is boot camp, people . . . NOT the path of least resistance.
Training our mind to be more positive, loving, accepting and kind may be “easier said than done,” but it’s certainly easier than living the rest of your life with greed, hatred and anger!
We have to do the work if we want to free ourselves from the binds of ignorance.
Let go of what’s killing you, even if it’s killing you to let go!
An easy trek in the wrong direction is significantly more difficult than an uphill climb toward euphoria. —Timber Hawkeye
IN GOOD WE TRUST. —Buddhist Boot Camp
Sit Happens at buddhistbootcamp.com
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Namaste.
About the Author
Timber Hawkeye offers a non-sectarian approach to being at peace with the world, both within and around us. His intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire. Please visit buddhistbootcamp.com for more information.
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Copyright
BUDDHIST BOOT CAMP. Copyright © 2013 by Timber Hawkeye. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.
“Buddhist Boot Camp” and “Sit Happens” are both Registered Trademarks held by Sit Happens, LLC
HarperCollins website: http://www.harpercollins.com
HarperCollins®, ®, and HarperOne™ are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers.
Photographs by Rodel Casio.
FIRST HARPERCOLLINS EDITION
Previously self-published.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-06-226743-6
Epub Edition © DECEMBER 2012 ISBN: 9780062267450
13 14 15 16 17 RRD(H) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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