Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast

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...

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 a...

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...

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 automaticall...

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.