Buddhist Boot Camp – by Timber Hawkeye

Buddhist Boot Camp is a great little book. Timber was working in corporate America, until one day he realized it wasn’t the life he was meant to be living. He decided to work part-time in order to live full time. He sold all of his material possessions, reduced his expenses as much as possible, and moved to Hawaii. This book is the collection of emails he sent back to his family and friends, and it provides a great insight into some of the ideas and practices of Buddhism. We can all take these lessons and apply them to our everyday lives, whether we classify ourselves as ‘Buddhist’ or not.

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Buddhist Boot Camp (dot point) Summary

Grasping

Our beliefs solidify the truths and realities we know. It is like the ‘Never Ending Story’, once you stop believing in the reality is ceases to exist.

Training the mind

Stop granting yourself everything you crave. Let your mind know who is boss. First few times your mind will throw a tantrum like a little kid.

Less is more

Work part-time to live full time. Reduce cravings for material things.

Victims of our own choices

Where we are today is a result of our past choices. Don’t blame others, look within. If you really want something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find an excuse.

Feelings vs Emotions

Live in each moment without getting attached to it, then we can release suffering right then and there

A Simple definition of God

Divinity Within

Prepare a meal for yourself. You deserve your own love and affection.

Buddhism as a windshield wiper

Teaching Kids

Don’t believe everything you see hear or read. Find out yourself what is the truth.

Pseudo Problem with Golden Rule

Rewriting the Stories

Our beliefs are merely our stories in our minds that we wrote a long time ago. Knowing that, don’t you feel empowered to rewrite them?

Success:

Careers are overrated

How little can I live off and still have a good time?

Dalai Lama (what surprises him most)

‘Man sacrifices his health in order to make money.

Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.

And then he is so anxious about the future.

He lives as if he is never going to die.

Then he dies having never truly lived. ‘

When to walk away

Nobody deserves to hate what they are doing.

Success means being happy

If working full time only lets you live part-time, aren’t careers overrated?

Redefining enough

Redefine what’s enough so you have to work less.

“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Do them now! Paulo Coelho

A simple life

Fisherman story.

Knowing is not half the battle

Knowing and then taking action are two different things

At the root of our suffering

Reduce suffering by reducing expectations. The train will be delayed, we will be sitting in traffic at times.
It’s never too late. The thing isn’t the problem, the problem is the expectation.

Permanence

Are we looking for something permanent in an impermanent world? Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.