Alignment

What you DON'T do is as important as what you do (if not more so). So, instead of thinking you need to do MORE of something in order to be more mindful or spiritual or healthy, what do you need to STOP doing because it's working against you?

Episode Transcript

(00:07):
Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast.
Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life.
Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

(00:27):
When Muhammad Ali was asked, "What is the central part of your training?
"Is it jogging? Is it sparring?" He answered, "The central part of my training is not
"running or vitamins or punching the bags. The central part of my training is avoiding
"the nightclubs, the parties, and the girls.
"You want to know the truth? The central part of my training is being in bed by 9:00 p.m."

(00:48):
That was his answer. And although I am not a boxer, when it comes to training the mind or
living in line with my values and staying on the path, my spiritual practice is also
more deeply supported by what I choose NOT to do than by what I do.
Regardless of what decision I contemplate, my process starts by asking

the following question (01:07):
what am I getting from it versus what is it taking from me?
When I decided to no longer play volleyball, for example, after many years of playing on
a daily basis, my dad asked me, "Why stop? What's the harm in playing volleyball?"
And I told him there is no inherent harm in it,
but what would I be doing with my time if I no longer played?

(01:28):
I knew that I wouldn't have the answer to that question until after I stopped.
Just like years before that, it was only after I got rid of my TV that I got into hiking.
And it was only after I plugged my Internet modem to a timer that shut it off at 6 p.m.,
that I started reading a book a week. Perhaps most unexpectedly, it was the decision to

(01:48):
remove alcohol from my life that opened doors for me I didn't even know were closed;
like Muhammad Ali avoiding the nightclubs.

Asking (01:56):
what am I getting from it versus what is it taking from me? is a game-changer.
When we say No to one thing, we say Yes to something else. Each decision is a
navigation choice, either out of alignment with the life we want, or toward it.
If you are specifically curious about how big a role alcohol plays in your own life, the book

(02:16):
This Naked Mind by Annie Grace continues to help many people change their relationship
with the substance. Enlightenment and Alignment go hand-in-hand.
That's why what you DON'T do is as important as what you do, if not more so.
Someone's spiritual practice may involve everything from meditation and chanting
to rituals and ceremonies, with all the sage smudging and incense burning you can

(02:40):
think of, and they may partake in chakra cleansing, sound healing, crystals, candles,
essential oils, and vision boards, but if they simultaneously continue indulging in what
The Buddha called "The Five Hindrances" of
Sensual Desires, Ill Will, Apathy or Laziness, Restlessness, and Doubt, then life becomes
a constant struggle of trying to fill a bucket with a hole on the bottom.

(03:02):
Whether you are just starting out on your spiritual journey or you are a
seasoned traveler, tempting as it may be to add more practices to support your path,
it's equally important to contemplate what we
need to STOP doing for reasons that may not even be clear to us until AFTER we stop.
When we think about quitting something, we naturally focus on what we will be missing,
but there is also something to be gained, the problem is we often can't know

(03:26):
what that "something" is until we try.
So, rather than thinking you need to do MORE, what can you stop altogether,
if only for a while, in order to discover what would fill that void instead?
Climbing up the mountain with the gear you need is difficult enough,
let's not weigh ourselves down with the gear we don't. As the old Zen saying goes,
Let go or be dragged.

(03:48):
Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Buddhist Boot Camp, Faithfully Religionless,
and The Opposite of Namaste.
For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com,
where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project,
watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list.

(04:09):
We hope you have enjoyed this episode,
and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions.
Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love. 🙏🏼