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.

Whenever people used to ask me my religion, I didn't know what to say. I mean religion is a collection of beliefs and philosophies and I've always had my own. I think we all do. It's just not particularly organized nor affiliated with any existing school of thought.

Through my own experiences, through trial and error, and learning from everyone around me,

I had developed certain habits that one could presume or even associate with a religion.

I don't drink, smoke, or eat meat for example.

I was celibate for more than a decade, refrained from ingesting any stimulants, spent a lot of time in nature or meditating,

and I deeply believe we are here to learn to be completely selfless,

which sounds like a hybrid of a Mormon Buddhist Jew monk in training on his 12 steps to recovery, but I didn't have a name for it. I just called it timberism.

The first time I ever heard the Dalai Lama speak, however, he was talking about self-control, determination, and freedom

from anger. And that was a few years after I actually had those same words tattooed on my chest.

Kindness is my religion, he said, and I still believe that's as good a label as any.

I became mesmerized by Tiknot Han, Jack Cornfield, and Dan Millman.

But whenever I spoke to my teachers and said something like,

I just love Neil Donald Walsh and Pemma Chodran.

Aren't they amazing?

My teachers would just look at me with a gentle smile and say,

Be careful there. I knew what they meant. Focus on the teachings, not the teacher.

A good friend of mine once met her favorite author and she was so disappointed to discover he was

a mere human, not the sage she has projected him to be.

That's why it's important to focus on the message, not the messenger, and remember they are

not showing us their special powers, but exactly what we are capable of as well.

Today with Facebook being an amazing communication tool, we are all students and we are

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