Free Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber Hawkeye Page A

provided her with more than enough anxiety for the day, every day, without fail (be it an outbreak of a new strain of the flu, a gunman at the mall, food poisoning from spinach, a security alert at the airport, a storm on the horizon, high-fructose corn syrup in her coffee, or a medical report linking hair dye to breast cancer).
    If that wasn’t enough, Angela was also used to watching the ten o’clock news before going to bed at night, which, strangely enough, actually made her feel grateful to still be alive, since everyone else seemed to have either been murdered, raped, robbed, or gone missing while she was at work.
    After donating her television to a nearby home for the elderly, she canceled her newspaper subscription and began reading books about the art of happiness instead. She called Bonnie and Joy on a regular basis, and they were thrilled to hear about the changes she was making in her life. They encouraged her to continue cultivating whatever filled her with love, light, and positivity, and eliminating everything that filled her with fear (including her friend Gretchen, who was suspicious of everyone trying to either steal her identity, take advantage of her, or tap into her computer).
    Angela gathered enough courage to quit her job, move out of New Hampshire, and go back to school. She discovered the mood-elevating benefits of nutrient-rich foods, and now teaches yoga on the beach in Honolulu.
    Today she is a daily inspiration for many tourists who take her yoga class at the resort. Angela encourages them to break their routines, make decisions, and change their lives.
    Bonnie and Joy recently surprised Angela by showing up on the beach during one of her yoga classes to celebrate her birthday.
    Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. —Aristotle

Controlling Your Temper
    Practice listening to other people talk about their beliefs without interrupting them. Listen to Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Mormons, Anarchists, Republicans, KKK members, Heterosexuals, Homosexuals, Meat Eaters, Vegans, Scientists, Scientologists, and so on . . .
    Develop the ability to listen to ANYTHING without losing your temper.
    The first principle here at Buddhist Boot Camp is that the opposite of what you know is also true. Accept that other people’s perspectives on reality are as valid as your own (even if they go against everything you believe in), and honor the fact that someone else’s truth is as real to them as yours is to you.
    Then (and this is where it gets even more difficult), bow to them and say, “Namaste,” which means the divinity within you not only acknowledges the divinity within others, but honors it as well.
    Compassion is the only thing that can break down political, dogmatic, ideological, and religious boundaries.
    May we all harmoniously live in peace.
    You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger. —The Buddha

Insecurities
    While hanging out by a friend’s swimming pool, my mother passively said to me, “Looks like someone is getting chunky!”
    I was sixteen and far from obese by any measure, but I must have already been insecure about the few extra pounds I had gained, because I started seriously obsessing about my weight after that.
    Within a month I had her take me to a sporting goods store to buy an Ab Roller (the most popular body-sculpting contraption back in 1993). When she asked me, “Why do you want this?” I said, “Because I want to be a stripper one day!”
    She laughed, of course, assuming I was joking, but I felt like the only way I could officially overcome the “chunky issue” was if people paid me to take my clothes off.
    It turned out that my insecurity had nothing to do with my outward appearance after all, because even when I started stripping in a couple of years, with a killer six-pack and a fake tan, the pale fat kid still stared back at me when I looked in the mirror.
    I’m not blaming my mother for doing