Buddhist Bootcamp

A recent interview that briefly sums it all up:

"After trying to find traditional success, love, and happiness by working in Corporate America for over a decade, marrying and divorcing young, and living in a condo with designer clothes and a sports car, Timber Hawkeye looked at his imported Italian furniture one day and realized Tyler Durden was right: the things you own end up owning you, and it’s not until you lose everything that you are free to do anything. So, Timber quit his job, sold everything he ever owned, and moved to Hawaii with just a backpack and the intention to live a simple and uncomplicated life.

With nothing but newfound time on his hands, Timber simultaneously studied world religions and psychology to better understand what people believe and why we believe what we do. The journey that started with letting go of worldly possessions, quickly evolved into shedding outdated ideologies as well, old opinions, and emotional attachments. Before long, Timber found himself living in a Buddhist monastery, sitting in front of a Tibetan Lama, and saying, 'With all due respect, I don't believe the Buddha ever intended for his teachings to get THIS complicated!'

Luckily, the teacher looked around at all the statues of deities with multiple arms and chuckled, 'The Buddha didn't do this, Timber, the Tibetan culture did; this is their way. Why don't you try Zen? I think you would like it.'

True to form, Timber didn’t simply read a book about Zen Buddhism, he moved into a Zen monastery for the complete experience. Although it was certainly simpler, the teachings were still full of the dogma that sent him running from organized religion in the first place. The nagging question that changed everything for him was: why the monastic robes? Why not simply be the guy in town with the bright eyes? And today, that’s exactly who I met. In fact, when I asked Timber if he still considers himself a Buddhist, he said, 'I am many things, but not one of them defines me.'

Timber was born Jewish, ordained Buddhist, uses a Hindu mantra, and his morning meditation is a Catholic prayer. His altar at home features a statue of Jesus, one of the Buddha, another of Saint Francis of Assisi, and they get along just fine. On paper, Timber Hawkeye is a bestselling author, a podcast producer, a publisher, and an international public speaker, but in person, he is just another friendly face in town.

Hawkeye’s first book, Buddhist Boot Camp, is a collection of journal entries and letters from Hawaii that he had sent to friends over the course of eight years. Even though each chapter is only a page long, it beautifully shares a secular and non-sectarian approach to being at peace with the world (both within and around us). His follow-up memoir, Faithfully Religionless, offers an intimate glimpse into an extraordinary life filled with insight and motivation. In a nutshell, it’s about letting go of the need to know, the difference between feelings and emotions, the disparity between truths and facts, and the countless benefits of mindful living.

Timber’s books and the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast invite us to lead a life of purpose, congruence, and conviction. His intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire, and I can vouch that reading his books has done exactly that, not just for me, but for thousands all over the world.

Read his books and listen to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. You’ll be glad you did."