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.

I sat down to meditate, I closed my eyes, and as soon as the timer chimed to start the 30 minute session, I thought, wait, did I remember to open the window before sitting down? I was so tempted to quickly open my eyes to check because it would have only taken a second and put my mind at ease.

But I decided to keep my eyes closed until the second bell signaled the end of the meditation.

It was really tempting to just open my eyes because I really wanted to know what was going on with the window.

But why? I mean, it wouldn't have made any difference. It's not like I would have gotten up to open at mid-session.

So for lack of a better word, the window's status

in that moment was completely irrelevant.

Realizing it was not relevant fueled both my discipline and dedication to keep my eyes closed with

patience, mindful breathing, and a smile on my face. If I was to keep score

restless mine zero me one and choosing a title for this podcast Restless Mine, mine, zero, me, one.

In choosing a title for this podcast episode, I was torn between dedication and discipline, so I decided

to go with both.

Dedication is a commitment to a chosen path, and discipline is not only a branch of knowledge typically studied in higher education, though I don't think higher is necessarily limited to college or university, discipline is also an experience that provides mental and physical training.

Imagine a pendulum where on one extreme we are completely careless about something, and on the opposite end we are completely careless about something and on the opposite end we are

fiercely engaged with it. I think the middle ground between the two extremes is

carefree, untroubled, and relaxed. And this got me thinking, is the act of acknowledging that

something is irrelevant, at least to us at any given moment, the key to the ever

elusive inner peace at the middle point between negligence and concern?

For those 30 minutes, for example, whether my window was open or shut was completely irrelevant.

The word irrelevant seems harsh and dismissive whenever I use it, but intentionally

dismissing certain thoughts is the very skill we develop by strictly focusing on

what's relevant. In Buddhism that practice is called

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