How to Be Your Own Guru

<p>I get asked a lot where the name for my podcast, “Rebel Buddhist”, came from. Often people will say, “Wow - I can’t imagine a rebel Buddhist with like guns, or weapons - isn’t that the <i>opposite </i>of Buddhism? Isn’t that a kind of...oxymoron?”</p><p> </p><p>And I’m thinking, “That’s not exactly the definition of ‘rebel’ that I had in mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Here’s where I’m coming from:</p><p> </p><p>My main motto is, “Free Your Mind, Free Your Life.” When you free your mind of the things that no longer serve you, the freedom you experience in life <strong>also </strong>follows. But freeing you mind requires a new, radical way of thinking. You really need to go against the way most of the world thinks. And against how the brain works when in its default mode.</p><p> </p><p>If you search for the definition of “rebel,” one says a rebel is, “a person who resists authority, control, or convention.”</p><p> </p><p>And that’s <strong>exactly </strong>what you have to do to create a life of freedom, adventure and purpose: go against convention. Conventional ways of thinking. Of definitions of success – and how to get there. Of what to prioritize.</p><p> </p><p>Now, I’ve often said that I’m a really good rule follower. But that’s really only true when the rule makes sense to me. I question all rules because in my own spiritual practice I’ve been trained to question all my perceptions and ask, “Is this true? Is this real?” I’ve been trained to question <i>everything</i>. And to consider that the way I may see things might be inaccurate.</p><p> </p><p>That I should not follow convention “just because."</p><p> </p><p>And I‘ll admit: I kinda like breaking the rules that don’t make sense.</p><p> </p><p>I think we should always question the rules, the status quo, conventional thinking.</p><p> </p><p>I believe in freedom, and I especially think it’s important to question those that try to control us or claim infallible authority over us.</p><p> </p><p>So yes, I see mindfulness practices, thought work, learning about how our