If you’re anything like me, you hate being told what to do. From one rebel to another – I get it. But the funny thing is, we seem to hate it even when we’re telling ourselves what to do! And that’s kind of f*ck’d up, if you think about it.
No one is telling us we “have” to get up and exercise or make a website or write a book or eat healthfully or meditate. It’s all shit we actually want to do, right? We want the book, business, income, spiritual progress, strong and rested body.
So why do we have a tantrum about it and act like our parents are telling us what to do?
I think a lot of us resist this type of discipline because we have negative associations with doing things when we don’t feel like it. We think of chores, being quiet after being “shushed,” ”behaving” because someone just told us to do it, and there’s an undertone of feeling of powerlessness, or of someone trying to control us.
But when we are wanting to do something or create something ourselves and we don’t follow through on what we want because we’re “not in the mood,” we run into problems like not trusting ourselves, not having our own backs, and not creating the life we were meant to live during this precious time here.
So I want to introduce the idea of Sacred Discipline. Contrary to the ideas of control we might be used to, Sacred Discipline actually sets us FREE.
The newsflash, my friends, is that Sacred Discipline, when rooted in love, becomes devotion.
Now, for a lot of us raised in cultures of hustle or guilt (like, oh, say, my immigrant Catholic family;), “discipline” brings up the opposite – more of a tight grip. Something rigid, or shame-adjacent.
But in the Buddhist tradition, this kind of Sacred Discipline is something entirely different from the old-school idea of discipline. It’s not a cage. It’s the slow sacred rhythm of choosing alignment over chaos and presence over impulse, again and again.
It’s less about behaving and more about belonging – to your own heart, to the world around you, and to the quiet wisdom that knows what truly matters.
In classical Buddhist teachings, discipline is actually one of the Three Trainings on the Noble Eightfold Path. It’s about clearing space for what’s good and tending to the conditions that allow a calm, clear mind to arise for samadhi (concentration) to arise.
It’s also NOT about obedience. It’s not something handed down as a must do. Instead, it’s about creating the causes and conditions to live our best life and awaken. It has a role in actualizing our Soul Purpose.
For example, the Five Precepts in Buddhism aren’t commandments, right? We don’t do them just because we are told to out of fear of being punished. When we abide by them, we’re actually setting ourselves up for a mind primed for awakening. And when more and more people have this type of ethical discipline, peace becomes possible – not just for others, but for ourselves, too.
It’s like that with discipline around creating our dreams, too; around living our Soul Purpose.
Now, like many things we’ve talked about on this podcast, Sacred Discipline is a practice. It’s not a state we permanently achieve. It’s something we do again and again.
When we can view it as a practice, it becomes liberating on so many levels.
I love this quote by Thich Nhat Hanh: “Every moment of mindfulness is a moment of freedom.”
So every time we pause before speaking harshly or resist the old reflex to numb out, we’re practicing a discipline that leads toward inner spaciousness. Not because we should, but because we can.
Because even if we don’t want to do it at the moment, it serves a greater longing.
It’s what keeps you tethered to your own purpose and unfolding when everything else is pulling you into distraction or despair.
Discipline may feel like a betrayal of our “freedom-loving” rebel self. We tell ourselves we want to be spontaneous, intuitive, flowy. But without discipline, always going with the flow can turn into a flood and wash us away from what we most care about.
The awesome thing is, when we begin to practice discipline – not from force, but from alignment – we start to notice something radical: we feel more free.
We’re not being yanked around by every mood or craving. We’re not waking up with regret. We’re able to trust ourselves a little more.
Like the banks of a river, some boundaries give direction to our energy and make freedom possible. They hold us when we forget what we came for.
Now, it’s one thing to understand that discipline matters, and it’s another thing entirely to actually move the body and get outside for a walk or run, make the uncomfortable phone call, sit on the cushion, say the hard no (or yes) even when we don’t have the motivation. The good news is, I’ve got some tools for you;)
Be sure to listen to the full podcast for all the ways we can cultivate Sacred Discipline when the motivation isn’t there.
But what I want you to really remember here is that discipline is a training, not a performance. Which means you’re allowed to fall down, forget, and begin again – every breath if you need to!
So what does Sacred Discipline look like for you? You get to decide. It’s not a schedule (though it may involve one). It’s not rules (though it may require saying no). It’s not about proving you’re “good.”
It’s about remembering that you are already whole – and living like you believe it.
So go ahead. Let your discipline be SACRED. Let your discipline be a soft devotion to YOU and your Soul Purpose. Let your Sacred Discipline set you FREE.
You will learn:
// How our sneaky minds make us resist discipline – even when it’s our own damn selves wanting to do it!
// Why over-identifying as a rebel or someone who only does “spontaneous” puts our dreams at risk
// How the concept of Sacred Discipline is different than the OG idea of authoritarian, controlling discipline
// The ways that Sacred Discipline helps us actualize our Soul Purpose
// The importance of seeing Sacred Discipline as a practice, not a command
// Why doing what you say you’re doing to do ISN’T anti-freedom
// How to develop our own Sacred Discipline as a part of our daily practice
Resources:
// Episode 81: The Importance of a Daily Routine
// Episode 210: Spiritual Friends and How to Make Them
// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!
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