Today's Guest: Sitaram Dass (K. Sandin, LCSW)

Sitaram Dass spent several years serving his beloved teacher Ram Dass on Maui, where he was shown the path of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of service and devotion.

As the Director of the Sacred Community Project, he works to lower the barriers of access to contemplative and devotional practices through affordable, free, and donation-based offerings, spiritual support, and prison outreach. He is also a spiritual counselor who can provide spiritual and mindfulness coaching worldwide and is a licensed therapist in the states of Oregon and California. His book, From and for God, is an intimate and contemplative collection of writings on the spiritual path.

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(PREVIOUSLY: Welcome back to the Buddhist Recovery Network podcast! Before we dive in, check out our revamped website at BuddhistRecovery.org for meetings, resources, and more. Don't miss the 2024 Buddhist Recovery Network Summit, happening October 10th-13th at Fairview Lake YMCA in Stillwater, New Jersey. Join us for a transformative weekend featuring speakers like Kevin Griffin, Vimalasara, and Vince Cullen, plus workshops on safer Sanghas, process addictions, neurodiversity, self-compassion, and more. This event will be run like a retreat, with meditation, yoga, and shared meals. Arrive Thursday for networking and meditation, with the main programming starting Friday.)

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Today's Guest: Shawna Adkins

Shawna is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from Oakland, California. She supports adults on their wellness journeys, helping them reconnect with their Buddha Nature. She also enjoys dancing, DIY projects, and gardening.

Podcast Music by Modus Music. For inquires, email: modus.music@outlook.com

(PREVIOUSLY: Welcome back to the Buddhist Recovery Network podcast! Before we dive in, check out our revamped website at BuddhistRecovery.org for meetings, resources, and more. Don't miss the 2024 Buddhist Recovery Network Summit, happening October 10th-13th at Fairview Lake YMCA in Stillwater, New Jersey. Join us for a transformative weekend featuring speakers like Kevin Griffin, Vimalasara, and Vince Cullen, plus workshops on safer Sanghas, process addictions, neurodiversity, self-compassion, and more. This event will be run like a retreat, with meditation, yoga, and shared meals. Arrive Thursday for networking and meditation, with the main programming starting Friday.)

Support BRN Podcast: Buddhist Recovery Network by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/brn-podcast

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This is a talk from the SHE RECOVERS symposium about Critical Conversations About Race. We are in the unfortunate time of having to witness the Trial of Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. And during this time of the trial the slaying of Duante Wright took place in the Minneapolis. This talk although given in the fall of 2020, it is very relevant.

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Vince Miller and Valentine Darling chat about how they got sober, queer community in sobriety, healing from trauma, and developing friendships. Both Vince and Valentine are active on instagram. Follow Vince @thevulnerabledisco, and Valentine @goingsomewheresober. Get more information on their projects at www.TheVulnerableDisco.com and www.RecoveryDisco.com

Carolyn, who uses they/them pronouns, is a queer, non-binary Afro-Indigenous neurodivergent human in long-term recovery and believe recovery from a decolonized, anti-oppression lens can point the collective towards liberation. They are breathing fresh life into recovery and they are a powerhouse of wisdom, I’m really excited to see what comes next for Carolyn and Recovery For the Revolution. To contact Carolyn you can check out www.RecoveryForTheRevolution.Com. They offer coaching and advising services as well as a form to contact them to speak at an event or on a podcast and are working on offering more community and workshop spaces for the collective.  And of course, don’t miss our live BRN Academy series the first Sunday of each month. Our guest teacher March 7th will be Rachel Lewis from Insight Meditation Society and Spirit rock.

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https://www.sobervoices.co/ The Sober Voices Summit is multiple days of intentional content from a diverse array of leaders in the sober movement. This event brings together people from multifaceted backgrounds to share their stories and vision for the future of the sober movement. The content is accessible and inspiring to all sober and sober curious humans. By appealing to many types of sober and sober-curious people, the impact of the Sober Voices Summit is to amplify diverse sober voices and bring awareness to multifaceted points of view on short- and long-term sobriety. The Summit will inspire folx to see questioning or opting out of drinking culture as a major way to step into radical self-love.

February 4-6 2021. Tickets on sale now!

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Lucy Rocca tells our President of BRN Vimalasara, all about Soberistas, a recovery community founded in the UK, that serves predominantly women all over the world.

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Ester speaks on race in recovery and Emotional Freedom Tapping

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https://www.patreon.com/buddhistrecoverynetwork In this episode shary speaks about life growing up as a queer teenager, and as an adult recovering from meth and drinking. She shares BIPOC recovery resources, and talks about her use of holistic recovery modalities. Shari will be facilitating the upcoming event at SheRecovers: Healing the Effects of Racism for Black Women in Recovery: A Critical Conversation October 18th The first half is open to all women and nonbinary folks in recovery to take part in this conversation, and the second part is a closed afterparty for black folks only. http://sharihampton.com/ https://sherecovers.org/critical-conversations/ http://www.servedupsober.com/

https://www.patreon.com/buddhistrecoverynetwork This topic is so incredibly important for us in recovery. Doing anti racist work is an integral part of our healing, especially in Buddhist Recovery where we aim to cause less harm. How can we do that without exploring how to be an anti racist and by learning how to not perpetuate the racism inherent in our society? AntiRacism work IS recovery work, and if you don't realize that, you are practicing spiritual bypassing and spiritual materialism. You’re holding yourself back from reaching the next step in your recovery journey. This episode is long, but that's because the topic needs that much time to explore. Listen till the end, it keeps getting better.

Liberation Now: From the Progressive Path to Direct Experience Join us this Sunday September 4th. Go to https://BuddhistRecovery.Org for more info

Healing the Effects of Racism for Black Women in Recovery put on by SheRecovers. www.SheRecovers.Org This online program will be taking place: Sunday October 18th 11:00 AM Pacific/1:00 PM Central/2:00 PM Eastern 90 minutes ALL Women/Nonbinary folks WELCOME FOLLOWED BY: Closed Roundtable Conversation (Black Women/NonBinary Only) 1:00 PM Pacific/3:00 PM Central/ 4:00 PM Eastern 60 minutes

In this interview Taryn Strong, co-founder of SheRecovers, opens up about the trauma and inner child work she set out to do after her relapse and what it's like to run a recovery community with her mother. "At the core, we are all the same... Everyone is recovering from something" These words are core values at SheRecovers which is a program open to women and nonbinary folks no matter what they are recovering from.

https://sherecovers.org/ https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/

Kevin Griffin reflects on his past 35 years of sobriety using Buddhism and the 12 steps followed by Q&A.

https://insightla.org/event/the-addiction-to-racism/2020-07-31-09-30/ https://insightla.org/event/efforts-of-recovery/2020-08-03-18-30/ https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/

"I have worked in mental health for the last 12 years, which is where I saw the need for sexual education and sexual trauma support.I have a MS in Health Psychology. This has led to my passion for assisting and supporting those that are sexual assault survivors and those without access to comprehensive sex education. My compassion and passion for these populations has pushed me to continue building safe spaces for clientele, sharing education, and supporting their mental spaces." - https://traumaqueen.love/

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https://www.patreon.com/buddhistrecoverynetwork During this talk Martine will look at the habits that bind us and stop our potential for wisdom and compassion manifesting fully. She will explore the meditative tools found in the Vipassana tradition like mindfulness of the breath, sounds and feeling tones to show how we can engage creatively with our habits and transform them into positive functions. When we break free from the habits that limit us, a new world of possibilities opens up. Negative patterns of mind may manifest as fear, avoidance, depression, addiction, judgment of self or other, and any of a host of other physical, mental, or psychological forms.

Peers in recovery share their experience and practices for Weathering the Storm. Featuring Cliff, Amanda, Stevie & Valentine.

https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/ https://www.patreon.com/buddhistrecoverynetwork https://www.facebook.com/groups/recoverydharmaBIPOC/

In this session we will release self-doubt and/or self-blame, and engage in a practice of self-love and self-forgiveness.

Fresh Lev White is a love and compassionate activist. He offers mindfulness, coaching, mediation, and diversity trainings as tools for shifting towards more authentic, conscious and passionate living. He teaches and writes about how love and self-compassion are the ultimate gateways to loving and understanding others; thus, healing our communities, and our planet.

Our Next BRN Academy teaching Sunday May 3rd 2020 @ 1pm PT, 4pm ET, 8pm UK w/ Carol Cano

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Interview with Dr. Maté, renowned addiction expert, who calls for a compassionate approach toward addiction, whether in ourselves or in others. Dr. Maté believes that the source of addictions is not to be found in genes but in the early childhood environment. In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts, his most recent best-selling book, draws on cutting-edge science and real-life stories to show that all addictions originate in trauma and emotional loss.

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Re-Release from Taboo Addictions. Vimalasara talks about eating disorder recovery.

BRN Podcast will be taking a break for the next month. If you have ideas for 2020 episodes or want to be involved in any way please email me at finding.valentine@gmail.com

Zoom link for our online Xmas Day meeting: https://zoom.us/j/518564313 or you can find the link on our website BuddhistRecovery.org or on our facebook page.

Want to meditate with us Xmas Morning? Come hand out with Vimalasara and the community for a BRN meeting Xmas morning. The President of BRN will be sharing top tips to stay abstinent at Christmas and will hold space for anybody who is needing support and connection. Number one tip reach out for help and number two tip join us on BRN at 9:30am Pacific Time - 12:30pm Eastern Time and 5:30pm UK Time on Xmas day

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Top up on tips and coping mechanisms to deal with the next 32 days. Do the festive season with a sense of freedom and joy. Recorded from the Buddhist Recovery Network Academy: Watch the Triggers: The Festive Season is Here featuring Vimalasara Mason John.

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

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From the International Buddhist Recovery Summit in Lacey WA September 6th 2019. Intention, Mindfulness & The 12 Steps ft Kevin Griffin

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Today on the Buddhist Recovery Network podcast we have an inspiring story by Kim who speaks about her experience through the 12 steps, she speaks about her Italian family, and her upbringing... her queerness in the rooms, and having community during this global pandemic.

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From the International Buddhist Recovery Summit in Lacey WA September 6th 2019.

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https://www.5th-precept.org/Fifth-Precept-Sangha-Meeting-Format.pdf

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There is a correlation between our inner state of being and our outer circumstances. By noticing our inner sensations and thoughts, tracking them to witness their changes, we make the unconscious conscious and can hold the inner and the outer experiences in an attitude of expanded focus. Observing our own continuously evolving experience centers us in reality and allows us to nourish whatever arises with less fear and more love. Developing an increased capacity for resiliency allows for a shift in perception toward a more loving state of being in which to create our reality. In this webinar we will discover our own organic wisdom to notice patterns, track changes and transform limited perceptions. Rather than a constant search for that elusive something out there, we turn attention within to feel for what wants to emerge.

Noticing thoughts, stories and sensations and tracking them to observe positive changes as they happen can shift our perception, and create greater clarity and meaning in life.

http://www.vancouverbuddhistcentre.com/programs/retreats/

Holiday RD Event in WA: https://intersanghaholiday.eventbrite.com, https://www.facebook.com/events/382608125948545/

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From the International Buddhist Recovery Summit in Lacey WA September 6th 2019. Craving, the Sutta's & Addiction

http://www.vancouverbuddhistcentre.com/programs/retreats/

https://mtadamszen.org/event/oct-sober-fest/

Holiday RD Event in WA: https://intersanghaholiday.eventbrite.com, https://www.facebook.com/events/382608125948545/

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

Dana/Donation https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

Buddhist Recovery Network https://www.BuddhistRecovery.org/

Buddhist Recovery Network Facebook

https://www.5th-precept.org/Fifth-Precept-Sangha-Meeting-Format.pdf

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From the International Buddhist Recovery Summit in Lacey WA September 6th 2019. Tabboo Addictions: Sex, Porn, Love, Eating Disorders and Screens.

http://www.vancouverbuddhistcentre.com/programs/retreats/

https://mtadamszen.org/event/oct-sober-fest/

Holiday RD Event in WA: https://intersanghaholiday.eventbrite.com, https://www.facebook.com/events/382608125948545/

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From the International Buddhist Recovery Summit in Lacey WA September 6th 2019. This is the second part of our Sangha Safety discussion where the community discusses question like “How do we as a sang ha set an intention for safety? What Safety Statements can we read at Meetings. What does safety look like in Online Communities? And more”

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Buddhist Recovery Network Facebook

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From the International Buddhist Recovery Summit 2019: Safe Sangha - Creating Safer Spaces.

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Compassion: A Quivering of the Heart w/ Kara Haney

Compassion (Karuna) is one of the primary heart teachings. It is the felt experience in response to a being’s pain. When we understand this through practice, we are able to cultivate compassion for our own pain and the pain of others. Thus compassion becomes a vehicle of connection, further dissolving the myth of separateness and isolation. This felt sense of separateness, the identification of being separate from, not included, or abandoned; perpetuates our pain and often is a reason why we use substances and process addictions. By developing this practice of compassion, we can begin to turn towards and see the pain, not run from or suppress it, but to recognize, open to and acknowledge that pain and sorrow exists and is a common experience with all beings. Let’s care about pain together and see what arises in seeing the true nature of suffering in the world.

Kara Haney has practiced meditation and studied Buddhism since 1993. With over twenty years in recovery, her background includes both Buddhist practice in the understanding of craving and twelve-step recovery. Since 2013 she has assisted in starting Buddhist recovery groups within communities, addiction treatment facilities, and jails; and continues to be a foundational member and mentor for the Buddhist recovery community. Kara was empowered to teach by Bob Stahl and was also trained to facilitate Mindfulness and Buddhist meditation by JoAnna Hardy and Vinny Ferraro of the former Against the Stream Meditation Society. She teaches weekly Dharma groups, daylong retreats, and offers Dharma courses such as "A Year to Live" and "Eightfold Path." Kara completed a twenty-year career as a dental surgical assistant and currently enjoys living in Santa Cruz while working towards a Masters degree in Social Work.

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Gary Sanders and Vimalasara speak about Gary's choice to leave Against the Stream and Refuge Recovery, using Hallucinogens in addiction recovery & the importance of the Brahma Viharas.

We are accepting donations to offer scholarships to the Buddhist Recovery Summit https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

Buddhist Recovery Daylong Olympia WA https://waking-up.eventbrite.com

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Joan has had personal experience with alcohol addiction, a fingerbiting compulsion (classified as an impulse-control disorder), compulsive thinking, and depression. She does not believe there is one recovery model that fits everyone, and she encourages people to find what works for them. What she offers is an approach rooted in open awareness – giving nonjudgmental attention to the whole happening that we call ‘addiction’ or ‘compulsion’ or ‘depression,’ without trying to change it, but simply shedding light on it. She also stresses the liberating recognition that both our apparent imperfections and the stormy weather in life are often essential to evolutionary growth and transformation, and that the light and the dark go together and cannot be pulled apart. Joan does not consider herself a Buddhist and does not belong to any tradition, but she has spent time with a number of Buddhist teachers, including Charlotte Joko Beck, Steve Hagen, Anam Thubten and Mel Weitsman, and her main teacher, Toni Packer, was a former Zen teacher who left the tradition behind to work in a more open way.

We are accepting donations to offer scholarships to the Buddhist Recovery Summit https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

Joan Tollifson https://www.joantollifson.com/home.html

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Amy Reed is an Asheville, NC based writer. She got sober in Oakland, CA in 2008 in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and dabbled a little in Buddhism via Kevin Griffin and Spirit Rock. When she moved to Asheville with her family in 2014, she found herself drifting away from 12-steps and struggled to find a recovery community in her new town. Then she saw a flyer for Refuge Recovery in a café, went to her first meeting in the summer of 2016, and found exactly what she was looking for. She soon started a dedicated meditation practice, became active in her local and regional Refuge community, and was elected Asheville’s inter-sangha treasurer. In 2018, she was invited to join the Refuge Recovery Literature Committee and became part of the team that co-wrote what would eventually become The Dharma of Recovery, the first literature offering of the Recovery Dharma program. In February 2019, she joined the Refuge Recovery Board of Directors. On July 13, 2019, Amy represented the newly formed organization Recovery Dharma at the State of the State Address at the Refuge Recovery 5th Annual Conference in Chicago, joining Noah Levine in outlining the two new organizations that have been born from the dissolving of Refuge Recovery. She is currently on the core transition team of Recovery Dharma and has been busy behind the scenes helping to build this new grassroots movement using Buddhist practice and principles to end the suffering of addiction.

We are accepting donations to offer scholarships to the Buddhist Recovery Summit https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

Recovery Dharma https://recoverydharma.org/

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Living an Authentic Life

A life free from craving, addictions and compulsions isn’t just about avoiding intoxicants, it invites the opportunity to live a full and authentic life with creativity and joy. This isn’t just a possibility. Research suggests that although people in recovery from substance misuse often suffer more in the first year, in the longer term they are on average happier than the general population. Could this be because recovery demands effort, self-reflection and a willingness to change? We will explore how we can use these qualities on the Buddha’s path as a self-study and training programme that shines a light on the mistakes we make so that we can give them up and live life on life’s terms. Living an authentic life, in harmony with the Dharma is a life of peace and joy. Please join me as we explore this together.

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

We are accepting donations to offer scholorships to the Summit https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

Recovery Dharma Information & Book https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dlCPMtSNOk6ttGhY_9QIOitdB8cV1HVXygwPD6tJemY/edit?usp=sharing

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Trauma, whether connected to early childhood, an event as an adult or to social oppression, changes our nervous system, our physiological responses to life and impacts our self image, relational capacities, perception and self regulatory abilities. It is, in my view, a core underlying cause for the arising of addiction patterns. Looking through the trauma lense, addiction could be viewed as a means of regulating the underlying pervasive dis-regulation associated with addiction. Therefore “recovery” involves “recovering” or more likely developing self regulatory capacities. What we learn in Meditation is that where we direct or attention has a profound impact on the way we feel. In this session I’ll give an overview of trauma and how it functions and offer a few simple attention based or reflective exercises that support regulation of the nervous system.

Trauma, self regulatory capacities are lost or never developed. And it is, in my view one of the core causal factors in addiction Often people with a history of trauma will have extra challenges that require additional tools and a different framework for how to think about what it means to be present without overwhelm.

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

We are accepting donations to offer scholorships to the Summit https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

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This episode features a conversation between Vimalasara and Sue Neufeld-Ellis covering the topic of sexual misconduct in spiritual communities and creating safer spaces.

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

We are accepting donations to offer scholorships to the Summit https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

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A Conversation with Kevin Griffin & Vimalasara on the Buddhist Sutta's and more... Listen for a sneak peak into what to expect at the upcoming Buddhist Recovery Summit. Register at BuddhistRecoverySummit.org

Check out Kevin's Website http://www.kevingriffin.net/

We are accepting donations to offer scholorships to the Summit https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

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A Conversation with Kevin Griffin & Vimalasara on Kevins books, Buddhist Sutta's and more... Listen for a sneak peak into what to expect at the upcoming Buddhist Recovery Summit. Register at BuddhistRecoverySummit.org

Check out Kevin's Website http://www.kevingriffin.net/

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A Conversation with Deborah Grace & Vimalasara on sex & love addiction and more... Part 3 of a 3 part series giving a sneak peak into what to expect at the upcoming Buddhist Recovery Summit. Register at BuddhistRecoverySummit.org

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International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

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A Conversation with Deborah Grace & Vimalasara on sex & love addiction and more... Part 2 of a 3 part series giving a sneak peak into what to expect at the upcoming Buddhist Recovery Summit. Register at BuddhistRecoverySummit.org

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International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

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A Conversation with Vimalasara & Deborah Grace on interracial adoption, sex & love addiction and more... Part one of a 3 part series giving a sneak peak into what to expect at the upcoming Buddhist Recovery Summit. Register at BuddhistRecoverySummit.org

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A Talk by Pannavati

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Suffering and Happiness – Both are Present, Embrace Them

“Living Happily with things as they are (Drishta dharma sukha viharin) encourages an ancient Buddhist teaching. Those of us who have lived with addiction, struggled with recovery and found our common bonds: trauma and toxic shame, may find that teaching simplistic or even dismissive. As Buddhists, we know that suffering is part of life. We accept that. Then, right in the center of the Big Book of alcoholics anonymous (p 132) is a wonderful sentence: “We absolutely insist on enjoying life... we are not a glum lot”! How do we create a life that includes both suffering and happiness? Letting go! Gil Fronsdal writes: “Renunciation is one of the most beneficial, empowering, and freeing practices of Buddhism. As its purpose is to heighten the best qualities of our hearts and minds, renunciation is not meant to diminish our lives but rather to enhance them. Abstaining from intoxicating drinks and drugs—the fifth ethical precept—is an important Buddhist practice. So, we welcome suffering and delusion when they arise, we notice them, but we do not cling. We let them go and we acknowledge that happiness is also present. Not one, not two.”

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Offer Dana & Support BRN https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

Offer Dana & Support BRN https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy

Offer Dana & Support BRN https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/donate

International BRN Summit https://www.buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

BRN Academy Live https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/academy