Meeting Resources

Mindfulness meditation is focused on mindfulness of breath, body, sound, or thoughts. About 20 minutes

• Script: You can read the meditation

• Recording: You can play the meditation

For RD, Concentration meditations are the Heart Meditations (Kindness, Compassion etc.) about 20 minutes

• Script: You can read the meditation

• Recording: You can play the meditation

Recorded meditations from Buddhist and Mindfulness teachers on the same as the two presented from RD. 10 - 20 minutes

• Mindfulness meditation

• Heart Practice

• Title

  • with a link to the starting place of the reading

• Page #

• Opening & close

  • The bfeginning and ending phrases of the reading

• Discussion Topics

  • Three to four different phrases from the reading to serve as potential discussion topics.

• Title

  • with a link to the starting place of the reading

• Page #

• Opening & close

  • The bfeginning and ending phrases of the reading

• Discussion Topics

  • Three to four different phrases from the reading to serve as potential discussion topics.

• Title

  • with a link to the starting place of the reading

• Page #

• Opening & close

  • The bfeginning and ending phrases of the reading

• Discussion Topics

  • Three to four different phrases from the reading to serve as potential discussion topics.

The practices in this box help us cultivate a sense of trust in the teachings.

turning towards the readings and teachings is obviously helpful in the beginning to actually learn what this way of thinking is all about.

It is also a helpful reminder in those moments with the thought arises: "Why am I doing this? I don't see how this is helping."

Path

• Choose just one of the readings or the whole chapter to read, underline and study.

• Think, write, or talk about the title of the reading or the discussion topics listed under the reading

Growth

If you have time or interest, listen to these recordings - either as a study session or in the background as "Darma Radio."

• Talk: Community as Refuge; Community as Practice

• Talk: Gratitude as a Doorway to Belonging

• Meditation: Metta Practice

Meditation

Pause - one to three times a day - for a minute or two - to practice any of the following meditations.

(Note: Several Buddhist and MBRP teachers have promoted this practice including Rick Hanson and Jud Brewer. It is not the same as formal sit, but has its own powerful positive effects)

• Brief Mindfulness:

  • Instruction on how to pause briefly several times a day to pay attention to your senses.

• Brief Concentration:

  • A phrase from the Heart Practices to repeat during one of the brief pauses throughout the day.

Inquiry

For the Book Study, this guide presents just one question for contemplation, journaling, or discussing with wise friends & mentors. The invitation in this guide is to present an easier-to-access version of the practice. The section Practice Resources contains a similar set-up with more in-depth options.

Renunciation

This section will contain various questions or activities that help cultivate the motivation to let go of harmful and repetitive behaviors & substances.

The source is a combination of traditional Buddhist practices and mindfulness-based recovery programs, such as Mindfulness-based relapse prevention.

Meetings

Tips and Tricks for action you can take to make the most - and get more out of attending meetings.

Sangha, Wise Friends Mentors

Tips and tricks on how to find and cultivate new friends and mentors.

if you are fortunate to attend a meeting that has the capacity to offer insta-mentors, that is wonderful. However, very few of us are in that type of meeting. More often, first requests for mentorship are declined, but offers of wise friendship are extended.

My experience: I have been active over the span of 12 years in 6 different recovery communities. I have worked 6 different Programs. I found maintained 8 different sponsors & mentors. In all that time and with all those people, 1 person said yes to mentoring me on the first request.

Note about the person who said yes instantly: They were from a big city, and we met at RefCon, or Sangha Summit. I had to ask there because my meeting was new and no one had any more experience than I did.

Many of us, including me, have discounted that offer of friendship because we wanted the instsa-mentor. An offer of friendship is not a rejection, but a gift of the potential for more.

This section of this guide offers suggestions for practices that will help cultivate those deeper connections with others.

This section of the page lists one of Recovery Dharma's Core Intentions and suggests practices to help cultivate it.

• This section of the page lists one of Recovery Dharma's practices from the reading, The Practice , and suggests activities to help integrate it into the practice of building a sangha community

This section of the page lists one of Recovery Dharma's practices from the web Page Wise Friends and Mentors and suggests activities to help integrate it into the practice of building a sangha community.

See the long post above about the challenging process of finding wise friends and mentors. "Instant mentors" are a wonderful thing, but in my experience, only happen when the sangha group has the capacity, skill, and energy to make it an intentional practice of the sangha.

This section offers ideas for how to cultivate that type of sangha group.