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We are friends in Recovery Dharma. We take action for our recovery
About this Page
About this Page
An overview of the guide and the complete list of all the sources linked throughout the guide
An overview of the guide and the complete list of all the sources linked throughout the guide
About This Guide
About This Guide
This Guide connects the book, "Recovery Dharma, " with the reading, "The Practice." Each page includes concrete suggestions for actions and links to relevant resources.
The items in "The Practice," have been re-ordered to go with the commitments to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Accepting an invitation
The writers of the book, Recovery Dharma, invited members to expand on the ideas for practice - while staying true to the basic foundations of a Buddhist path. I accepted this invitation and found that I needed to make a couple of adjustments for my personal program. I believe these adjustments remain true to the original idea and expand on the ways to practice the program
Inquiry and Investigation: This guide offers inquiry practices for every page, even when there were none in the book. Additionally, the inquiries in the Four Noble Truths section are different from the book. As always, choose your own adventure to decide if these alternatives are a helpful addition for you.
The Three Jewels: The Introduction section of this guide are matched with the practice of taking refuge in The Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sanga). Engaging in concrete practices of loving- kindness and compassion helps to grow a sense of trust and deepen understanding of the three refuges. I have found this to be a beneficial doorway to enter the path for so many reasons - building confidence in my own capacity and really getting to know the community before I decide to take refuge were both practices in making healthy connections with others.
The Four Noble Truths: Listening to teachers and practicing with this section repeatedly has brought me new insight. The Four Noble Truths offer a powerful foundation to cultivate the ability to:
Cultivate mindfulness
Differentiate between direct experience and stories
Cope with difficult emotions, including craving
All of the resources in this section of the guide point - again and again - to the doorway of mindfulness to start the rest of the path and to cope with the rising and passing of craving.
How to Use this Guide
How to Use this Guide
Each page of this guide can be used to practice with any of these formats:
Individual practice - Read, meditate, journal. etc. Then share with a wise friend or mentor at some later date.
Wise Friends, Mentors, or Inquiry Circles - read individually or together. Gather regularly to practice and share insights.
Workshop - Host a taste-of workshop that highlights apsects of one page in one day: introducing the concept, practicing meditation and building community.
Review, Practice Reflect
The first two sections of each page provide an introduction of the concepts and how they apply to and help with a path of recovery. If you work with a wise friend or mentor, try reading at least these first two sections first and make an initial decision about which practices you want to try. This may change during the week, but it helps provide some orientation before beginning.
Choose your own Adventure
Each page has many more readings, talks, and practices than could be covered in a week. Since all the resources on a page are relevant to the same concepts, any practices can help to deepen understanding. Perhaps try choosing one from each section to have a rounded experience. Having many resources also supports the Growth aspect of The Practice. Each time we return to a page, we start as a new person with a deeper understanding than before. That can radically change our understanding of the same material.
Wise View
Remembering to approach each aspect of this material with the following attitudes or views can be very helpful.
Curiosity, Kindness, and Generosity
Key attitudes that help us to enter this path and stay on it when life presents us with difficulties.
Patience, Trust, and Flexibility
Sometimes we act on automatic pilot - expecting meditation and recovery to bring relief as quickly as our addictive behaviors did.
The invitation is to practice cultivating trust by remembering that every time we meditate we are transforming both our mind and our physical brain a little bit at a time.
Resolution, Effort, and Growth
Whether your path involves practicing like your hair is on fire or filled with slowly emerging flowers; one thing is certain, this is a lifelong practice. "If you don't use it, you lose it." seems to apply to all ways to practice this path.
Time frame - fast, slow and a middle way
Feel free to choose your own adventure. One idea, though is to start by spending one week with each page to get an overview of the concepts. Then, repeat the process, spending a month with each. Others have found that this provides an opportunity to explore more options on each page and enjoy the benefits of repeating a practice for a whole month. This helps to cultivate a deeper understanding and integrate it into life with more ease and joy.
Refuge in the Dharma
Refuge in the Dharma
Practices that explore and deepen understanding of the Concepts
Practices that explore and deepen understanding of the Concepts
The Path
The Path
Read the Book
This section of each page will provide direct links to the relevant chapters of the book.
This includes both pdf and recordings of the sections of the book.
Ways to Practice
Read or listen to the chapter
All at once, In parts, As a focused study, As background when cleaning, driving, or exercising.
Highlight or write about what you have read
Talk with a Wise Friend or Mentor about what you have read
The Path / Growth
The Path / Growth
Listen to Talks
Listen to Talks
Our program does not rely on any single teacher, but we do listen to the wisdom of wise friends who generously share their insights with us.
This site has gathered talks that are relevant to our path from a variety of sources. The criteria for inclusion on the RD Friends act site can be found here.
Growth
Growth
Stay Curious
Buddhist Love Lists!
All of the readings in this book are based on a few interrelated sets of teachings. These phrases have been used to search for Dharma Talks and the focus of the practices.
Dharma Lists Click here to see the complete List of Lists.
Refuge in the Buddha
Refuge in the Buddha
Practices that connect us to our deepest Wisdom
Practices that connect us to our deepest Wisdom
Meditation
Meditation
Rewire the Brain for Recovery
This section includes resources for three different types of meditation
Repeat a Mantra
Mantras are brief phrases that can be used to focus attention and quiet the mind. They can help us enter into other meditative spaces, or simply ride out a craving.
Stop, Observe, Breath, Expand, Respond
Pause to notice the world for 90 seconds several times a day has been shown to be as effective as sitting for the same amount of time. Not in all aspects of recovery, but enough to rewire the brain.
Sit
Sitting is the core of this program. Practice, practice, practice!
Inquiry and Investigation
Inquiry and Investigation
Explore and Experience
Options for working with the questions
There are many ways to work with this inquiry. Chose one or more of these options for our practice
Multiple Times a day: Pause to practice for brief periods (1-2 minutes) several times a day.
Sit: Carve out some time to reflect on these questions in a meditation session.
Settle with breath.
Contemplate questions.
Practice with phrases from kindness, compassion, appreciation, or equanimity meditation.
Return to the space & notice any internal or physical changes.
Write: Write the answer to the questions and/or any sensations or insights you have experienced from the practice.
Share: Share your answers or insights with a wise friend or mentor.
Renunciation
Renunciation
Practice Letting Go
Being able to simply let go can require a lot of groundwork.
Recognizing the harmful effects of the behavior - in an embodied way
Slowing down and recognizing the different steps that lead up to a harmful behavior so that the process can be interrupted
Having a wide variety of tools to cope with cravings as they arise.
The practices in this section will use a combination of mindfulness practices from traditional Buddhism and Mindfulness-based therapeutic models including Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Refuge in the Sangha
Refuge in the Sangha
Practices that cultivate connections with wise friends and mentors
Practices that cultivate connections with wise friends and mentors
Meetings
Meetings
Attend and Befriend
First, we have to find meetings, then we need to go through the awkward phase of getting involved and engaged.
This section will provide ideas for baby steps that may seem simple but have a powerful impact on our ability to connect with others at meetings.
Wise Friends and Mentors
Wise Friends and Mentors
Develop Deep Connection
"How do I find a Mentor?"
Perhaps one of the most repeated phrases of new members.
This section site provides practice ideas for both new members and sangha group members to strenthen their network of wise friends and mentors.
Like meetings, these practices include seemily simple, but effective practices to help cultivate trust between new friends.
Core Intentions
Core Intentions
Support the Sangha
Generously giving back what has been so freely given, is a core concept of both recovery programs and Buddhist practices.
The section will connect Recovery Dharma's Core Intentions to Sangha Practice and integrate it with the rest of our recovery practice.
Playlist
Connect with others who have traveled this path. Each of the links on this list addresses the concepts of this section. So feel free to start with any link. If none of these recordings interest you, then use the concepts listed under the Growth heading to search for talks from the Buddhist Sources page.
Playlist
Connect with others who have traveled this path. Each of the links on this list addresses the concepts of this section. So feel free to start with any link. If none of these recordings interest you, then use the concepts listed under the Growth heading to search for talks from the Buddhist Sources page.
Insight Community
Insight Community
Insight Meditation (Or Vipassana: literally translated as ‘seeing deeply or clearly‘) is the practice of developing a calm and mindful investigation into the nature of experience, leading to wisdom, compassion, and the end of suffering.
Sanghas (Communities)
Dharmaseed Spirit Rock
IMC - Washington DC
IMC - Redwood City , CA
IMS - Barre, MA
Sample of some teachers
Thai Forest, Theravada
Thai Forest, Theravada
The Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah is a Mahanikai monastic organization in the Thai Forest Tradition composed of the students of Ajahn Chah Subhaddo.
Sanghas (Communities)
Abhayagiri - Redwood Valley, CA
Metta Forest Monastery - Valley Center, CA
Bodhi Tree Monastery New South Wales, Australia
Forest Sangha - NE Thailand
Buddhist Society - Western Australia
Birkan - Canada
Amaravati - UK
Teachers
Secular, Academic, Therapeutic
Secular, Academic, Therapeutic
Secular
Secular Buddhism is a non-dogmatic way of understanding and practicing Buddhism. Secular Buddhism allows for this ancient wisdom to be added to whatever background/worldview you already possess.
Academic
This is not a specific category, but refers to teachers and sources that have used Buddhism, mindfulness, and scientific research to ground their offerings.
Sanghas (Communities) and Sources
Secular Buddhist Assoc - Youtube - Podbean
Greater Good - UC Berkeley
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness-Based Pain Management
Teachers
Buddhist Recovery
Buddhist Recovery
Communities or Teachers who have a special focus or experience with applying Buddhist principles to the process of recovery from addiction.
Sanghas (Communities)
Teachers
Ajahn Sucitto
Hugh Byrne
Joanna Hardy
Jonathan Foust
Judson Brewer
La Sarmiento
Lama Rod Owen
Larry Yang
Mary Stancavage
Matthew Brensilver
Ofuso Jones Quartey
Pablo Das
Rodney Smith
Tara Brach
Thanissara
Vinny Ferraro
Trauma-Informed, Coping with Pain and Changing Habits
Zen
Zen
Zen Buddhism is a stripped-down, determined, uncompromising, cut-to-the-chase, meditation-based Buddhism.
Sanghas (Communities)
Teachers
Tibetan
Tibetan
Apart from classical Mahāyāna Buddhist practices like the six perfections, Tibetan Buddhism also includes tantric practices, such as deity yoga and the Six Dharmas of Naropa as well as methods which are seen as transcending tantra, like Dzogchen. Its main goal is Buddhahood.[3][4] The main language of scriptural study in this tradition is classical Tibetan.
Sanghas (Communities)
Teachers
Pema Chodron
Workbooks
Workbooks
Across Addictions
Eating and Food
Eat Right Now App
Compassion and Trauma
Books
Books
Recovery Dharma
Buddhism and the 12 Steps
Eight Step Recovery
Mindfulness and the 12 Steps
The Zen of Recovery
The Body Keeps The Score
Start Where you are
When Things Fall Apart
Welcoming the Unwelcome
The Places that Scare You
Comfortable with Uncertainty
The Wisdom of No Escapte
Amplified Voices
Amplified Voices
Recordings from people who are members of communities that are currently underrepresented, marginalized, or discouraged from speaking in Western Buddhist sanghas will be pulled from the list above and highlighted here.
Teachers
Guide Sections
Easy Start
A Simple Plan
Start with the first column of each of the three Refuge sections below.
Read or listen to the book, Recovery Dharma
Meditate (even for a minute at a time).
Go to -and participate in - Recovery Dharma meetings.
Even Easier
Still too much? Choose just one item on the page. Try the practice, and then celebrate! Or even better, celebrate the actions you have already taken.
Celebrating can be difficult or awkward, but practice! Our brains tend to focus on failures more than accomplishments. To shift the default focus, our minds need training repetition.
We start to cultivate connections with, and take refuge in, community, Buddhist teachings, and ourselves.
Once we are connected with community and compassion, we begin to explore the truths of our lives
We deepen our understanding of the wisdom of Buddhist teachings. We explore and connect with our deepest intentions
We learn how acting skillfully in our relations serves as another essential foundation for recovery
We deepen our practice of meditation and begin to see how essential it is to our recovery
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