ONE BREATH AT A TIME
Buddhism and the Twelve Steps
Shambhala Sun
September 2004
In One Breath at a Time Kevin Griffin investigates sobriety and mindfulness as complementary practices. The method of sobriety is the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous; the methods of mindfulness are the techniques of the Vipassana tradition in which Griffin trained. Structured around the "working" of the 12 Steps, One Breath at a Timeis one part memoir, one part AA guidebook and one part meditation handbook. People in recovery might appreciate learning how a Buddhist brings a non-theistic understanding to the practice of the 12 Steps. (How, for example, does one get comfortable with surrendering to a "higher power"?) While not everyone must practice the Steps, Griffin says that we can all benefit from the: "The Buddha said that the cause of suffering is desire, and the 12 Steps try to heal people from desire gone mad: addiction."
Buddhism and the Twelve Steps
Shambhala Sun
September 2004
In One Breath at a Time Kevin Griffin investigates sobriety and mindfulness as complementary practices. The method of sobriety is the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous; the methods of mindfulness are the techniques of the Vipassana tradition in which Griffin trained. Structured around the "working" of the 12 Steps, One Breath at a Timeis one part memoir, one part AA guidebook and one part meditation handbook. People in recovery might appreciate learning how a Buddhist brings a non-theistic understanding to the practice of the 12 Steps. (How, for example, does one get comfortable with surrendering to a "higher power"?) While not everyone must practice the Steps, Griffin says that we can all benefit from the: "The Buddha said that the cause of suffering is desire, and the 12 Steps try to heal people from desire gone mad: addiction."