Two weeks of dental suffering brought my practice, and my sobriety, to the test. This week we take a deeper look at refuge and it's application to our lives as Buddhists in recovery. More personal sharing this week as I talk about managing pain, with an without an opiate at hand. This is how I dealt with it, in the context of refuge and bodhicitta - compassion, but Supreme, not only relative. https://podcast.compassionaterecovery.us The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast: Episode 82 Join me for practices ...
Feb 25, 2023•28 min•Ep. 82
To understand what is meant by refuge in recovery, we must first understand and integrate some basic Buddhist principles. Intellectual understanding is not sufficient, but we gotta start somewhere. We discuss the meaning of refuge in Buddhism. It There are many lineages and views to consider! It depends on what the Tibetans call Thowa , or the view that the teaching begins with and is based upon. Believe it or not, there are different views! Today we open a Series on Refuge in Recovery. Our show...
Feb 05, 2023•28 min•Ep. 81
If you've ever been to a 12-step meeting, you've probably seen the famous sign, "Easy Does It". Some who've clawed our way out of hell to scratch a morsel of serenity have done so out of sheer force, which can beg the question of how to go easy, when everything has always been hard? Others w/ACEs in recovery may react w/passivity, thus reinforcing a negative action toward ourselves not by what we do, but what we don't do to protect ourselves. Concluding Practices of a Bodhisattva w/#37 The 12-St...
Jan 27, 2023•25 min•Ep. 80
Direct from Peru, Charo Verastegui (María del Rosario Verástegui Schmitt), a fellow practitioner of the Chod, as well as indigenous spiritual practices. See past and future books and episodes for more on Chod as the best tool available to cut the root of attachment, which is the root of addiction. Continuing with Practices of a Bodhisattva, #36. This is the path of bodhisattvas, yogis and Buddhists in recovery. "You can judge me, but please take what's in my hand. " All are welcome. Send questio...
Jan 21, 2023•24 min•Ep. 79
Addicts are seekers. What do we seek? Transcendence. The mystical . The sacred. Why do we seek the type of experiences that are outside what we call ordinary consciousness? Rather than look for answers out of pure scientific curiosity, we're more likely seeking a way out of suffering, albeit in addictive ways. Yet, when we turn to twelve step programs for refuge, we're often told that suffering is optional. It's a popular meme, but is there any truth to it? Join me this week as we meditate, anal...
Jan 14, 2023•25 min•Ep. 78
As addicts in any form of Buddhist Recovery, Dharma Recovery , Refuge Recovery, we try to focus on mindful, compassionate presence in the four moments that Buddha described. Yet, when we have ACEs and are in working with Trauma and Recovery, our resistance seems to persists despite our best efforts. Or is it because of them? Learn how to apply the Backwards Law, and the Law of Inverse Proportion to release our deepest attachments -even our addiction to suffering . Note: this show has been reuplo...
Jan 07, 2023•24 min•Ep. 77
We can pretend that we're not angry, but it will make us feel less in control. How does anger affect us in our recovery? We're told in 12-Step meetings that anger is a dubious luxury for "normal" people. Yet it continues to arise and cause problems no matter how long we're sober. How can we deal with the root our anger as Buddhists in recovery to find compassion, peace and ease? The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast Episode 076 Readings from How Anger Affects the Body , New York Times, December 17th 2022...
Dec 31, 2022•23 min•Ep. 76
What is the best thing that we can gift each other? Our mindful, compassionate presence. We discuss the mahayana *(greater) path of dharma, as it applies to recovery from addictions, at any stage. To overcome the root of our addiction, we utilize brain science, trauma psychology and Buddhist practice. In this episode, we will learn and do a practice that considers how to offer something extraordinary. This is the path of bodhisattvas, yogis and Buddhists in recovery. "You can judge me, but pleas...
Dec 24, 2022•27 min•Ep. 75
Being present with loss and grief. while loss is universal, the experience of grief is individual. it cannot be compared to previous experiences, or those of other people. once we own our own process, grief and loss become part of the path. easier said than done, but this is the path of bodhisattvas, yogis and Buddhists in recovery. Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #31. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 074 Deal with loss, grief, trauma and recovery in the new guide to recove...
Dec 18, 2022•24 min•Ep. 74
celebrating 25 years of sobriety 12-4-97 how the past influences our perception and therefore experience of this infamous now. the holy now. the nowness of now. but is what we think is the now really the present moment, or a pervasive, consistent layer of trauma from the past? Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #30 The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 073 Readings from Internal Family Systems . Richard schwartz, Ph.d Want to opine? Leave a message on The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast h...
Dec 10, 2022•26 min•Ep. 73
So called insight meditation practices are perhaps the most widely diffused in the west, in terms of what people think of as buddhism. today we'll expand our view and understand something of value when it comes to the nature and meaning of the next level of dharma teaching as it pertains to concentration, insight into our recovery and ourselves as compassion seeking addicts in recovery. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 072 Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #29. Readings from ...
Dec 04, 2022•22 min•Ep. 72
Emotional Surrender: How to Be Non-Toxic. Addicts are very sensitive, empathic, highly emotional creatures. The inability to be comfortable in our own skin creates suffering that contributes to our addiction and other dysfunction. How does Dharma deal with toxic emotions and people? Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #28. Readings from Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva: A New Translation and Contemporary Guide . The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 071 Want to opine? Leave a mes...
Nov 26, 2022•24 min•Ep. 71
Teachings ask us to practice the perfection or paramita of patience. But as any good addict knows, it's never fast enough for us. We operate on our own time, often expecting the world to warp its perceptions to match ours. Yet, our impatience causes stress, can trigger us out of our Window of Tolerance into Allostatic Overload, leaving us in a state of alarm if not distress. The energy of our impatience extends like a net into the environment that we inhabit, affecting others in ways that we may...
Nov 20, 2022•24 min•Ep. 70
How does a Buddhist deal with the sex drive, sex roles, morays, expectations, taboos in the dharma, and the dharma of recovery? What role does trauma, particularly sexual trauma, play in our choices, drives as Buddhists in recovery? Why do we repeat the same roles and characters, leaving train wreck after catastrophe in our wake? Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #26. Readings from Time Travel: A History . "69" clip from Ronnie Mund, from the Howard Stern Show The 12-Step Buddhist ...
Nov 05, 2022•23 min•Ep. 69
How does a Buddha make amends? In 12-Step, we learn the necessity not of insincere apology, but absolute willingness to right the wrongs we've done. Given that we've accumulated infinite negative karmas in our Realm of Desire, just how long do you think your Buddhist amends list would be... Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #25. Readings from Longchenpa . The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 068 Want to opine? Leave a message on The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast hotline. Opine on the ...
Oct 29, 2022•21 min•Ep. 68
If being is one thing and space is another, we suffer. In being space, we create a split between samsara and nirvana. From the beginning of beginningless time, when we separate subject and object, we create infinite causes for suffering. To see space seeing its nothingness, with no reference point or subject that percieves an object...this is the view we try to take. Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #24. Readings from Longchenpa . The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 067 Want to...
Oct 22, 2022•23 min•Ep. 67
Join me for a special guest meditation. On this episode, we practice together with an excellent instructor in the Dzogchen space. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 066 Igor Berkhin is a long-term meditation practitioner, a Buddhist translator, and a teacher authorized by a prominent Dzogchen master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. One of his projects is about how to apply contemplative practices for recognizing and neutralizing psychological manipulations For courses, retreats and questions, see Igor...
Oct 14, 2022•46 min•Ep. 66
Do you want to be free of suffering? Training on the path of compassion will ultimately free us from all attachments, if we commit and take a long-term view. Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #23. Readings from Longchenpa . The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 065 Want to opine? Leave a message on The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast hotline. Opine on the hotline. (505) 219-1509 Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Available in Kindle, Trade Paperback, Hardc...
Oct 10, 2022•25 min•Ep. 65
In Twelve step programs, we're taught that we must free ourselves from the "bondage of self." What does this mean for us as Buddhists in recovery? How can we apply the teachings to free ourselves? It's up to us. Liberation is in the palm of our hands. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 064 Want to opine? Leave a message on The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast hotline. Opine on the hotline. (505) 219-1509 Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #22. Readings from Longchenpa . Compassionate R...
Oct 01, 2022•26 min•Ep. 64
Is Mindfulness being co-opted more by corporations, or our egos? McMindfulness in the context of meaningful recovery that includes training in self-compassion and compassion for others. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 063 Want to opine? Leave a message on The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast hotline. Opine on the hotline. (505) 219-1509 Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #21. Readings from Longchenpa, McMindfulness and Mindfulness and its Discontents . Compassionate Recovery: Mindfu...
Sep 24, 2022•30 min•Ep. 63
Learn to microtask with laser precision on absolute happiness, through practices in our relative condition. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast - Episode 062 Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #20. Reading from A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar , Thinley Norbu Rinpoche Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Available in Kindle, Trade Paperback, Hardcover. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast Theme by Clay Giberson ....
Sep 17, 2022•25 min•Ep. 62
How to create and manifest authentic joy from your Buddha nature for the benefit of beings. Continuing w the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, #19. Episode 061 - The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast Reading from The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena, Longchen Rabjam Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Available in Kindle, Trade Paperback, Hardcover. The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast Theme by Clay Giberson ....
Sep 10, 2022•22 min•Ep. 61
Take your Adverse Childhood Experience test with me, as we talk about the lifelong effects of ACEs on your recovery, well into long-term sobriety. Episode 060 - The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast Reading from The Precious Treasury of Pith Instructions, Longchen Rabjam Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Available in Kindle, Trade Paperback, Hardcover. The Audiobook is available free with a 3-month Audible trial. Also on Amazon Music and iTunes....
Sep 03, 2022•22 min•Ep. 60
How to retrain our thinking, reasoning, organizing brain with practices of compassion. Executive Function as it is affected by trauma, addiction and principles of recovery. Reading from The Precious Treasury of The Way of Abiding Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Available in Kindle, Trade Paperback, Hardcover. The Audiobook is available free with a 3-month Audible trial. Also on Amazon Music and iTunes....
Aug 26, 2022•25 min•Ep. 59
Using skillful means to discern between a soulmate and an addiction. Applying the bodhisattva practice to our recovery. Reading from White Lotus: An Explanation of the Seven-Line Prayer to Guru Padmasambhava Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Available in Kindle, Trade Paperback, Hardcover. The Audiobook is available free with a 3-month Audible trial. Also on Amazon Music and iTunes....
Aug 20, 2022•23 min•Ep. 58
How our nervous system can be retrained to contain our toxic stress by continuing with Practices of a Bodhisattva #15. Reading from Treasures from Juniper Ridge Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Available in Kindle, Trade Paperback, Hardcover. The Audiobook is available free with a 3-month Audible trial. Also on Amazon Music and iTunes. Credit always to Clay Giberson for the amazing show intro over ten years running. Sounds better than ever. Reach out to Clay for ...
Aug 11, 2022•24 min•Ep. 57
Discussion of the experiences of wisdom and compassion and how they relate to our confidence in recovery as well as our long-term goals of becoming a Bodhisattva. Continuing with practice #14. Reading from the New York Times, The Case for Longtermism Reading from Snellgrove, The Hevajra Tantra Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Audiobook with female narrator now available free with a 3-month Audible trial. Also on Amazon Music and iTunes. Credit always to Clay Gibe...
Aug 06, 2022•23 min•Ep. 56
How not to cut people's heads off, rather we offer our own. ACEs, neuropsych, how to pause when agitated as the Practice of a Bodhisattva, #13. Reading from Kindly Bent to Ease Us - Part Three, Wonderment Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions Audiobook with female narrator now available free with a 3-month Audible trial. Also on Amazon Music and iTunes....
Jul 30, 2022•23 min•Ep. 55
Prayers for the dead. How to integrate Bodhisattva practice into recovery. Discussion of triggers as they pertain to staying in balance, within our Window of Tolerance. Reading from Great Perfection Audiobook!!! Now on Audiobook! Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions ! The audiobook is free with a 3-month Audible trial, and is also on Amazon Music and iTunes....
Jul 23, 2022•23 min•Ep. 54
How to look for, discover and cultivate a seed of aspiration or inspiration. Practices of a Bodhisattva continues with #11, which begins, "All suffering comes from yearning for your own happiness." Reading from Dakini Teachings (Shambala 1990) Brand new! We have a soothing female narrator for Compassionate Recovery: Mindful Healing for Trauma and Addictions ! The audiobook is free with a 3-month Audible trial, and is also on Amazon Music and iTunes....
Jul 15, 2022•21 min•Ep. 53
