Dharma and Addiction
From a Buddhist perspective, we are all addicts. We are addicted to samsara, which is the cycle of habitual patterns and suffering that we find ourselves in. We want to be happy. We hope our schemes will work. Maybe buying a new car will bring happiness. Or starting a new relationship. Or, perhaps, eating one more piece of chocolate will bring us the peace and fulfillment that we’re longing for. The Buddhist path offers training in examining the futility of seeking happiness through conditioned or external means.
For some of us, our habitual patterns lead to addictions that are physically damaging or even life threatening. Can Buddhism help with these? Dharma teacher Kevin Griffin has been working closely with this question for many years. Griffin has written two books about addiction and Buddhism and has taught numerous programs on this topic. He is a teacher in the Insight Meditation community, which draws upon Theravadan Buddhist lineages in its approach to dharma. Griffin will host “The Four Noble Truths of Recovery” at Shambhala Mountain Center, November 18th-20th. His program will blend the Buddhist Four Noble Truths (suffering; the cause of suffering; the possibility to liberate ourselves from suffering; and the path towards that liberation) with the 12 Step program to recovery. What a rich weekend this will be!
