Kevin Griffin Latest Article on Huffington Post

Here's an excert from: 
"A Buddhist Approach to Recovery: Step Four -- Searching and Fearless"
by Kevin Griffin

One of the ways we can get comfortable in this process of self-examination and, indeed, letting go of attachment to self is by going to 12 Step meetings and hearing people share. Pretty quickly it becomes apparent that we aren't significantly worse or better than most of the people there. And when we see how willing they are to expose themselves, to admit their failings and how it not only doesn't seem to be causing them pain, but that, in fact, they seem to be getting some relief from it, then the whole thing can start to come together.

Twelve Step meetings, by and large, are safe places. They are a place where you can start to open up, to talk about yourself in very honest ways without fear of harm or reprisal, without shame or guilt. Mostly what you will get is empathy and compassion -- and probably some advice as well, which you can take or leave. In Step Five I'll talk about the vital social aspects of recovery.

Click here for full article.

Link to the Thich Nhat Hanh Poem

Here's the link to the poem "Call Me by My True Names" by Thich Nhat Hanh:
http://www.quietspaces.com/poemHanh.html

And here is an excerpt:

I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea
pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and
loving.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.

Thich Nhat Hanh 

Heather Sundberg this Tuesday, 5/3

This week, on Tuesday, May 3, we are fortunate to have Heather Sundberg leading the Berkeley Dharma & Recovery sitting group at Northbrae Community Church. Heather recently completed four years of teacher training with Jack Kornfield and others at Spirit Rock/IMS, and she co-leads an annual retreat with Kevin Griffin in the Santa Cruz Mountains for people interested in Buddhism and the 12 Steps:

Wednesday-Sunday, October 12-16, 2011
Buddhism/12 Step meditation retreat,
Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, CA

Please join us this Tuesday, May 3 from 7:30 - 9 pm.

-Walt Opie

Quote from Vinny Ferraro - Freedom is Going Beyond Conditions

This is a nice quote from Vinny Ferraro, one of Noah Levine's closest friends and co-teachers. -walt

Freedom is Going Beyond Conditions

The Buddha taught that freedom is going beyond conditions. For me, the people who have been through the harshest conditions—and survived—have the greatest potential to transform the madness of their lives. See, that madness made them who they are. So if they can take that madness, claim it, and stand on top of its incredible energy, they can transform it into power.
-Vinny Ferraro, "The Heartful Dodger"

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/heartful-dodger

Control Yourself by Kevin Griffin (from another blog)

Last night during Kevin Griffin's class at Spirit Rock, he mentioned a blog posting he had just written. Here's a link to that new posting, with an excerpt from it below about the real purpose of meditation:

http://improveourconsciouscontact.blogspot.com/2011/04/control-yourself.html

Mindfulness meditation is, first of all, about seeing clearly what is happening in the present moment. When our bodies hurt, mindfulness suggests we try to bring our awareness to what that exactly feels like; when our thoughts are washing through our minds, mindfulness says, notice what thoughts you’re having and see what patterns emerge—there’s important information there; when we are falling asleep we have the opportunity to see what fatigue feels like—it’s a trigger for addiction, so it’s wise to see it clearly.
--Kevin Griffin

Kevin Griffin Writes About Buddhism & the 3rd Step on Huffington Post

Here's an excerpt about the 3rd Step from Kevin Griffin's blog on Huffington Post:

A Buddhist Approach To Recovery: Turning It Over

Turning our will over means that we now are clear about how we want to live, that we've committed ourselves to living skillfully and wisely. That doesn't mean we'll always succeed (far from it), but it does mean that we know what direction we want to be aimed, and when we lose our way we know how to get back. In the same way that when we are meditating and get lost in thought, when we realize that's happened, we come back to the breath, to our intention to be present. This shift of intention has a profound effect on the direction of our lives.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-griffin/turning-it-over_b_841087.html

G. Alan Marlatt, Expert on Addiction, Dies at 69

G. Alan Marlatt was a friend to the world of Buddhism and Recovery, and he attended the first Buddhist Recovery Network Conference as a presenter. He was also scheduled to be a presenter at the second BRN Conference this May.  He had an important new book out entitled Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors (with Sarah Bowen and Neha Chawla). Below are some links and an excerpt of an article that briefly outlines one of his relapse prevention techniques, called SOBER. -walt

http://o.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014528623_marlattobit18m.html

http://depts.washington.edu/abrc/marlatt.htm

Here's a tribute article in Psychology Today:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/addiction-in-society/201103/tribute-alan-marlatt

Here's an excerpt from an article in Time:

Marlatt uses the acronym SOBER to instruct patients on how to deal with a slip or fight off the urge to do so. The S stands for stop: pause for a moment and consider what you are doing. O means observe: think about what you are sensing, feeling and experiencing, and what events led to the situation. B is for breathe: take a few deep breaths. Then, expand your awareness and remind yourself of what will happen if you keep repeating the unwanted behavior and how you will feel afterward. R stands for respond mindfully: remember that you have a choice, that you are not powerless, and that you don't have to continue the undesired behavior.

"Otherwise, you are on autopilot," says Marlatt. "The urge is driving you. So take a breathing space."

Marlatt is currently conducting studies of the latest version of his behavior-modification techniques — which he collectively calls "mindfulness-based relapse prevention" — in comparison with typical addiction treatment. His research, on alcohol and other drug abuse, isn't completed yet, but he says, "We're getting very positive results."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1868965,00.html#ixzz1HFNMKmPu