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

Kevin Griffin Free Audio Talk on Turning It Over

I highly recommend listening to this talk given by Kevin Griffin at Spirit Rock recently during his 8-week class on Buddhism and the Twelve Steps:

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/100/talk/12111/

Buddhist Recovery Network

This is the website for the Buddhist Recovery Network: www.buddhistrecovery.org

The speakers for the upcoming 2011 BRN Conference includes: Pablo Das, Kevin Griffin, Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart, Gregg Krech, Noah Levine, Darren Littlejohn, Professor G. Alan Marlatt, Jeffrey McIntyre, Joseph Rogers, Chönyi Taylor, Barbara West.

Bill Wilson Quotes

Here are a couple of Bill W. quotes I've shared with the group recently:

Is Happiness the Goal?
"I don't think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge?"

On Emotional Sobriety
"Nowadays my brain no longer races compulsively in either elation, grandiosity, or depression. I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine."