Spiritual Recovery from Addiction: Zen Buddhism

Photo by Chris Jongkind
Zen can loosely be defined as a merging of Buddhism and Taoism. Zen is about simplicity and living in the now. I’ve read a book or two about it and found it to be a perfect compliment to my recovery. So here are some zen quotes and how they can apply to your recovery:
“Before enlightenment: Chop wood, carry water. After enlightment: Chop wood, carry water.” – old Zen saying

What an awesome saying this is. It shatters the illusion that many of us carry in our minds about what true enlightenment is: most of us probably picture a monk, sitting in a cave, meditating for hours on end. The idea behind this Zen saying is mindfulness in every day activities. Not only does this raise consciousness and awareness, but it also speaks to the concept to gratitude. Take any daily activity, such as walking into your place of work. Don’t just hang your head and stumble in through the doors. Instead, be mindful. Be fully aware of your surroundings, the parking lot, the sky and the clouds: take it all in. Breathe deeply and live simply. Appreciate it all. Appreciate everything. Taking pleasure in your everyday activities is a key concept of the Zen philosophy.
“To set up what you like against what you dislike – that is the disease of the mind.” – Seng T’san
Imagine the torrent of tears when a spoiled 4 year old child orders a strawberry sundae and gets a plain vanilla one instead. This is the attitude and emotional unbalance that most of us carry into our adult lives, using our judgment to express our dissatisfaction in just about any area of our lives. We want a bigger house and a new car and a big plasma television. However, without even delving into consumerism and materialism, we can still generate mountains of misery for ourselves through our negative judgments. Zen is appreciation and gratitude and enjoying every experience for what it is….without attaching our judgments to the outcomes.
“One day a monk fell down in the snow and cried out for help. Another monk came along and lay down beside him. The first monk got up and walked away.” – Zen Koan
I laughed out loud when I read this quote. This is recovery in action–perfectly expressing the essence of twelve step work. One addict helping another through identification. If you see a newcomer in recovery, you can share your story and explain that you were in their shoes. They gain hope in seeing that you are happy and content with your life in spite of your addiction. That is how we pass hope to the newcomer–through identification. That is why we must tell our stories of addiction before we explain how we achieved sobriety–so that the newcomer knows that we are true addicts and alcoholics just like they are.
“He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.” – Tao Te Ching
Just look at the fourth step of Alcoholics Anonymous: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” Anyone who has thoroughly taken the fourth step in AA or NA and shared it with their sponsor can tell you that it is no light undertaking. Working the step as outlined in either program will expose every little flaw in our personalities, as well as having us thoroughly explore all of our past behaviors and dealings with others. Identifying and exposing these character defects can be grueling enough, but the twelve step program goes even further and has us actively working to change these exposed character defects as we continue through the steps. Recovery is truly an exploration of the self. In fact, that is what we are essentially recovering: our “self.”
So there you have it. Have a little Zen with your recovery!
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Anonymous Says:
very beautiful
marshall Says:
For me, a spiritual experience led me to a state of willingness and from there I was led to a higher spiritual level through the 12 steps that ultimately led to a solution.
Patrick Says:
Good point Marshall. It becomes a game of which came first, the spiritual experience or the willingness? Some would argue that it was a spiritual experience or divine intervention that sparked the journey of recovery. But if you read and listen to other accounts (such as in the big book of AA), most people were already desperate for a solution to their problem of drinking. They were in a state of willingness, ready to receive spiritual guidance. That is the gift of desperation that made it work for me. I still don’t know if that desperation was granted to me or if I brought it all on myself. Layers and layers of questions….
Tracy Says:
More info please
frank Says:
excellent …keep it simple..
frank Says:
yes i agree with tracy .. more info please
Patrick Says:
I will write another article about Zen in recovery very soon. Thanks for your comments!
Lost Mermaid Says:
Definitely worth reading and remembering ! thanks for sharing :)
Martin Says:
Thank you for the article. I am a compulsive (pathological) gambler and when reading substitute gambling for drugs or alcohol.
mary rosendale Says:
I appreciate your interest in Zen and your insight into the fact that Zen is inntimately connected to Recovery and the 12 steps. Nevertheless, as a practitioner of Zen for several years now, I would comment that reading a book or two about Zen won’t give you even a glimpse into it. Zen is experiential and a life-long practice. If you have a serious interest, please find a teacher and a practice community and set about the daily “trudging” that can lead you to a place of peace and enlightenment. You can’t get this by the mediation of your ego mind (i.e. interpeting what a book means or doesn’t mean).
Patrick Says:
Ah, a Zen master has appeared and told us that we cannot get a glimpse into Zen through reading about it in books. How unfortunate.
Reminds me of the saying: “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!” I would rather be seeking and still on the journey than to already be a Zen guru telling others how wrong they are…..