Recovery Dharma

Recovery Dharma offers a trauma-informed, empowered approach to recovery grounded in Buddhist principles. The program is peer-led and non-theistic, welcoming anyone who wishes to pursue recovery within its community. The program of Recovery Dharma is built upon seven essential ingredients, detailed in “The Practice.” The practices of Recovery Dharma are highlighted in the readings, each offering opportunities for deepening understanding, personal exploration, and connection with others. 

www.recoverydharma.org  

All Substances and Behaviors   

Spiritual (Buddhist philosophy) 

Recovery Dharma is a non-profit organization founded in 2019 and is dedicated to supporting peer-led groups that use Buddhist practices and principles for addiction recovery. By 2020, the program had approximately 16,000 members, making it the largest Buddhist recovery peer-support program in the United States. Recovery Dharma integrates traditional Buddhist teachings with practical tools for overcoming addiction, focusing on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path as central elements. However, participants aren’t required to be Buddhist. The program is adaptable and encourages individuals to integrate Buddhist principles as a guide for recovery. The program emphasizes peer support, where members share their experiences and offer mutual support, while fostering a community rooted in mindfulness, compassion, and personal growth.

Recovery Dharma meetings and personal practice emphasize meditation as a tool to develop mindfulness and awareness. Mindfulness practices help individuals observe their thoughts, cravings, and behaviors without judgment, ultimately gaining insight into the nature of their addiction. Guided meditations, including practices like loving-kindness and compassion meditation, are often part of meetings, providing participants with a way to cultivate self-compassion and resilience.

Recovery Dharma promotes self-inquiry, encouraging individuals to examine the roots of their addiction, underlying trauma, and patterns of suffering. Participants use tools such as journaling, group sharing, and meditation to reflect on these issues. This inner investigation is meant to cultivate a deeper understanding of oneself, fostering self-compassion and helping individuals identify and address the underlying causes of addiction.

Recovery Dharma: How to Use Buddhist Practices and Principle to Heal the Suffering of Addiction by Recovery Dharma  

1. Renunciation: We commit to abstinence from addictive substances and establish wise boundaries around harmful behaviors in the case of process addictions.
2. Meditation: We dedicate ourselves to developing a daily meditation practice.
3. Meetings: We attend recovery meetings regularly, especially in early recovery, and actively participate in the community by sharing our experiences and offering service.
4. The Path: We deepen our understanding of the Four Noble Truths and practice the Eightfold Path in our daily lives.
5. Inquiry and Investigation: We engage in detailed inquiries into the Four Noble Truths as they relate to our addictive behaviors through writing and sharing.
6. Sangha, Wise Friends, Mentors: We build relationships within the recovery community to support both our own recovery and the recovery of others.
7. Growth: We commit to a lifelong journey of personal growth and awakening.

1. Suffering Exists: Recovery Dharma acknowledges that addiction is a form of suffering that stems from attachment, craving, and clinging. Recognizing this suffering is the first step toward healing.
2. The Cause of Suffering: Addiction is seen as arising from attachment and craving, rooted in attempts to escape difficult emotions or experiences. By understanding these causes, individuals can work to release them.
3. The End of Suffering: Recovery Dharma believes that freedom from addiction is possible by letting go of these cravings and attachments.
4. The Path to End Suffering: Recovery is achieved by following an adapted version of the Eightfold Path, which provides a roadmap for ethical conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom.

1. Wise Understanding: Recognizing addiction as a form of suffering and accepting the need for change.
2. Wise Intention: Committing to recovery and approaching oneself and others with compassion and kindness.
3. Wise Speech: Practicing honesty, speaking mindfully, and building supportive, respectful communication with others.
4. Wise Action: Engaging in ethical behavior that reduces harm to oneself and others, and making positive, healthy choices.
5. Wise Livelihood: Ensuring that one’s work and way of living support a sober, healthy life.
6. Wise Effort: Consistently putting effort into positive behaviors and habits that support recovery.
7. Wise Mindfulness: Developing awareness of thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, observing them without judgment.
8. Wise Concentration: Using meditation and mindfulness practices to focus, maintain calm, and develop self-awareness.

Be of service to others, extend healing and happiness to all beings, and to try in some small way to reduce the suffering in this world.

In-person and online: www.recoverydharma.org/meetings