Nov 4, 2023
Surrender to the Now: Get Grounded in Recovery
The 12-Step Buddhist Podcast Episode 107
The famous now is where we want to be. But wanting gets us
nowhere. The root of suffering, said Buddha,
is attachment. To free ourselves, we must cut it out at the root.
The root lies in our very desire to be somewhere, anywhere, other
than right here, right now. As addicts we've tried to be somone
else, somewhere else for our own survival. In recovery we need to
learn heart opening, mindful skills to be our own best healers. In
service to this vital necessity of practice, let's not gloss over
the now, objectify the now, reify or even deify the now. Rather,
let's follow the advice of the AA Big Book, which says that we had
to let go absolutely, or the result was nil. Therein lies the
conundrum, and the very core opportunity for practice.
Let's talk about it.
Books mentioned:
Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers: Ancient Advice
for the Modern World
Desert
Fathers and Mothers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings,
Merton