This program will be held online via Zoom. All registrants will receive the link to join the program in their Order Confirmation email.
“If, by giving up a lesser happiness,
One could experience greater happiness,
A wise person would renounce the lesser
To behold the greater.”
-- The Dhammapada 290 (translated by Gil Fronsdal)
While we are still caught in our addictions, we often use difficult or painful events as excuses to indulge in our addictions more than ever. Sometimes this kind of suffering can also lead to relapse once we are in recovery. Buddhism teaches us ways to face painful experiences and feelings without trying to escape them through substance abuse or acting out in some harmful way. Instead, we gradually cultivate mindfulness, insight and wisdom. It’s very helpful to do this in community with like-minded people, as well.
In his first teaching, which was an explanation of the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha talked about suffering and the causes of suffering, as well as the way leading to the end of suffering. This teaching can aid us in our recovery by showing us a helpful strategy for working through difficult times that leads to lasting happiness and peace.
During this half-day online workshop, we will gather as a community or sangha and explore the Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths through the lens of our recovery. The day will include: several periods of guided meditation, short lectures, small group discussions, and Q&A.
This workshop is open to anyone dealing with addictions of any kind, as well as those who love them.
Full and partial scholarships are available.
Note: Walt will be teaching a second workshop -- The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhist Recovery -- on Sunday, February 28th.
WALT OPIE has been in recovery since 1987 and is a current participant in the Insight Meditation Society’s 2017-2021 Teacher Training Program. He is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders training program, mentored by Kevin Griffin (author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps). Walt has led sitting groups for people in recovery since 2011. He has also served as a volunteer prison dharma teacher for over five years. His most influential teachers include Bhikkhu Anālayo, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Ajahn Sumedho, Joseph Goldstein, and Gil Fronsdal. His writing appears in the book collection Still, In the City: Creating Peace of Mind in the Midst of Urban Chaos edited by Angela Dews (Skyhorse Publishing, 2018).