Buddhism and the Twelve Steps - One Breath at a Time

I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK AND ALSO DOING AN INVENTORY. WHAT WAS HARD FOR ME WAS EXPECTING A "BIG BOOK". BUT THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN FROM A DRUNK'S POINT OF VIEW WHO HAPPENS TO BE A BUDDHIST. HOW VERY INTERESTING IS THAT? ONCE I GOT OVER MY EXPECTATIONS, I LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT BUDDHISM, THE STEPS FROM ANOTHER'S VIEW, OTHER RELIGIONS AND MY OWN CHARACTER DEFECTS. I HAVE LONG-TERM RECOVERY (EVEN THOUGH I AM ONLY ONE DRINK AWAY FROM THAT SLIP). I STILL GO TO MEETINGS KNOWING I AM CHANGING MY WAYS IN A SPIRITUAL DIRECTION HAVING FAITH I AM BEING CARRIED AS WELL AS WALKING ON MY OWN.

Kevin Griffin shines the light of 12 Step Understanding onto Buddhist thought and meditation rationale, and vice versa. Both traditions add depth of understanding to the other and Kevin's personal mediation, grounded in his own history and experience sweeten the blend. A 'must read' for us AAers and other 12 Step Programsno matter how long or how briefly you've been sober.

Alan J. Massey

Easy read and helps link my beliefs where I needed them. Step by step it is written clear with tangible methods that are linear to 12 x 12 book. The authors personal stories made me feel that he knew what he was writing about, and I like that.

Best book I have read connecting Buddhism and the twelve steps. K G demystifies the precepts of Buddhism through his stories and experiences. Very relatable. I teach Yoga and Recovery and this is a wonderful source book. I refer to it personally often.

Parallels between Buddhist traditions and the Twelve-steps are drawn by an author who practices both paths to enlightenment. For those who struggle with the concept of a Higher Power it becomes clear the the struggle is counterproductive. We learn that it is simply a surrender to the peace and joy of a spiritual connection. This book deftly addresses the similar feelings and behaviors that surface in people who have all kinds of dysfunctional behaviors. Kevin Griffin focuses on deepening our spiritual life in recovery.

This book is an excellent channel to blend the Buddhist practice with the Twelve Steps of Recovery. It is so helpful to those who practice the Twelve Steps and seek to find a better relation to spiritual living. The authors approach is non threatening to those who have a higher power yet invites you to see how the Buddhist practive parallels all Twelve Steps. Kevin Griffin has written a book that truly opens the door to a greater spiritual live by blending the practice of Buddhism with the beliefs of organized religious thought.

I am a clinician who works with the addicted population. I have read passages of this book to my clients and they easily understand the concepts put forth in this book. As a long time meditator, I appreciated reading about Buddhism in a new light. This book helped me see more clearly the similarities brtween Buddhism and the twelve steps. I can incorporate these ideas into my clinical practice more often.

Mr. Griffin does a wonderful job of weaving his own story, the Big Book and the teachings of Buddah into this very readable book. For those seeking a way to use the 12 steps as healing without all of the usual Christian dogma that is so common in the Western world, this is a great reference.

One breath in one breath out, bring in the suffering delusional world on the in breath and breath out sky blue bliss on the out breath. Make sure to surf the outbreath to no/now end breath. Now truly breathe, now become compassionate, now take the middle path. Open up your heart. Dennis

The approach in this book to addiction recovery guides the reader through steps to defeat the addiction and begin again a full and satisfying life through a combination of a twelve step program approach with the similar techniques of the Buddhist experience.

This book may be good for someone who is struggling with a substance and needs to read about someone's story of how they broke through and realized what helped them and what didn't. The book dragged on for me, I guess I expected a talk more on the twelve steps and enlightenment. Instead the book talks about this man's life and his struggles with alcohol and drugs. I kept opening the book thinking it would grab me, but almost halfway through the book, I gave it a final close. Not a horrible book, just didn't have anything that kept me interested.

The approach in this book to addiction recovery guides the reader through steps to defeat the addiction and begin again a full and satisfying life through a combination of a twelve step program approach with the similar techniques of the Buddhist experience.

This book may be good for someone who is struggling with a substance and needs to read about someone's story of how they broke through and realized what helped them and what didn't. The book dragged on for me, I guess I expected a talk more on the twelve steps and enlightenment. Instead the book talks about this man's life and his struggles with alcohol and drugs. I kept opening the book thinking it would grab me, but almost halfway through the book, I gave it a final close. Not a horrible book, just didn't have anything that kept me interested.

The Author lacks imaginative and expressive verse. Having any experience with addicts / alcoholics would be bored rerading the incessant drunk alogs……..

I could not seem to get through it untill he referred to his Buddist connection and the comparitive analysis. TH e12 step programs had the benefit of using the best wisdom of the ages to develop their program of action. This is what has made it more user friendly than any other modality to date.

Buddhism is, academically speaking, an extremely dense and complex subject. Unlike Christianity (upon which the historical 12 Steps are based, see The Oxford Group,) Buddhism captures a wider diversity within a structural simplicity of a few core elements, namely: The Buddha and his teachings, the community (Sangha, and historically monastic in origin), concepts of no-self and emptiness, with respect to the inner environment and its frame of reference in the world, and Nirvana as the purpose of life (which, if you study the background of Nirvana you realize you've tapped into it before,) referring to cultivating kindness, compassion, appreciation and impartiality and the cognitive seeds that consistently yield the fruit of relief. Because of these core features that supply continuity to Buddhism as a whole, the system adapts very easily to any local environment, whether its strongly political, violent, impoverished, or otherwise.
Having said that, the intuitive conclusion supplies me with the justification for this book to have an open-ended quality to its approach. It totally makes sense to do this, because the 12 Step culture is a type of "locality" in which Buddhism deserves a try. Another feature of Buddhism that gives thrust to this book and its approach is that Buddhism does not speculate about "other-worldly" topics of faith. It gives us tools for relief that we can use here and now, without insulting the integrity of whatever faith we might hold (i.e. Jewish, Christian, Muslim, etc.)
So whatever your "slant" on the 12 Steps might be, this book can translate your concepts of faith to actual expressions in your inner environment, your attitude, your behaviors, and your relationships.
But finally, (not a yeah-but)the open-endedness is a blessing and a curse, depending on how much you bring to the party. Take the exercises a little at a time. Remember to be kind to yourself. This stuff WORKS if YOU work it. So if you buy this book and you're out 15 bucks, how much drinking time have you sacrificed?

The "God" steps were always a stumbling block for me, even though I have been in AA for many years. I was finally able to develop a strong relationship with my Higher Power recently and this book and a couple of others were invaluable to me during that process. Although the AA "Big Book" is a wonderful book, it is NOT another Bible as some AAs seem to need it to be -- it is a guide, not a doctrine. Every person must find a path that makes sense for them and this book helped me do just that. I highly recommend it, as well as Kevin's second book, "A Burning Desire:...". Another good read was Therese Jacobs-Stewart's "Mindfulness and the 12 Steps:..." Don't let the closed-mindedness of others stop you from a full search of what may work for you. Good luck to you in your sobriety or that of your loved one's!

Kevin’s stories are relatable and real. His struggles are much like most of us have had, though each of our awakenings were unique. Kevin leads the way to understanding the cross overs from Twelve Steps to Buddhism and vise-versa.

Addiction is not easy to understand. Whether you are the addict or you are I living with one or know someone who is struggling. I liked this book because it gave a different perspective with a non Christian view. I can not wrap my head around the typical western attitude but this view I can relate to. Insightful and soul stirring.

As a person in recovery trying to grow spiritually, I found Kevin Griffin's book both inspirational, practical, and a vital bridge to actually practicing simple Buddhist techniques. Similar to being at a meeeting, Kevin begins by telling his story and then relates each of the 12 steps to Buddhist practice and teachings. For me, they are a natural fit, and the more I practice Buddhism, the more I apply the steps into my life and vice-versa.

As a result of his well-crafted and insightful book, my meditation practice has grown immensely. I do a daily walking meditation that allows me to enter fully into the present moment and experience the pure joy of being. Such states help make all the other moments of my day more precious. I have learned not to get so caught up in the ups and downs of daily life, and to approach all moments from my calm center. Although my faith is Christian, Buddhist practice works beautifully with it. Between a 12-step fellowship, religion, and the mindfulness practice of Buddhism, I have a strong foundation for living and applying spirit into the world.

Thank you, Kevin, for making what many consider an obscure practice so applicable to recovery, which saved my life and gave me a whole new perception and basis for living.

Namasté! As an addict in recovery with 25 months clean I value Kevin's writing. I've struggled with the whole religion and God thing my entire life up untill a few years ago. For me in order to recover I had to change my thinking. Meditation is just one of the practices that help me do just that.

When I first started to meditate and discovered Buddhism I thought that I had found the answer to all my problems. And for a while it really seemed that way. It took two more years to realize that my addiction to drugs and alcohol where holding me back. Part of it was that meditation was making me see the hopeless state I was in still holding on to weekend binges for relief. But I still felt that the idea of going to a 12 step meeting would work against what I had found in Buddhism. After all, aren't they all just a bunch of Christian fanatics? It was at this point that I was lucky enough to attend a 5-day retreat with Kevin where I learned about the 12 steps and Kevin's book. It felt like the blinders had finally been lifted. After the retreat, I came home and started a meditation group where we read from One Breath At A Time and share how the combination of mindful meditation and the 12 steps have saved our lives from the suffering of our addition. I now attend 12 step meetings on a regular basis and find that working the steps is completely inline with my Buddhist practice. I read this book constantly as each paragraph carries the power to heal.

After not drinking for 6 months I needed something to sastain my sobriety. I resisted 12 step programs because I thought they were only for Christins. Kevin's book helped me understand the relationship between spirituality and the 12 step program. I recommend it highly to everyone, Buddhist, Hindus, Jews and Gentiles. Anyone who wants to stop, or has stopped, an addiction.

An intriguing perspective on 12 Step programs. Having written a book about walking that fine line between compassion and codependence, I found this book insightful and inspiring. - Rita Schiano, author of Sweet Bitter Love

This book is another path towards recovery from a Zen perspective. There are many roads that lead towards sobriety and seeing it from a Buddhist perspective in this book allows us once again to look at our disease with profound compassion and curiosity without judgment.The Law of Sobriety: Attracting Positive Energy for a Powerful Recovery

This incredibly insightful book has deepened my understanding of both my meditation practice and the twelve steps. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone working the twelve step program who may be having difficulty with the "Higher Power" concept. Anyone with a meditation practice can benefit (as I did) from using the twelve step format to help gain better understanding of Buddhist concepts.

I read this book twice. Its an excellent resource for those in a 12 Step Program. Even if you don't have an extensive background in the Buddhist tradition, he makes it very easy for you. I highly recommend this book.

This book will actually dissuade you from the desire to learn Buddhism. The author even says that Buddhism alone did not solve his problems, mainly alcoholism, but he needed to rely heavily on an integration of both Buddhism and the 12 Steps of overcoming alocohol addiction, in order to obtain fulfillment. He admits the title is wrong, and that it is indeed. There are no 12 steps to Buddhism, but to an individual looking for a basic book about Buddhism fundamentals, "Buddhism and the Twelve Steps" could easily deceive the unititiated or unsuspecting person to believe that this book is indeed a book about 12 steps of Buddhism. It is not. Buddhism has 5 precepts or 8 precepts, depending on your attitude and goals for a peaceful life and mind. And while any person can characterize his Buddhism as 12 steps, this book is not such a book either. The author works tirelessly attempting to integrate alcohol addiciton recovery and Buddhism, but to those not well-informed or educated about the 12 steps of alcoholism recovery, this book leaves much to be desired. This is not a beginner's book about Buddhism at all, or even a book about the precepts of Buddhism. Rather, this book more accurately should be categorized as a book about alcohol addiction recovery, or a book about how the 12 steps of alcohol addiction recovery can be supplemented by some teachings of Buddhism. If you or one of your loved ones is suffering from alcohol addiction, or what the author says might be any type of dysfunctional behavior, and you have been immersed in and can fully appreciate what aloholism is about, and more particularly what the 12 steps of alcoholism recovery are about, then you could consider supplementing your library with this book. But if you are seeking to learn how Buddhism alone can help you solve a different type of real-world problem, say, dealing with a chronic illness, an eating disorder, anxiety, drug abuse, job stress, depression, the loss of a loved one, or bipolar, then this book is not for you. Or even if you are merely looking for an example of how Buddhism alone has worked to solve another person's problem, this book will leave you at a loss, since, again, the author stresses that fulfillment cannot be attained by Buddhism alone, but rather by only a combination of Buddhism with the 12 steps of alcohol addiction recovery.

"God as we understood Him"?

AA doctrine consists of chapters 2-11 (pages 17-164) of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous." The "12-steps" can be found on pages 59 and 60 of this doctrine and these 12-steps were intended to be taken within the context of this doctrine. These 12-steps were NOT intended as a self-contained practice open to contradictory interpretations of the phrase "God as we understood Him." Note that even when taken out of the context of AA doctrine, a 12-step compatible "Higher-Power" still must be:

A) Something that is consistent with "Him" meaning an anthropomorphic "Higher-Power"
B) Something that you can turn your "will" and your life "over to the care of"
C) Something that can "remove" your "defects of character"
D) Something that has a "will" for you that you can "pray" for

In short, if you're "searching and fearless" and if you're "rigorously honest" and "thoroughly follow" the AA path you'll need an anthropomorphic "Higher-Power" that has an investment in the minutiae of everyday human life. Spinoza's non-anthropomorphic God is incompatible with these requirements.

However, these 12-steps were NOT intended as a self-contained practice; instead, they were intended to be taken within the context of AA doctrine. Chapters 2-11 continue to further frame one's Higher Power as an omnipotent and omniscient Creator that has a loving investment in human affairs. Specifically, on page 46, paragraph 1 the doctrine understands God to be a "Supreme Being." On page 161, paragraph 1 the doctrine understands God to be "loving and All Powerful Creator." On page 56, paragraph 4 the doctrine understands God to have "Infinite Power and Love." On page 85, paragraph 4 the doctrine understands God as "Him who has all knowledge and power." On page 133, paragraph 1 the doctrine understands God to want "us to be happy, joyous, and free." On page 161, paragraph 3 the doctrine understands a Higher Power to be the "one God."

Note that, although these 12-steps use the ostensibly flexible phrase "God as we understood Him", the doctrine nevertheless uses dogmatic phrases such as "rigorous honesty" and "searching and fearless" on pages 58 and 59. On page 53, paragraph 2 "God either is, or He isn't." Furthermore, pages 23, 24, 35, 37, 40, 41 and 43 all contain assertions that alcoholics are powerless against the first drink without its type of Higher Power. On page 58, paragraph 3 alternative approaches are presumed to be inferior "easier soft ways." Page 58, paragraph 1 preempts any question of the doctrine's potential ineffectiveness by blaming the alcoholic himself with the personal attack of "... usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves." The doctrine psychologically anchors the reader's mind within its own framework before proffering the notion of "suggested" on page 59, paragraph 2 and before making other subsequent feigns of openness.

In AA doctrine, "God as we understood Him" is an external deity that is omnipotent and omniscient with the word Creator being used 11 times within chapters 2-11. Theravada Buddhist Scripture (The Pali Canon) refutes the existence of an independent creator who rules the world. Karen Armstrong in the book "Character Strengths and Virtues: Handbook and Classification" (Peterson and Seligman, Oxford University Press, 2004, page 40) says that Buddhism is fundamentally differently from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Hindu Bhakti in that there's no notion of a Higher Power that is to be followed or obeyed as in the doctrine's notion of "God-Sufficiency" found on page 52 and its other admonitions to depend upon "God's will" rather than upon One's own defective "self-knowledge."

It's clear that AA doctrine is limited to the religious practice of monotheism with a Christian bias. The Christian bias is evident in the characterological self-blame found throughout the doctrine. For Buddhists, obsessive manufactured characterological self-blame limits their daily practice of mindfulness - a practice that excludes less than moral behavior in the first place.

May all living things have peace!

The author has a basic misunderstanding of the Twelve Steps and how they work. This misunderstanding is summed up in a passage where he states that "...everything starts with thoughts..." and that implies that Buddhist meditation will help you change your thoughts so that you can stay sober. Related to this he more or less equates the "insanity" referred to in the second step with addiction alone. Central to Twelve Step programs is that your addiction is an "illness" that you cannot cure on your own, through thinking, meditation, or anything else. The addiction is just a symptom of an underlying "soul sickness" (or "mental illness" or collection of "character defects.) that will require a sustained program of recovery - the 12 steps. The 5th chapter of the Big Book is "How it Works" and the 6th is "Into Action". As is frequently said in AA meetings "It's How it Works" not "How You Think" or "Why it Works" and it's "Into Action" not "Into Thinking" or "Into Meditating".

I even have my doubts about the value of this book for people further along in recovery(time wise). I know a lot of people who were Buddhists when they started AA and they all seem to have a real hard time staying sober for the long run, and even those that do manage to stay sober for multiple years none seem to be having the sort of life outlined in the "AA Promises".