| March 2023 |
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| Wise Friends |
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Recovery Dharma Denver Newsletter |
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Dear Sangha,
It is still cold outside but the undeniable hints of spring are starting to appear. Have you heard the birds chirping? Have you noticed the sun rising earlier and setting later? Winter is slowly fading into spring, offering us flowers and sunshine on the horizon and reminding us of the impermanence of life.
What within you is preparing to bloom? How can you cultivate the seeds of mindfulness during this transition of the seasons so you can sow the crops you need most?
Sending peace,
Recovery Dharma Denver
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Inter-Sangha Business Meeting
When: Saturday, March 11th at 4:00 pm (usually 2nd Saturday of the month)
Where: Online via Zoom. Click here to access the Zoom meeting link (passcode: 303030).
What: Join us if you are interested in getting more involved with the sangha! We love to see fresh faces ready to take on a service position or learn about volunteer opportunities. Please stop in if you would like to be of service or if you're just curious about the organization.
CAIR (Colorado Artists In Recovery) - Burning Desire Open Mic Night
When: Friday, March 17th at 7 pm
Where: RedRock Recovery Center (8805 West 14th Ave, Lakewood, CO - 2nd Floor - entry at the north side of the building). Parking lot on site.
What: Join this monthly community event to enjoy music, poetry, and more! Share your gifts or just enjoy some sober fellowship. You can sign up to perform or just come and support sober artists leaning into vulnerability.
This is a free event! All art forms are welcome. All community members are welcome. Text LB at (720) 601-1093 to sign up to perform, or sign up at the door.
Meet Friends at Advocates for Recovery
When: Saturday, March 18th from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: AFRC Denver (6981 Federal Blvd, Denver, CO 80221)
What: Saturday nights at AFRC are for RecoverWE Fun: games, movies, and more. Come have some sober fun and meet friends in the recovery community.
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| Join us at a weekly meeting |
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Join us at one of our weekly meetings. We practice meditation together and then read from the Recovery Dharma book or another Buddhist text. The second half of the meeting is dedicated to providing space to talk about the topic or anything you need to share related to recovery.
In Person Meetings
- DENVER
- FORT COLLINS
- LONGMONT
- LAFAYETTE
Online Meetings
- Mondays at 6:00 pm - Boulder Meeting (on Zoom - Passcode: 210375)
- Tuesdays at 5:30 pm - Denver Health (on Zoom - Passcode: 5280)
- Tuesdays at 7:00 pm - ZenDen (on Zoom - Passcode: 5280)
- Wednesdays at 7:30 pm - West Pines (on Zoom - Passcode: 311202)
- Fridays at 6:30 pm - CeDAR (on Zoom - Passcode: 5280)
- Saturdays at 7:00 pm - Disco Dharma (on Zoom - Passcode: disco)
More locations/times →
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The Eightfold Path
Recovery Dharma, pp 21-24
Get the book →
We’ve found that it’s useful to make inquiry and investigation a normal part of our everyday routine, especially when we’re feeling uncomfortable emotions or facing tough decisions. We can take a moment to pause and sit with whatever it is we’re experiencing, identify our situation, and just allow it to be there, with compassion and without judgment, and then use the Eightfold Path as a guide to go inward and forward. In any situation, we can ask ourselves: “How can I apply the Eightfold Path?” It can also be beneficial to use the different parts of the Eightfold Path as an end-of-day reflection.
1- Wise Understanding
As people engaged in the world, rather than withdrawn from it, we can use Wise Understanding to live without clinging, attachment, or craving. By paying attention to our actions and the results of those actions, we can begin to change where our choices are leading. If we intend to act in ways that have positive results, and if we’re aware of the true intention and the nature of our actions, then we’ll see better results—better meaning less suffering and less harm.
The Buddhist perspective is that our present mental, moral, intellectual, and emotional circumstances are the direct result of our actions and habits, both past and present. How we choose to respond when confronted with pain or discomfort will change our ability to skillfully deal with suffering when it arises. We can also take solace in the fact that we’re not alone, that every person has difficult and unpleasant experiences. It’s how we respond to pain that determines our experience.
Questions for Inquiry of Wise Understanding:
Think of a situation in your life that is causing confusion or unease.
- What is the truth of this situation?
- Are you seeing clearly, or are you getting lost in
judgment, taking things personally in stories you’re telling yourself, or repeating past messages you’ve internalized? How? - Is your vision clouded by greed, hatred, confusion, clinging, attachment, or craving? How?
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Looking for resources to help you commit to a daily meditation practice? Here are some apps we recommend. Get started with some suggestions below.
- Insight Timer - This free app is a wonderful resource to find all kinds of different meditations. Check out the Sleep section for stories, body scans, and visualizations to help you drift off after a long day. Search 'Recovery Dharma' to find meditations specific to the program. You can also set your own Meditation Timer if you want to practice silent meditations -- choose the length, bells, intervals, and background music to curate your practice.
- Plum Village App - A free app with guided meditations, deep relaxations, Dharma talks, readings, and other practices offered by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastic community.
- If you are new to Plum Village practice, or to mindfulness in general, you may wish to begin in the aptly named ‘Start Here’ section, which is found under the central ‘Meditations’ tab.
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Recovery Dharma supports a holistic path to recovery. There is no one right way to recover! It's always a good idea to add more tools to your toolbox to facilitate your healing.
Here are some other community resources to check out:
- Advocates for Recovery - recovery meetings, events, one-one-one coaching
- CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness)
- CAIR (Colorado Artists in Recovery) - artists workshops and events
- Rooted303 - personal development classes, recovery coaching, support groups
- The Phoenix - A Sober Active Community offering free exercise classes
- Hard Beauty - recovery coaching and workshops
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Lighter by Yung Pueblo
The most recent book published by Yung Pueblo strays from his usual genre of poetry and delves into his personal process of transformation from a life of addiction into one of growth, self-discovery, and feeling "lighter". Rather than having the goal of enlightenment, he describes how we can all learn to feel lighter in our minds and bodies through the practice of meditation and looking inward. His easy-to-read style and beautiful poetic interludes make this book a magnificent companion to your own process of transformation.
From the Introduction
The first year of building positive habits created a massive shift in my life. I did not feel terrific immediately, and every day was not a good day. Most days felt like a huge struggle. From the work of sitting intentionally with an emotion that scared me or just the mundane task of waiting in the cold for a bus to take me to the gym, staying committed was not easy. It all felt new and difficult. There were many ups and downs during that time, but my persistence did not waver. Going back to how things were was no longer an option. The habits that initially felt like impossible tasks started slowly becoming second nature. And as time passed, happiness became more common and my heart started feeling stronger. No matter how stormy my emotions got, bits of joy began appearing at random. I kept up the practice of turning inward to take a good look at what was bubbling up inside me, and, once the changes in me started adding up, I noticed that my relationships with my family and friends were also improving. The old feeling of heavy, stagnant energy started lifting. Before the healing, I felt like a stranger inside my mind and heart. Gradually, that feeling passed and I began to feel at home in my own being.
Click here to buy the book and read more.
Follow Yung Pueblo on Instagram for inspirational daily posts.
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Recovery Dharma the book and its program are founded on, and inspired by, Buddhism that originated in India and later on flourished in other regions of Asia (e.g., South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia). We deeply appreciate the Buddhist heritage that was protected and freely offered by the ancestors of these cultures.
Click below to read the book online, listen to a recorded version, or buy your own hardcopy.
Get the book →
Want to connect with a wise friend on the path?
- Support each other and provide accountability by exploring the Eight Fold Path and Four Noble Truths together.
- Reach out to [email protected] to be connected to another member of the community.
- Or, start your own partnership or small group using the "Wise Friends" guidebook here.
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Hello, my name is Russel (they/them). I started my journey of recovery in a PHP program in Idaho. I had come in for mental health reasons not concerning addiction, but a counselor roped me into taking addiction courses and, for the first time, I felt like I was getting real traction. I joined the Phoenix Boise chapter soon after and when we lost our gym and moved yoga into the Boise Buddhist Center, I started in on Recovery Dharma.
My Buddhist practice has helped to sustain me in recovery as I work and attend grad school to become a counselor. I cherish my time with Recovery Dharma, as well as my time with my young person's Buddhist group and my time spent at the Compassionate Dharma Cloud Monastery.
***
Want to be featured in the next newsletter? Email natalya@recoverydharmadenver.org with your story and picture, or request to be included anonymously.
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Practice this meditation with Dr. Rick Hanson from his Wednesday Night Meditation + Talk on March 1, 2023 to focus on Practicing with Mistakes, Regret, and Remorse.
You can see the talk that went along with this meditation on YouTube here.
And if you would like to join the free, online Wednesday Meditations, sign up on his website here.
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“Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion."
— Plum Village Gatha (Practice Poem)
[read more on the free app]
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