Addictions such as ‘alcohol’ or ‘drugs’ or ‘relationship’ or ‘sex’ from a zen viewpoint are an old story of human suffering based on habitual responses to pain. The center of the Buddhist Wheel of Life depicts greed, hate, and illusory self-perception, three interconnected compulsions. The human tendency for dealing with suffering seems to be denial and intoxicating ourselves as a means of avoidance. We run and hide.
As meditation and dharma teachings awaken our deep connection with all life we can begin to transform compulsive behavior into beneficial activity. Zen is not the ‘hit the nail on the head’ approach of addiction recovery, nor a specific treatment of addiction, but there are interesting parallels. Addiction recovery is a spiritual approach to compulsive behavior and one that offers sound teachings about ethical conduct, spiritual mentoring through sponsorship, the values of simple and honest living, the support of a group, prayer and meditation, a place to go when angst out, and a ‘path’ ,or steps for recovery. Zen has some similar approaches.
Zen is facing reality, specifically how we each suffer because of our attitudes and habits. The zen community sangha provides a place of insight through meditation, teachings, personal guidance, ritual, and ethical conduct. Zen is unhooking from binds to compulsive living and moving into the freedom of grounded accountability and the freshness of now/today. As we free ourselves from greed, hate, and delusion we can embrace the totality of our wholeness and our essential being.
