For years now I have used the understated elegance of many Buddhist practices to work toward living life in the present moment, and to being an integral part of this earth, while allowing myself not to be attached to it.  There is no success or failure rate in the Buddhist path.  There is only the awareness of the ebb and flow of living, the constancy of change and the acceptance of things as they are.

That is why I am totally smitten by Joni Kay Rose’s book,  “The Joy Beyond Craving - A Buddhist Perspective on Addiction and Recovery.” In this slim volume, Ms. Rose  has gently merged two schools of thought, one ancient and Eastern, and the other, relatively modern and distinctly American,  into a harmonious blend where the underlying melody of both schools merge into one lovely song which we can all carry in our hearts.

Ms. Rose has divided the book into two parts, the first being a description of the Buddhist Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path that lead to the end of suffering and the second being a description of the 12 steps from a slightly different angle, incorporating language which is a bit more “Eastern” that the original 20th century American text.  For example, Step One in this book is stated as: “We admit that, identified with our egotistical ’selves,’ we are powerless over our human weaknesses; to the extent that at times we’ve been unable to manage our own lives.”  To some, this may be an affront to the original words of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, but to those readers who are willing or interested or even prefer a different spin on the original 12 step model, Ms. Rose’s version of the steps is a refreshing look at opening up the original text to be more inclusive of other perspectives.  As she states, “The Twelve Step system…encourages us to take full responsibility for our actions, even those performed under the spell of addiction; just as in Buddhism one is fully responsible for one’s own karmic actions.”

The book focuses on how addictive desire arises, what it does to all of us and how to overcome it.  Ms. Rose refers to the “ego self” and “higher consciousness” instead of  “we” and “higher power.”  I found a fluidity with her language that appealed to my own, sometimes prickly response to the language of the 70 year old Big Book.  For me, this book has actually been a very helpful aid with which I can return to the original text and read the words again with a new pair of glasses.  For example, when writing about step 12, Ms. Rose says, “If Buddha, Jesus and Bill W. all felt it was essential to share their enlightenment experiences with others, then you and I have no acceptable alternative to do likewise.”  This sentence, for me, expanded the original version of the 12th step to include everyone from the Christian in recovery to the Muslim or Hindu trying to share their experience, strength and hope with others.

I read this book slowly, marking every page with some little gem that struck that “heart place” within.  Buy this book and treat yourself (if you are so inclined) to a warm bath of soft, non-judgmental, yet cleansing and renewing bubbles. The last paragraph of this book says it all.

Mystics of all religions have said that the way to find Spiritual Awakening is to open ourselves completely through prayer and meditation, and listen to the still inner voice.  Then in Divine Ecstasy, when the distinction between our Higher Consciousness and ourselves disappears, it does so not because we absorb that Consciousness into ourselves, but because we put aside our illusory idea of  “self” and become absorbed in the Divine Emptiness completely.  This is the spiritual Awakening of which both Bill W. and the Buddha spoke.

So get in the tub, open this book, and take a luxurious bubble bath.

Till Next Time -

Your Humble Road Warrior

You can visit Joni Kay Rose’s website, at www.desertwordsmith.com