How we balance the Buddhist view of self-reliance for our own spiritual progress with the teachings on the importance of a spiritual mentor.
The purpose of a spiritual mentor
Series: Buddhism and the 12 Steps (BBCorner Series)
Making our minds receptive to the Dharma
Prayer in Buddhism is a collaborative effort. What we are doing when asking the Buddhas for inspiration.
Making requests and self-reliance
We request the Buddha’s for inspiration along the path, but we must do the work ourselves. There is no external being who can fix it for us.
Re-writing the 12 steps, 1-7
How to rely on refuge in the Three Jewels, our inner wisdom and compassion, and advice from spiritual mentors within a 12-step recovery program.
Re-writing the 12 steps, 8-12
Finishing up re-writing the 12 steps, how purification and confession fit in, and getting in touch with our inner values.
Visualization and purification
We need a combination of the awakening activities of the Buddhas and our own effort to study and practice the teachings in order to progress on the path.
Conventional and ultimate recovery
Therapy, as in a 12-step program, can bring about conventional healing, while Dharma practice brings about ultimate healing.