THE JOY BEYOND CRAVING:
A Buddhist Perspective on Addiction and Recovery
By Joni Kay Rose, M.Div., CHT
Based on Buddha's Four Noble Truths, THE JOY BEYOND CRAVING explains how true happiness is found, not in getting as much as we can for ourselves, but in letting go of the self-centered cravings that create suffering in our lives and our world. In keeping with these principles, the book goes on to revise the Twelve Steps of AA to make them nonsectarian, nonsexist, and guilt-free. Thus the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Steps are applied jointly to help people of all faiths let go of our false self-images that fuel our addictive behavior patterns, so we can live peaceful and fulfilling lives.
“A thoughtful, non-sectarian combination of the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and AA’s Twelve Steps which shows us how to let go of the self-centered cravings that drive us to struggle to get, get, get, whether it’s alcohol, drugs, food, sex, or gambling. Our addictive cravings do create the suffering we experience, and here we have a practical reminder of how to cheerfully and lovingly abandon the false images that fuel those addictive behaviors."
--Nancy Patton, MANDALA: A TIBETAN BUDDHIST JOURNAL, August/September 2004
"A most incisive aspect of this book is its comparison of these two seemingly disparate philosophies, one ancient and Eastern, the other modern and distinctly American.... Both stress the importance of self-knowledge, living in the moment and service to others. The 12 steps testify that life is often unmanageable, while Buddhism points to the omnipresence of suffering. Both see the self as essentially powerless, and both affirm that setting the self aside will lead to a spiritual awakening. "
--Paul Wine, TUCSON WEEKLY, 10/23/03Introduction to THE JOY BEYOND CRAVING
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Our modern culture daily bombards us with instant-gratification messages. We're continually encouraged to seek out some new form of amusement or find a way to become wealthier. The underlying assumption appears to be, "Get what you can when you can get it, because that's what will make you happy." In effect, material things have become our gods.
Yet are we really happy? We suffer from depression, from insomnia, from mental disorders of various kinds. Above all we suffer from addictions, often becoming addicted to the very things that we do to try to find happiness. We drink, we smoke, we take drugs (legal or illegal), we overeat, we gamble compulsively, we have obsessive-compulsive disorders, we become addicted to sex and romance; or we may even become addicted to religion. And THE MORE WE ENGAGE IN THESE ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, THE MORE MISERABLE WE MAKE OURSELVES.
So long as we remain in denial, we may continue to delude ourselves as to the cause of our unhappiness. We may go on believing, as our popular culture teaches us daily, that indulging our little whims will make us feel better. We may pretend, and possibly even try to convince ourselves, that we're living successful and fulfilling lives, when deep down we feel empty and miserable.
Eventually, though, we have to come to terms with our reality. Usually this happens as a result of a crisis we encounter, like losing a job or failing in business as a result of our dysfunctional behavior patterns.
In my own experience, I've spent decades trying to find peace and happiness by attempting to fulfill my desires through various physical and metaphysical means. Invariably I found only frustration in the end. I seldom got what I truly wanted; and even when I did it simply led to more craving and dissatisfaction. Only when I examined and dealt with the very process of craving itself did I begin to find peace of mind. This I have done mainly through my study of Buddhism, which plays a major role in this book.
While Buddhism is in certain respects unique among the world's religions--in the teaching of the nonexistence of the soul, for instance--the basic Buddhist teachings are otherwise generally compatible with other great religious teachings. The causal connection between desire and suffering, for instance, is found in some Hindu texts, and no doubt has a common origin in Indian teachings that predated the Buddha. We can also find echoes of these teachings in the sayings of Jesus, especially regarding the emphasis on living an upright and unselfish life. It would be difficult to find anything in Jesus' own teachings that contradicts these principles in any significant way.
Though many of the Buddha's teachings have parallels in other religions, the systematic way in which he taught the causal relationship between craving and suffering is a little less open to confusion. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam place more emphasis on history: certain things are asserted to have happened in the past and affect the present; and certain things are expected to happen in the future. While some people may find these prophecies comforting, in this context they can be distracting from our focus on how addiction arises and how it is to be overcome.
These religions also are more likely to encourage the notion of separation of believers from nonbelievers. Although this may not have been the original intent of this dichotomy, it can be misused to foster self-righteousness or moral superiority. We want to begin by focusing on the issue of how addictive desire arises, what it does to all of us, and how to overcome it. That is precisely the issue that the Buddha dealt with in his Four Noble Truths, which we'll look at in Part 1.
This isn't an attempt to convert everyone to Buddhism. Such proselytizing isn't encouraged in most forms of Buddhism anyway. Rather than urging people to give up their previous religions and become Buddhists, I'd like to help them see the Buddha's teachings as universal principles that are compatible with the teachings of all true religions.
Another important component of my own life has been my experience as an addict in recovery. I've been active in recovery meetings for nearly as long as I've been seriously studying Buddhism. The Twelve-Step model used in these meetings centers around turning one's life over to a Higher Power, that is to say, God. This might seem at variance with Buddhism, which is often thought to encourage personal effort and self-sufficiency. Yet in fact the two are not far apart at all, as we'll see.
The real contrast lies between the popular culture of our times, be it of the materialistic or metaphysical bent, and truth that has stood the test of time for more than two millennia. The Buddhist teachings and the Twelve-Step process both help us understand that it is the very process of craving that we most need to overcome. Well take a look at each of these in turn.