1 12 Steps and Buddhism Hano Kim, MD Keyo Hospital Addiction Center April 27, 2007 Shonan Village Center, Kamakura, Japan JSTP, WPATS, WACP Joint Meeting

2 A.A. and 12 steps 1935, AA established by Bill and Dr. Bob 1) 1939, Big Book published (12 steps introduced) 2003, 170 countries, 100,000 groups, 2,000,000 participants 2) Twelve Step Facilitation as effective as CBT, MET 3) 1) Wilson W. The Society of Alcoholics Anonymous. American Journal of Psychiatry 1994;151: ) Edward G, Marshall EJ, Cook CCH. The Treatment of Drinking Problems. 4th ed. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press; p ) Project MATCH Research Group. Matching Alcoholism treatments to client heterogeneity: Project MATCH post treatment drinking outcomes. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 1997;58:7-29

3 Objective “There is ‘God’ in 12 Steps. However, I’m a Buddhist. How can I accept 12 Steps which are Christianity?” Developing ‘Buddhist 12 Steps’ for Buddhists to use A.A.’s 12 Steps as a tool for their addiction treatment.

4 Method God as we understood Him. God as we Christians understood Him. : God = the Creator God as we Buddhists understood Him. : God = the Buddha Paraphrased 12 steps in Buddhist terms.

5 Overview of Results 12 Steps 四聖諦 4 Noble Truths 八正道 Eightfold Path EtiologyStep 1 1/2 Powerless 集 Origination 正見 (1)Right View DiseaseStep 1 2/2 Unmanageable 苦 Suffering HealthStep 2 Sanity 滅 Cessation TreatmentStep 3 Care 道 Path Step 4 Moral Inventory 正思 (2)Right Thinking Step 5 Confession 正語 (3)Right Speech Step 6-7 Improving Step 8-9 Amends 正業 (4)Right Behavior 正命 (5)Right Livelihood Step 10 Cont. Reflection 正進 (6)Right Diligence Step 11 Contacting God 正念 (7)Right Mindfulness Step 12 Awakening 正定 (8)Right Concentration

6 Step 1 1/2 & 集 Origination We admittedwe were powerless over alcohol We ‘5 Aggregates’ admitted we were powerless over alcohol through ‘the 12 Links of Dependent Origination’. 五蘊 5 Aggregates 色 Form, 受 Feeling, 想 Perception, 行 Intention, 識 Consciousness 十二緣起 the 12 Links of Dependent Origination 無明 Ignorance, 行 Mental formation, 識 Consciousness, 名色 Name/form, 六處 The six senses, 觸 Contact, 受 Sensation, 愛 Desire, 取 Clinging, 有 Existence, 生 Life, 老死 Old age/Death

7 Step 1 2/2 & 苦 Suffering that our liveshad become unmanageable. that our lives of deeds, words, and minds had become unmanageable as in the 3 Karmas. 身 Deed 口 Word 意 Mind 三業 the three Karmas 1. 身業 three physical actions 殺生 killing, 偸盜 stealing, 邪淫 sexual misconduct. 2. 口業 four verbal actions 妄語 lying, 兩舌 divisive speech, 惡口 slander, 綺語 frivolous talk. 3. 意業 three mental actions 貪 desire, 瞋 anger, 癡 ignorance.

8 Step 2 & 滅 Cessation We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. We came to believe that a Power, ‘the 3 Bodies of Buddha’ greater than ourselves wandering in the 6 Realms could restore us to sanity, ‘the 3 Dharma Seals.’ 三身佛 the 3 Bodies of Buddha 法身佛 Dharma-Kaya (body) 化身佛 Nirmana-Kaya (word) 報身佛 Sambhoga-Kaya (mind) 六道 the 6 Realms 地獄 The hell 餓鬼 Hungry ghosts 畜生 Animals 人間 Humans 阿修羅 Asuras 天上 the God realm 三法印 the 3 Dharma Seals 無常 Impermanence 無我 Nonself 涅槃 Nirvana

9 Step 3 & 道 the Path We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of ‘the Buddha’ by taking ‘3 Refuges’ & following ‘the Eightfold Path’. 三歸依 The 3 Refuges 歸依佛 Refuge in Buddha 歸依法 Refuge in Dharma 歸依僧 Refuge in Sangha 八正道 the Eightfold Path 正見 Right View 正思 Right Thinking 正語 Right Speech 正業 Right Behavior 正命 Right Livelihood 正精進 Right Diligence 正念 R. Mindfulness 正定 R. Concentration

10 Overview of Results 12 Steps 四聖諦 4 Noble Truths 八正道 Eightfold Path EtiologyStep 1 1/2 Powerless 集 Origination 正見 (1)Right View DiseaseStep 1 2/2 Unmanageable 苦 Suffering HealthStep 2 Sanity 滅 Cessation TreatmentStep 3 Care 道 Path Step 4 Moral Inventory 正思 (2)Right Thinking Step 5 Confession 正語 (3)Right Speech Step 6-7 Improving Step 8-9 Amends 正業 (4)Right Behavior 正命 (5)Right Livelihood Step 10 Cont. Reflection 正進 (6)Right Diligence Step 11 Contacting God 正念 (7)Right Mindfulness Step 12 Awakening 正定 (8)Right Concentration

11 Step 4 & 正思惟 (2)Right Thinking We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves through Right Thinking. 正思惟 Right Thinking 貪慾 Desire -> 出離思惟 the thoughts of detachment 瞋恚 Anger -> 出恚思惟 the thoughts of love = 慈 love 暴力 Violence -> 出害思惟 the thoughts of non-violence = 悲 compassion

12 Step 5 & 正語 (3)Right Speech We Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. We admitted to the Buddha, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs through Right Speech. 正語 Right Speech 妄語 lying -> speaking the truth 兩舌 divisive speech -> friendly speech 惡口 slander -> pleasant and gentle speech 綺語 frivolous talk -> meaningful and useful speech

13 正業 (4)Right Behavior 正命 (5)Right Livelihood 正業 Right Behavior 殺生 killing -> 生命保護 preserving life 偸盜 stealing -> 慈善 charity 邪淫 sexual misconduct -> 貞節 fidelity 正命 Right Livelihood A harmful occupation -> A blameless occupation

14 Step 6-9 & 正業 Right Behavior 正命 Right Livelihood Step 6] (Improving problems) We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Step 7] (Humility) We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Step 8] (Listing the harmed) We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Step 9] (Amends) We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Step 6 through 9 can be achieved by Right Behavior and Right Livelihood.

15 Overview of Results 12 Steps 四聖諦 4 Noble Truths 八正道 Eightfold Path EtiologyStep 1 1/2 Powerless 集 Origination 正見 (1)Right View DiseaseStep 1 2/2 Unmanageable 苦 Suffering HealthStep 2 Sanity 滅 Cessation TreatmentStep 3 Care 道 Path Step 4 Moral Inventory 正思 (2)Right Thinking Step 5 Confession 正語 (3)Right Speech Step 6-7 Improving Step 8-9 Amends 正業 (4)Right Behavior 正命 (5)Right Livelihood Step 10 Cont. Reflection 正進 (6)Right Diligence Step 11 Contacting God 正念 (7)Right Mindfulness Step 12 Awakening 正定 (8)Right Concentration

16 Step 10 & 正精進 (6)Right Effort We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it by the Fourfold Right Diligence. 四正勤 / 四意斷 The Fourfold Right Diligence 律儀斷 making the unrisen evil not appear 斷斷 making the risen evil disappear 隨護斷 making the unrisen good appear 修斷 making the risen good grow

17 Step 11 & 正念 (7)Right Mindfulness We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. We sought through prayer, vow, reading sutras, Buddhist invocation and meditation to improve our Right Mindfulness to contact with Buddha-nature, praying only for experience of the 7 Miracles of Mindfulness. 正念 Right Mindfulness 佛性 Buddha-nature 正念 7 奇蹟 The 7 Miracles of Mindfulness 1)Being present 2)Making others present 3)Nourishing the others 4)Relieving the others’ suffering 5)Looking at store consciousness 6)Understanding 7)Transformation

18 Step 12 & 正定 (8)Right Concentration Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Having become Buddha as the result of Right View through Right Concentration, we tried to instruct all beings including alcoholics, and to practice these principles of law of cause and effect in all our affairs. 上求菩提 First attain enlightenment The Buddha = to wake up 下化衆生 Then instruct all beings 因果法 Law of cause and effect

19 Conclusions Steps and the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are very similar. 2. Western-originated 12 Steps can take root in the Eastern soil of Buddhism. 3. Abundant amount of teachings of Buddhism can be adapted to or utilized for 12 Steps. 4. Buddhists can accept 12 Steps without any difficulty.