A Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery [Paperback]

Kevin Griffin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

A Burning Desire is a gift for those who struggle with the Twelve Step program’s focus on the need to surrender to a Higher Power. Taking a radical departure from traditional views of God, Western or Eastern, author Kevin Griffin neither accepts Christian beliefs in a Supreme Being nor Buddhist non-theism, but rather forges a refreshing, sensible, and accessible Middle Way. Griffin shows how the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, can be understood as a Higher Power. Karma, mindfulness, impermanence, and the Eightfold Path itself are revealed as powerful forces that can be accessed through meditation and inquiry.

Drawing from his own experiences with substance abuse, rehabilitation, and recovery, Griffin looks at the various ways that meditation and spiritual practices helped deepen his experience of sobriety. His personal story of addiction is not only raw, honest and engrossing, but guides readers to an inquiry of their own spirituality. In doing so, he poses profound questions, including:

·         How can I understand God from a Buddhist perspective?

·         How can I “turn my will and my life over” as a Buddhist?

·         How can this idea of God “remove my shortcomings”?

·         How do I learn this God’s “will”?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In this wise, compassionate, and courageous ‘Big Book,’ Kevin Griffin has swung wide the doors between the church basement and the meditation hall. His gentle voice speaks, with clarity and love, to new generations of addicts seeking freedom and awakening. A Burning Desire promises to be the seminal text for the recovery community of the 21st century!”

 

— William Alexander, story teller and author of Cool Water: Alcoholism, Mindfulness, and Ordinary Recovery

“A truly helpful bridge between the power of 12-Step work and the power of the Dharma.”

 

— Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise Heart

“A Burning Desire is a much needed addition to the growing field of Buddhism and recovery. Kevin is a master at building bridges between the 12 Steps and Buddhism. I highly recommend this book to anyone in recovery!”

 

— Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream

“There are many parallels between 12-Step programs and Buddhist approaches to addiction recovery. Kevin Griffin gives a personal and powerful account of how these concepts have helped him. I highly recommend it as a landmark book in the path of recovery.”

 

— G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., University of Washington, author of Relapse Prevention and Assessment of Addictive Behaviors

“Kevin Griffin’s original burning desire was for alcohol, but it is now to share his hard won wisdom with the world. This book is a gift to us all.”

 

— Roger Walsh M.D., Ph.D., University of California Medical School, author of Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices

“Kevin Griffin’s new book A Burning Desire: Dharma God & the Path of Recovery is a beautiful interweaving of two vital paths of healing, ancient Buddhist teachings and the modern 12-Step tradition. He unfolds the concepts of God and a Higher Power, so central to the 12-Step tradition, so that they become not just accessible, but deeply meaningful to those who may have found the image of a grandfather God difficult or confusing. It’s a book to be read and re-read, to be owned and loaned, and to be given as a welcome gift to anyone in recovery.”

 

— Jan Chozen Bays, abbott, Great Vow Zen Monastery; author of Mindful Eating and Jizo Bodhisattva

About the Author

Kevin Griffin is the author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, the breakthrough book that established him as a leader in the mindful recovery movement. Since its publication, Kevin has toured extensively, giving workshops and lectures at places as diverse as Harlem, the Colorado Rockies, and Hawaii. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he teaches “Dharma and Recovery” at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. In addition, Kevin is co-founder and board member of the Buddhist Recovery Network (www.buddhistrecovery.org), an international organization that serves people in the recovery community through training, treatment, and research. He continues to offer workshops, lectures, and retreats around the country.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hay House; 1 edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401923216
• ISBN-13: 978-1401923211
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Griffin is the author of "One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps" (Rodale Press 2004) and the forthcoming "A Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery" (Hay House 2009). A longtime Buddhist practitioner and 12 Step participant, he is a leader in the mindful recovery movement and one of the founders of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Kevin has trained with the leading Western Vipassana teachers, among them Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Ajahn Amaro. His teacher training was as a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County, CA.

Kevin teaches nationally in Buddhist centers, treatment centers, professional conferences, and academic settings. He specializes in helping people in recovery connect with meditation and a progressive understanding of the 12 Steps. His events range from evening classes, to daylong workshops, and long weekend silent retreats. For information on his schedule click here.

Kevin was raised Catholic in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the youngest of five brothers. He dropped out of high school in the late sixties to pursue a career as a rock guitarist. In his twenties he lived in New England and played the club circuit until moving to LA in 1979 with an Afrobeat band called Zzebra. When the band crashed and burned, Kevin found Buddhism and began to explore the spiritual life. After getting sober in 1985, he returned to school, earning his BA from UC Berkeley and MFA in Creative Writing from UC Irvine. He began teaching meditation in 1996 while working as a technical writer. He now divides his time between writing, teaching, and family time with his wife and daughter. He still plays and writes music and is currently recording a CD of dharma-related rock songs.

Contact:
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A new thoughtful reflection on "God writ large" December 26, 2009

By Alexander W. Holt

Format:Paperback

I have just finished Kevin Griffin's new book and applaud its effort to take the somewhat tired old debate about "God" in the 12 Step programs to a new level. I am a recovering alcoholic in sobriety 2.0 for seven years now and have wrestled with the Judeo-Christian 1930's notion of "God" in 12 Step programs. Kevin has in this book widened the conversation by holding up a mirror to ask us what the largest perspective we might find for "God" as we understand IT. Although this book is written from a Buddhist dharma perspective, Kevin helps us to explore the Higher Power outside our isolated ego self that can take many forms apart from the traditional notions of God. What a refreshing and skillful way to reinterpret a vast concept that none of us can fully ever grasp. As a long term practicing Zen Buddhist student, I deeply appreciate Kevin's honesty and also his meditations. I ought to note also that his writing style in this book is very focused and tightly knit on the subject. This is a book that isn't totally perfect but neither are any works of art that have rich meaning. My hope is that readers will approach the troubling God concept with as open a mind as Kevin has done. The debate about whose God is the right one happens at many levels including nationally and in religious programs. What a refreshing chance to open the conversation and break through barriers of orthodoxy.
What's especially exciting to me is that there are a whole host of wonderful books coming out on the topic of dharma of addiction and recovery. This is definitely one of the very best. What a great Happy New Year present for one like me who keeps sobriety through connection with the great mystery of Dharma God.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing tool for Buddhist 12 steppers... February 20, 2010

By Gary Allum

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is an absolute gem. For anyone like me that has a hard time trying to rectify the God of the 12 steps with their Buddhist beliefs, it is absolutely invaluable. To be quite honest, I would recommend reading this book before his other, "One Breath at a Time", as it helps that much with the Higher Power issue. A big thank you to Mr Griffin for a book that has helped me in my own spiritual growth and recovery. _/\_

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to read and give to others March 20, 2010

By Jan Bays

Format:Paperback

Kevin Griffin's new book A Burning Desire: Dharma God and The Path of Recovery is a beautiful interweaving of two vital paths of healing, ancient Buddhist teachings and the modern Twelve Step tradition. He unfolds the concepts of God and a Higher Power, so central to the Twelve Step tradition, so that they become not just accessible, but deeply meaningful to those who may have found the image of a grandfather God difficult or confusing. It's a book to be read and re-read, to be owned and loaned, and to be given as a welcome gift to anyone in recovery.