Our Program

We are a Buddhist-inspired 12 Step organization blending the wisdom from both the 12 Step programs and Buddhist teachings. The result is a practice of recovery that is secular in nature while adhering to the behavioral tenets of 12 Step. The intention and outcome of this is a 12 Step program that remains true to the practical mechanism of working the 12 Steps while doing so in a secular nature that does not require a God or Higher Power in order to have a Spiritual Experience. As the founders of AA discovered, recovery is best sustained through working a program, helping others do the same, and ensuring that the program itself is sustained through service work. We have found these equally as important as having a program to work.

Through the work of others such as Kevin Griffin, Tara Brach, and Stephen Batchelor, we’ve found that applying certain teachings of the Buddha to recovery can create a more sustainable change in our recovery. Raft Recovery is built on maintaining a daily meditation practice, studying and applying the Four Noble Tasks, and adopting an ethical practice within our 12 Step work. We’ve found this not only enhances our sobriety, but our overall quality of living.

How Does Buddhism Fit with the 12 Steps?

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As we work the 12 Steps, our perspective on our life’s events changes. Instead of seeing ourselves as victims of the world, we discover that we had an active part in our current situation and that our addiction was merely a symptom of our inability to cope with life on life’s terms. The Four Noble Tasks in Buddhism confront the same dilemma: that for years we have been looking for satisfaction in the external world only to be constantly disappointed when we get it because it cannot sustain lasting happiness. By shifting our attitude from looking outside to looking inside, we can find joy and sustained sobriety with both of these approaches.

With the 12 Steps, we start to have a personality change once we work the steps for the first time. This change not only sustains but compounds itself as we work Steps 10, 11, and 12 on a daily basis. We start to see our part in situations more clearly and we begin to be more honest with ourselves and others in the process. As the Serenity Prayer indicates, we gain insight into what we can change and what we have to accept.

Buddhism follows the same line of perspective-shift, albeit in a slightly different way. The Four Noble Tasks help us understand that the world is always changing but we’ve been conditioned to try to hold onto certain things as if they were permanent. By understanding that things change, we gain the insight required to see the present more clearly. As with 12 Steps, this gives us the insight, courage, and honesty to live life as it presents itself. Different meditation practices help us cultivate this skill, along with the reflections of Buddhist teachings.

A Path for Those Who Struggle with the God Concept

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There are some folks who come to 12 Step recovery and have a problem with “The God Stuff.” We are people who either were immediately turned off by 12 Step because of that, or found ways to adapt the language to fit our world views. This program attempts to not only explain the gaps in a secular approach to 12 Step programs, but also go deeper by giving meaning, and ultimately, providing the “spiritual experience” necessary for sustained recovery.

The Three Jewels of Buddhism (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha) offer a meaningful parallel to the “higher power” and fit naturally within the 12 Step framework.

• The Buddha: Not only a reference to the historical figure, but also represents our capacity to grow, improve, and adapt to life’s challenges.
• The Dharma: These are the teachings of the Buddha, and much like the book Alcoholics Anonymous, we can trust that if we follow the teachings as others who came before us, we can have the same experience they did.
• The Sangha: These are the people we practice with. This is where we do service and with whom we share fellowship in our practice of recovery. It is analogous to the AA Triangle: Unity, Service, and Recovery.

In the Big Book of AA exists a fantastic section: Appendix 2. This appendix elaborates on the spiritual experience it mentions throughout the book. In the very first paragraph it defines it as a “personality change sufficient enough to bring about recovery.”

We’ve also had it described to us as a perspective shift or an attitude change. However it is framed, Buddhist practitioners have been experiencing the same transformation for centuries. We can go back to that wonderful phrase, “living life on life’s terms.” This is the skill and gift we get from merging both practices.

In closing, we’ve found that this combination is not a compromise. Raft Recovery is an extension of the 12 Step model, which we’ve found deepens our recovery and ability to find joy in life. We are eternally grateful for Bill W’s work in creating the 12 Steps and acknowledge that service, sponsorship, and accountability are paramount to any successful recovery. We carry these tenets into our meditation practice and the application of the Four Noble Tasks. If you are struggling to find meaning within your 12 Step group, we invite you to join ours. Whether you’re new to Buddhism or an experienced practitioner, we hope our adaptation provides sufficient motivation for you to work the 12 Steps.

There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation.