Resources
Organizations, books, and tools we recommend for Buddhist-informed recovery.
Community Organizations
Insight Denver
A local Buddhist and Insight Meditation community open to all. Not recovery-focused, but a wonderful space for deepening practice.
Visit Insight Denver
Dave Smith Dharma
Integrates early Buddhist teachings with trauma-informed recovery work, offering practical, accessible Dharma for healing, growth, and transformation.
Visit Dave Smith Dharma
Buddhist Recovery Network
Offers online meetings, virtual retreats, podcasts, and many more resources that focus on applying Buddhist practice to recovery from addiction.
Visit BRNRecommended Reading
Meditation Practices
While we are developing our own content, we refer people to these trusted meditation apps and resources used by our community.
Basic Breath Meditation
The typical entry point into a daily practice. Rest attention on the natural rhythm of the breath. When we notice the mind wandering, we note the thought and return.
Shamatha
Calm abiding: the practice of settling the mind in stillness and ease. Lion's Roar has a good guide on this practice.
Vipassana
Insight meditation: the direct investigation of experience as it unfolds. As we maintain sustained mindful attention, we observe the arising and cessation of thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Lion's Roar has a helpful guide on this practice.
Concentration
Where the previous practices observe patterns in the mind arise and fall, concentration meditation sustains attention on a single object, strengthening our ability to stay focused outside of meditation.
Brahmaviharas
The four heart practices: loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha). These reestablish healthy relationships with others and cultivate a sense of unity among all beings, reminding us that we are all on the path to more peace and less suffering.
Four Foundations of Mindfulness
The Buddha's complete map of mindful awareness, drawn from the Satipatthana Sutta: mindfulness of body (kaya), feeling tones (vedana), states of mind (citta), and mental phenomena (dhamma).
Meditation Apps
The Way
A deep, structured path through ancient Zen and Buddhist meditation traditions, guided by Zen Master Henry Shukman. Offers a single long-term curriculum: no choice of what to do next, just practice.
Insight Timer
The world's largest free meditation library, with 100,000+ guided sessions from 20,000+ teachers across every tradition. A vast resource for both beginners and experienced practitioners.
Waking Up
Plum Village
Free guided meditations, deep relaxations, and Dharma talks from Zen Master Thich Nhất Hạnh and the Plum Village monastic community. Completely free, a gift to the world.