Taking the dhamma (or the Buddha or the Sangha) as your higher power is dangerous. The Buddha recommended 11 "steps"--not 12. The dhamma has nothing to do with the spiritual awakening the authors of the Big Book (of AA) were recommending. The dhamma is visible here and now, not somewhere "higher".bodom wrote:I highly recommend checking this book out!
A Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery
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.
http://www.amazon.com/Burning-Desire-Dh ... 1401923216" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Listen to Gil Fronsdal's Views of the Dharma at http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/2929.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and reflect on what I've said avbove. A good sample section if you don't want to listen to the whole thing is between minute markers 14:58 and 17:00.
Goodwill