5. Buddhism and the 12 Steps: Defining Our Suffering

Episode 5: Buddhism and the 12 Steps: Defining Our Suffering

Episode Summary

In this episode of Spiritual Sobriety, Chris McDuffie explores the first of Buddha's Four Noble Truths: the Causes of Suffering. He delves into how suffering is rooted in attachments and aversions, drawing parallels between Buddhist teachings and the 12-Step programs. Chris also honors the works of influential authors and spiritual teachers who have shaped his understanding of spiritual sobriety.

What You’ll Learn:

• The two chief causes of suffering: attachments and aversions
• The role of mindfulness in overcoming suffering
• How Buddhism and the 12-Step programs intersect in addressing suffering
• Practical ways to use awareness to release suffering and create joy

In This Episode:

• Chris introduces the teachings of Buddhist scholar Joseph Goldstein on the causes of suffering
• How Buddha used the image of a wagon wheel to explain suffering
• The connection between mindfulness and spiritual sobriety
• Practical tools for letting go of attachments and achieving nirvana daily

Featured Practice:

Take 3–5 minutes today to practice mindful awareness:

1. Find a quiet space and take three deep breaths.
2. Reflect on any attachments or cravings that might be causing you suffering today.
3. Ask yourself: “How can I release this attachment and move toward peace?”

Journal Prompt:

“What attachments am I holding onto that are causing me suffering, and how can I let them go today?”

Key Quote:

“The way out of suffering is practicing skillful, mindful awareness and releasing from these addictions.”

Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and sober coach in private practice. He is the CEO and lead therapist for Chris McDuffie Counseling, a leading concierge practice caring for mental and behavioral health needs. He lives in Carlsbad, California, and holds a  Master of Social Work from Fordham University. He teaches recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders through the spiritual practices of Buddhism and the 12 Steps.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone walking their own sobriety path.

Follow Chris for reflections and meditations:
Website: https://www.chrismcduffietherapy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris__mcduffie/

Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/buddhanature

You don’t have to walk this path alone.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome. This is Spiritual Sobriety, a podcast about recovery, awakening, and learning how to live with a little more honesty, compassion, and freedom. I'm Chris McDuffie. I work as a licensed psychotherapist, meditation teacher, sober coach, and someone who has spent the past 15 years walking the path of recovery and spiritual practices. In this podcast, we explore the intersection of Buddhist wisdom and the 12 steps, not as theories, but as lived practices. Practices that help us meet suffering directly, loosen the grip of old patterns, and remember who we are beneath the stories we carry. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and bring these teachings into your real life. Not to just fix yourself, but to relate to yourself with more clarity and kindness. Wherever you are listening from, I'm glad you're here. Let's begin. Hi, and welcome to Spiritual Sobriety. I'm your host, Chris McDuffie. Today's discussion is going to introduce you to the first of Buddha's Four Noble Truths, the causes of suffering. We will also study today how Buddhism and the 12-step programs are pathways out of suffering and into spiritual love, joy, and happiness. I want to begin today's episode by highlighting and honoring the excellent work of authors and teachers Kevin Griffin, who wrote one book at a time, and Therese Jacob Stewart's work called The Mindfulness and the Twelve Steps. Their works are incredibly important reads to explain how Buddhism and the 12-step programs are pathways for spiritual sobriety. I highly recommend them both. Their books and lectures have helped me learn much of what I hope to present to you on this podcast show, Spiritual Sobriety. I also want to honor the spiritual leaders whose work continues to help enhance my sober life and spiritual journey. These include the works of Ram Dash, Jack Hornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Ragu Marcus, Krishna Das, Joseph Goldstein, and Dale Borgnum. I strongly suggest that you download their app, HeartMind, to access the wonderful Buddhist scholars and practitioners that they are. Alan Watts' work also continues to shape how I understand the practice of Buddhist spirituality, and you may find him on YouTube. As I treasure all the teachings that I continue to learn from via the 12-step publications, readings, and books, and my AA Fellowship, and my sponsor Jerry and my spiritual guru Pat, I hope to honor all of these teachers through my talks on spiritual sobriety. I will be sure to highlight and give them credit when I use any of their resources. Today's discussion is based upon the exceptional work of Buddhist scholar Joseph Goldstein. You will find his podcast on the Inside Hour and on the Heart Mind app. I want to pause here for a moment. If what you're exploring in this episode feels familiar, or if you're noticing parts of yourself that want more support, you don't have to walk this path alone. I work one-on-one with people who are navigating recovery, spiritual questioning, and longstanding patterns of suffering. Our work together is slow, honest, and grounded in both therapeutic support and contemplative practices. If you're ready to go deeper and want personalized guidance, you can learn more about working with me at Chris McDuffie Therapy.com. That's C H R I S M C D U F I Therapy dot com. Wherever you are on the path, I'm glad you're here. Let's continue. Let's begin today's discussion on Buddha's first teachings. Weeks after becoming awoken under the Bodhi tree, he attempted to teach his first five students what he had just learned. Alan Watts calls the Buddha the first psychologist, since Buddha's chief aim was to teach us the causes of suffering and in the cessation of suffering. I'd like to see my role as an AA sponsor, licensed psychotherapist, and chemical dependency counselor as the same way of helping end suffering and cultivating loving awareness. Buddha's teachings and lessons are called sutras in Pali, and today's discussion is on Buddha's attempt to set a framework of understanding for the causes of suffering. I see step one through nine as a similar framework to understand why we were suffering and how to end that suffering. AA calls this work building an archway to walkthrough. You may remember in the schema that I taught in my recent podcast that Buddhism in twelve steps, the cause of suffering, that according to the Buddha, the two chief causes of suffering are attachments and aversions and anger. Buddha uses the Pali term dukkha, D-U-K-K-H-A, for what we in the West generally call suffering, or the inescapable grasp of joy and happiness. According to Joseph Goldstein, quote, Buddha's discourse on dukkha defines the entire spiritual pathway of Buddhism, that all mental conditions, responses are dukkha, and the essential nature of our understanding of this suffering is impossible without our awakening to the causes of suffering. End quote. Again, dukkha is typically defined in the West as suffering, while sukkha, the Pali term, is the opposite, which defines feelings of ease and well-being that we experience when we are not in suffering. So you might consider step one through nine as our history through dukkha, and steps ten, eleven, twelve as the potential to live in sukkha. Goldstein continues, quote, The term dukkha comes from two root Pali words, do, meaning bad or difficult, and ka meaning empty. Buddha used the image of a wagon wheel with its eight spokes as a symbol for these early teachings. Goldstein goes on to say, he identified the empty axle hole at the center of the ox cart wagon as ka, and if the axle fits badly or oddly, then that's the do. In essence, your ride will feel bad. If you have a difficult journey, and this troublesome journey will certainly be a very, very bumpy ride. End quote. That quote just about sums up my lessons from step one through nine with my sponsor Jerry. The ka or the empty in the image of the wagon wheel centers also refers to the absence of or the lack of an all-controlling self that thinks it can control or command the experience that one finds unsatisfying, unreliable, or stressful. Buddha's lessons here is that the ego's craving to control the event is inherently unsatisfying, and that gives rise to our suffering. The image of no ego and no control is the ka in dukkha. This one statement is what the ego immediately rejects when first seeing step one. I am powerless over alcohol and my life was unmanageable. It rejects that notion. To be clear, suffering is not inherent in the world or in nature or in God or in the Tao when life is at work. The lesson here is our suffering is only created by how the unawoken mind chooses to experience each situation or event or feeling. We want to use our spiritual programs to help us awaken and see our attachments and cravings and rejections of what is creating our suffering. You might consider mindful awareness as awoken and denial or being drunk or high as unaware or unawoken for us in recovery. Buddha's suggestions are poignant. We cause ourselves and others great suffering when we are addicted to the indulgences or sense pleasures and when we are addicted to self mortification, like holding on to guilt or shame or remorse for too long. Our axle appears stuck and the rod is very, very terrifying. The way out of our suffering is practicing skillful, mindful awareness, and then releasing from these addictions in Buddhist terms. This leads us to a feeling of calm and achieving nirvana daily in our twelve steps. We use step eleven as a spiritual daily practice to help illustrate this first teaching of cessation. Joseph Goldstein continues, quote, the Buddha uses the image of a dog tied to a post, running in circles on a leash. This is dukkha. This is suffering. Sukha is creating when we stop running in circles and unleash ourselves from our attachments and expectations and free ourselves from our own suffering. End quote. In AA, we discuss the concept of bondage of self. So do we take time to practice skillful awareness in the suffering that we create for ourselves and others? Is there more we can do to cultivate this awareness of our suffering and replace it with joy and happiness for ourselves and others? I hope that you found today's discussion on suffering and the causes of suffering helpful for cultivating your spiritual sobriety. We will continue this topic and how to end suffering over the next several podcasts. Please be sure to follow Spiritual Sobriety and to get your podcast sent to you automatically. I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments on today's discussion. Thank you. Have a great day. As we close, I invite you to take a moment and notice what stayed with you from this episode. You don't need to understand everything or do anything perfectly. This path unfolds one honest moment at a time. If what we explored today resonated and you feel called to go deeper, I offer one-on-one therapy and coaching for people who want personal support integrating these teachings into their lives. You can connect with me directly and learn more at Chris McDuffie Therapy.com. That's C H R I S M C D U F F I E Therapy.com. And if this podcast has been helpful, you're welcome to share it with someone who might need it, or take a moment to follow and review the show. Thank you for practicing with me. The path continues.