Acharya Passatininna (Christie Bates) began practicing meditation daily over 30 years ago, in the realm of family recovery, which has given her a particularly deep understanding of the universal nature of addiction and an ability to communicate this to students. She gradually found that Buddhist Insight teaching and practice both resonated with and deepened the recovery process, whether the recovery being sought is from a recognized addiction or more socially acceptable (and often more deeply deluded) patterns of suffering. While her daughters began to transition into adulthood, Christie finally began sitting a few retreats a year in 2010 with teachers such as Phillip Moffitt, Noah Levine, Ajahn Sucitto and others. She has practiced and studied as part of Dedicated Practitioner and Buddhist Recovery study groups in Nashville, Tennessee. She was among the first peer leaders of Nashville's Buddhist Recovery community. Following her training with Venerables Pannavati and Pannadipa she is ordained as Acharya Passatininna, and is the weekly facilitator of the NABRS (Nashville Area Buddhist Recovery Sangha) Insight Meditation Group, which is open to all people who seek recovery from the suffering of self-clinging.
“Not everyone has the type of brain that finds significant relief through alcohol or other substances; in fact, most people had to find other ways to leave, numb, or explain away (i.e., distort) experiences that were too overwhelming for the body, heart and mind of a developing child. And even if you didn’t grow up...