BRN Academy

“We are all addicted. We all plan our escapes from the existential angst of modern life. Some of us are just a bit more subtle about it than others. Buddhist psychology is the study of avoidance and addiction. Through the processes commonly known as the three poisons and popularly translated as 'greed, hate and delusion'...

“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...

“Recovery and gratitude seem to go hand in hand. In the heat of our addictions, whether substance or process, we all tend to really focus on the hardships of our lives, our trials and tribulations and get stuck in the old comparison game, comparing our insides to others outsides, a line heard frequently in 12...

“Racism remains one of the most rooted and painful impasses of our time. It is fed through unawareness and the misuse of power. Embedded in racism is the skeletal shape of all oppressions. To understand the dynamics of racism and the flesh we put on its bones is to also understand other forms of oppression...

“Living Happily with things as they are (Drishta dharma sukha viharin) encourages an ancient Buddhist teaching. Those of us who have lived with addiction, struggled with recovery and found our common bonds: trauma and toxic shame, may find that teaching simplistic or even dismissive.As Buddhists, we know that suffering is part of life. We accept...