[.ca] Zen Of Recovery (ISBN 0874777062)

Not bad:
It is possible to get very gung-ho about Mel Ash's ZEN OF RECOVERY. I am not gung-ho about it, but the book does something which no other book I am aware of has achieved, made a sincere and plausible link between 12-step principles and Buddhist principles. Unfortunately, the book's Buddhism is Zen, only one of many different Buddhist paths. Thus the book lacks a certain universalism that I find unfortunate. However, it is well worth reading, if nothing else serving as a jumping-off point for investigating Buddhism (or the Buddha) as one's higher power. Any Buddhist who is in Alcoholics Anonymous or any other 12-step program is well advised to read this book. It will help one get past the bloc that I felt in 12-step programs, which in Western society are predicated upon Christianity or Judaism. ZEN OF RECOVERY reinforced in me the belief that I had a place in 12-step meetings, even though I did not believe in a God as defined in any theistic sense. Aside from the above caveats, this book is a radical step forward in the recovery movement.

Very Disappointing:
I was disappointed to discover that this Zen approach to recovery is based on the 12-steps. Although I think this book is well-intentioned, the author tries too hard to fit the tenets of Zen into the rigid 12-step format. It's also totally unnecessary. A good book about Zen can teach anyone all he or she needs to know to quit drinking and attain peace of mind.

One Sober Finger Pointing at The Moon:
I usually only read a book once. I almost never buy more than one copy of a book. With "The Zen of Recovery" I have broken both rules. I read Mel Ash's take on recovery twice over when I first bought it three years ago. The two times I loaned out the book, I never got them back because the borrowers kept passing it on to other people. I had to repurchase it each time. I bought a copy for my Zen instructor. She liked it so much she passed it on other people at the Zen Center. I bought a fourth copy which I am hanging onto for myself. Every couple of years I re-read it again. "The Zen of Recovery" is that kind of book. When Mel Ash described how most of us treat our present lives like a cheap motel where we are staying until we move on to something better, I was hooked. He parallels the differences and the many similarities between Zen and 12-step programs. In the chapter "What is Zen", he defines Zen as the "ultimate and original recovery program. It exposes our denial of true self and shows us how we've suffered because of our diseases of attachment, judgment, and division." He identifies Alan Watts as the "unknowing founder" of the Zen of Recovery and Bill W., the founder of AA, as an American bodhisattva. This book, however, gives more than just a new perspective on some old ideas. Mel Ash takes the recovery concepts of craving, suffering, denial, and ignorance and expands them to consider concepts such as ego-addiction, the challenge of uncovering our true natures and of healing the planet ("the world is need of recovery"). A good read!!!

Not just for recovering addicts ... but all of us:
I am not a recovering alcoholic, victim of sexual abuse, sufferer of post-war trauma, or any other malady to which "recovery" can be applied. Nevertheless, I found Mel Ash's book to be loaded with insight which can be applied again and again to the challenges of ANYBODY'S life. Maybe everyone is "recovering" to some degree. Life just has a way of throwing challenges at us. While written from the perspective of a recovering alcoholic, this book is recommended highly for any person who simply seeks to reach a deeper meaning in life. I keep coming back to inspirational passages, such as the one where Mel describes a beautiful scene of a bird landing on the head of a Buddha statue. Then the bird craps on the statue's head. Not to worry, rain later washes it all away. Ash tells us the simple lesson: "Things happen. Things pass." Just one example of the sane and sensible insight here.

A non-religous way to find a Higher Power and recover:
I reread "Zen" every few months. It's the perfect companion book to the Basic Text and It Works How and Why. Besides breaking down the 12 steps in a way that's more easily understood, Mel Ash relates each one to Zen. Although 12-step recovery is touted as simple, it isn't for a lot of new people. Coming into the program an Athiest, I had tremendous angst over how I would be able to work the steps and remain free from active addiction. I knew honesty was important but I didn't know how I could be. I was told I needed to find a power greater than myself to restore me to sanity which I thought had to be your God. The Zen of Recovery showed me how to find a "God" of my own understanding. I'm truly grateful to have this book as an ongoing resource as my recovery unfolds.