October 2024 - Wise Friends

Written By Jordan Haldane

Dear Sangha,

Welcome to fall! As the leaves begin to change and the air cools, we’re excited to restart our Recovery Dharma newsletter. This season symbolizes transformation, making it the perfect time to reconnect with our community, share insights, and support each other on our journeys of recovery. We’re glad to have you with us as we dive into this new chapter together!

Sending peace,
Recovery Dharma Denver

Upcoming events:

Denver Intersangha Business Meeting

  • When: Sunday, November 3rd: 6:45pm - 7:45pm

  • Where: The Phoenix Gym (Baby Champa Building) - 2233 Champa St. Denver, CO 80205

Join us if you are interested in getting more involved with the sangha! We will gather in the baby Champa building at The Phoenix on Champa following the Sunday meeting. We love to see fresh faces ready to deepen your involvement with our sangha and take on a service position. We have the following positions available:

  • Opener/Closer: We’re looking for dedicated volunteers to fill the opener/closer position, where you'll help create a welcoming environment by setting up the space, serving beverages, and ensuring everything is cleaned up and secured after the meeting—this is a shared role, and becoming a Phoenix volunteer is required! - Click here to learn more about becoming a Phoenix volunteer.

  • Outreach Chair: A vital role that helps foster connection and unity across our Denver Recovery Dharma community.

  • Marketing & Website Coordinator Chair: Help expand our reach and improve our online presence. If you have skills in marketing and social media, we’d love to have you join our team to support our growing Recovery Dharma community!

Meetings:

Join us at one of our weekly meetings. We have in-person meetings nearly every day of the week across the Front Range as well as online meetings you can join from anywhere. We practice meditation together and then read from the Recovery Dharma book or another Buddhist text. The second half of the meeting is dedicated to providing space to talk about the topic or anything you need to share related to recovery.

From the Book:

Wise Understanding
(pp 17-20)

As we engage in the world, rather than withdraw from it, we can use Wise Understanding to live without clinging, attachment, or craving. By paying attention to our actions and the results of those actions, we can begin to change where our choices are leading. If we intend to act in ways that have positive results, and if we’re aware of the true intention and the nature of our actions, then we’ll see better results — better meaning less suffering and less harm.

Click the link above to read the 2nd Edition of the Recovery Charma book, including updated to text and 14 personal stories of recovery from members of the community

Member Spotlight:

Raquel T.

I began my recovery journey a year ago and reached my one-year anniversary this October. In the beginning, I was alone in my sobriety; for the first four months, I tried my best to overcome my addictions alone. White knuckling it with fear of relapsing but knowing I was determined to be successful. I was reluctant to join an Alcoholics Anonymous program. My cousin recommended Recovery Dharma as an alternative to AA and the 12-step-based programs. She let me know that Recovery Dharma is a Buddhist-inspired approach to recovery. I was intrigued and wanted to see what this program was all about. I started attending the Tuesday and Sunday meetings at the Phoenix and purchased the book. I realized that community was an integral part of recovery that I was missing trying to do this sobriety journey alone. Attending Recovery Dharma meetings, I found that I was surrounded by like-minded people who were also dedicated to recovery and sobriety - striving to reach their full potential. I decided to devote a year to the program and to attend at least one meeting every week as a minimum. I was encouraged to get more involved with the program and I joined the board and now hold the secretary position. Being a part of the community has helped keep me dedicated to my sobriety because I have to be accountable, to myself and other members of our community. I am grateful every day for the compassion and camaraderie I feel being a part of Recovery Dharma. For me, the program provides support for my success in sobriety. I now know there is no reason to feel I am alone in my journey as I work to become the best version of myself, fully recovered. Through self-empowerment and living a self-directed life, following the Eightfold Path, I know I can overcome anything!

Share your story of how you came to commit to sobriety and how Recovery Dharma has supported your journey. Help build connections within the community and inspire others who might be struggling.

You are welcome to submit your story anonymously or include your name and picture to info@recoverydharmadenver.org. Stories can be any length and mention as many or as few details as you'd like. 

Community Resources:

Recovery Dharma supports a holistic path to recovery. There is no one right way to recover! Adding more tools to your toolbox to facilitate your healing is always a good idea.

Here are some other community resources to check out:

Jordan Haldane
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