Tara Brach talks about working with addiction. She begins with the story of the Hungry Ghosts and describes attachments and addictions as hooks that pull us away from awareness.
Working with addiction mindfully can be a way of looking at the pain that sometimes rests beneath whatever someone is struggling with. Tara Brach explores this in her talk, ‘Working with Addiction,’ opening with the Hungry Ghosts. This practice complements addiction treatment and professional support; it does not replace them.
Hungry Ghosts
The term ‘the realm of the hungry ghosts’ comes from Buddhist cosmology, which reflects the state of never being content, of endless desire, or of a chronic sense of something being missing. In this state, there is an unconscious sense that a need is not being met, so we may end up engaging in habitual behaviours or substances in an attempt to fill that need. From sugar to shopping to sex, there are numerous ways we might try to fill this longing. This is the hungry ghost within us.
Working with Addiction
Becoming mindful of our own hungry ghosts may be a first step toward working with addiction mindfully. Depending on our personal experience and the severity of the addiction, we might require professional support in this process, in addition to our personal self-exploration of what lies at the root of the challenge. One place to begin is a deepened sense of self-awareness and presence, which we can support by exploring a variety of mindfulness exercises that enhance our awareness of the present moment and the energies within us. Loving kindness and self-compassion exercises can also support our personal growth during recovery, in soft and soothing ways.
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