WHAT ARE THE 12 STEPS?
The Traditional 12 Steps
Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood it.
Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
For more detailed explanations of the traditional 12 steps visit https://12step.org/
One Possible Buddhist Interpretation of the 12 Steps
Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and cravings - that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step 2 - Came to believe that a power beyond self could restore us to wholeness.
Step 3 - Made a decision to go for refuge to this other power as we understood it.
Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Step 5 - Admitted to ourselves and another human being the exact moral nature of our past.
Step 6 - Became entirely ready to work at transforming ourselves.
Step 7 - With the assistance of others and our own firm resolve, we transformed unskillful parts of ourselves and cultivated skillful ones.
Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people where possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. In addition, made a conscientious effort to forgive all those who harmed us.
Step 10 - Continue to maintain awareness of our actions and motives, and when we acted unskillfully promptly admitted it.
Step 11 - Engaged in the practice of meditation to improve our conscious contact with our true selves, and seeking that beyond self. Also used prayer as a means to cultivate positive attitudes and states of mind.
Step 12 - Having gained spiritual insight as a result of these steps, we practice these principles in all areas of our lives, and make this message available to others in need of recovery.
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Spiritual Principles
Each of the 12 Steps has a spiritual principle associated with it which we learn as we work each step. In step 12 when it says "practice these principles in all of our affairs," these are the spiritual principles it is referring to:
Step 1: Honesty, Surrender, Acceptance
Step 2: Hope, Open Mindedness
Step 3: Faith/Conviction, Commitment
Step 4: Courage, Fearlessness
Step 5: Integrity, Truth, Forgiveness
Step 6: Willingness
Step 7: Humility
Step 8: Perseverance, Brotherly Love, Thoroughness, Reflection
Step 9: Love, Justice, Amendment, Sincerity, Good Judgement
Step 10: Discipline, Perseverance, Vigilance
Step 11: Awareness, Spirituality, Wisdom, Serenity
Step 12: Service
The 12 Promises
The 12 promises are from pg. 83-84 of the Big Book.
- We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
- We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
- We will comprehend the word serenity.
- We will know peace.
- No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
- That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
- We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
- Self-seeking will slip away.
- Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
- Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
- We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
- We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.
Buddhist Step Work
This is but one possible approach to working the 12 Steps while incorporating Buddhist teachings and principles.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” - The Buddha
Step Zero
In the Big Book, there is a little known, seldom practiced step called "Step Zero." It can be found in "How it works" on page 58 where the reading states "If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it - then you are ready to take certain steps." This is step zero, a step you are asked to take before embarking on the 12 steps.
It can be broken down into three sections:
- If you have decided you want what we have
- And are willing to go to any length to get it.
- Then you are ready to take certain steps.
It says IF this AND that are satisfied, THEN you can move forward.
For a homework assignment, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you want what we have? In fact, ask yourself, what is it that we have? What is it that you want to attain?
- Are you willing to go to any lengths? At this point, is there anything you are not willing to do?
- Do you feel ready to take the steps?
Ideally this step is completed before working the 12 steps.
Step 1
“We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable”
In traditional 12 Step work we look at some of the key words in step 1: "admitted," "powerless," "life," and "unmanageable." What do each of these words mean? Look them up and define them.
In Buddhism, the 4 Noble Truths discuss the concept of suffering. What is suffering? Look it up and define it.
Exercise - Self Reflection:
Using your understanding of the concepts of "powerlessness," "unmanagability" and "suffering," take a look back at your entire life, from your earliest memory up to today, and write down every time you have suffered or caused suffering as the result of your substance abuse or the substance abuse of others.
Hints: consider writing bullet points rather than full stories for each instance. Remember, this is your step work and you only need key phrases to stimulate your memory. We are not writing a novel.
Looking back at your whole life can seem like an overwhelming task. Just do your best remembering "progress not perfection."
Spiritual Principles:
The spiritual principles we learn in Step 1 are: "Honesty," "Surrender" and "Acceptance." What do each of these words mean? Look them up and define them.
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Am I practicing honesty, surrender and acceptance in all of my affairs?
- Where am I not practicing these principles?
- What can I change today in order to start practicing these principles in all of my affairs?
Assignment: Begin to practice these principles in all of your affairs today.
How do you know when you are finished with step 1?
Ask your self two questions:
- Is my step work thorough?
- Is my step work honest?
If you believe your step work is both honest and thorough, then you have completed Step 1.
Step 2
“Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
Understanding Step 2:
Step 2 can be divided into three sections:
- "Came to believe"
- "A power greater than ourselves"
- "Restore us to sanity"
Ask yourself a series of questions for each section. Here are a few sample questions, feel free to create your own:
Part 1: How did I come to believe? What do I believe? What does it mean to believe? If I "came to believe," what did I believe before? How does the 3rd Noble Truth relate to the notion of "came to believe?"
Part 2: What is a power greater than myself? What is not a power greater than myself? What is the nature of the self, in Buddhist terminology? What does the word "power" mean? What does the word "greater" mean?
Part 3: What does "restore" mean? What does "sanity" mean? How can we relate the 12 step notion of “sanity” to the Buddhist notion of "delusion?" What is "delusion?"
Exercise - Defining YOUR Higher Power:
On a piece of paper make two columns. At the top of the first column, write "My Higher Power Is." At the top of the second column, write "My Higher Power Is Not." In each column list a series of adjectives, phrases, sentences, etc. that describe your concept of what YOUR higher power is or is not.
There is no right or wrong answer. You are working to discover YOUR OWN personal concept of a higher power. The goal is to come up with a personal higher power that you can do business with.
Tradition 10 states that "AA has no opinion on outside issues..." Use this tradition as your guiding principle as you create your own personal higher power. You have no opinion on anyone else’s concept of a higher power and you ask for no opinions on your concept of a higher power. In this way we have freedom to create our own concept of a higher power and true tolerance for all people.
Spiritual Principles:
The spiritual principles we learn in this step are: "Hope" and "Open mindedness." What do each of these words mean? Look them up and define them.
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Am I practicing these principles in all of my affairs?
- Where/how am I not practicing these principles?
- What can I change today in order to start practicing these principles in all of my affairs?
Assignment: Begin to practice these principles in all of your affairs today.
Step 3
“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Higher Power as we understood it.”
Part 1: Rewrite the Third Step Prayer
Use this prayer as your guide and rewrite it in your own words. Make sure it makes sense to you. It should be a prayer that you "can do business with." Remember, just like when we defined our own high power, this is your opportunity to make this prayer your own. Note: use a dictionary to get the full meaning of each word.
The Third Step Prayer
"God, I offer myself to Thee--to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!"
Put the prayer into action by saying it every day.
- For optimal happiness, say this prayer repeatedly.
- For optimal suffering, don't ever say it.
Part 2: Journal about your decisions for 30 days
In step 3 we are asked to "make a decision." Begin to journal about your decisions. Keep track about when you make decisions out of self-will vs. decisions that are in line with your higher power's will.
For the first week, just observe your decisions. Try not to judge yourself.
After a week of incorporating the 3rd Step Prayer into your daily life, see if your decision making process is changing. Note any changes you see - good or bad. Be sure to note the results of your choices.
Spiritual Principles:
The spiritual principles we learn in this step are: "Faith" and "Commitment." What do each of these words mean? Look them up and define them. A note on the Buddhist concept of ‘Faith/Conviction’
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Am I practicing these principles in all of my affairs?
- Where/how am I not practicing these principles?
- What can I change today in order to start practicing these principles in all of my affairs?
Assignment: Begin to practice these principles in all of your affairs today.
Step 4
“Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
The attached documents have been created to help you create a "fearless moral inventory." There are four documents created for each type of inventory: standard inventory, fear inventory, sex inventory and other harms inventory.
Exercise - Taking Inventory:
Look at your life and identify:
- people
- principles
- institutions
that you feel resentful towards. If something occupies space in your heart or mind, add it to your inventory.
Use one page per resentment. More than likely, your inventory will fill up many, many pages.
You will know your step four is complete when you can answer the following two questions satisfactorily
- Is my inventory thorough?
- Is my inventory honest?
Spiritual Principles:
The spiritual principles we learn in this step are: "Courage" and "Fearlessness." What do each of these words mean? Look them up and define them.
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Am I practicing these principles in all of my affairs?
- Where/how am I not practicing these principles?
- What can I change today in order to start practicing these principles in all of my affairs?
Assignment: Begin to practice these principles in all of your affairs today.