---

Recovery Dharma

The Buddha knew that all human beings struggle with craving – the powerful, sometimes blinding desire to change our thoughts, feelings, or circumstances. Those of us who experience addiction of any sort have been driven to use substances and/or harmful behaviors in a habitual pattern either to change our mindset or circumstances or to allow ourselves avenues for avoidance. Though the Buddha did not talk specifically about addiction, he understood the obsessive nature of the human mind and our attachment to pleasure and aversion to pain. He understood the extreme measures we are willing to take, chasing what we want to feel and running away from feelings we fear. And he found a solution.

This program offers a way to free ourselves from the suffering of addiction using Buddhist practices and principles. This program can help lead to recovery from addiction to substances like alcohol and drugs and from process addictions like sex, gambling, pornography, technology, work, co-dependence, shopping, eating, media, self-harm, lying, stealing, and obsessive worrying. This is a path to freedom from any repetitive and habitual behavior that causes suffering. 

Our Recovery Dharma practice is hosted by Hollow Bones Zen as an initiative by members of two affiliated sanghas: Kintsugi Sangha in Hartland and Zen River Sangha in Appleton, both in Wisconsin, US. We will meet on Thursday evenings 6:30-7:30 p.m. (CT) beginning on July 10, 2025. Immediately following the meeting, you are invited to remain online and join the Sangha in informal discussion and fellowship.

For those seeking to deepen practice, please contact us through one of our websites: hollowboneszen.org, zenriver.org, or kintsugisangha.org. You are welcome to join us in awakening our hearts and minds.

The Recovery Dharma program is peer-led; it does not rely on any one teacher or leader. The meeting facilitators are not Buddhist teachers nor have any particular authority in a meeting. They are members of our Zen community who have volunteered to lead meetings and discussions. 

(Adapted from Recovery Dharma licensed under ShareAlike 4.0 License: https://recoverydharma.org/)

For more information, please contact Rose at rose@hollowboneszen.org

Additional Resources 

• Alcoholics Anonymous – AA.org
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association – SAMHSA.gov

If you are in crisis and need further help:

• Call or Text or Chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 988. Hours are available 24/7 and the cost is free.
• OR Text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained Crisis Counselor through Crisis Text Line, a global not-for-profit organization. Free, 24/7, confidential.

Our Facilitators

Rose Presser is newer to recovery practice and participation in the Kintsugi Sangha. Rose has found deep healing in the practice of seated meditation and comfort in the support of the sangha. She has many years of work experience in healthcare, both in medical and mental health as a nurse practitioner. She began her spiritual quest in the 1970’s when she entered the convent in St. Louis, MO and worked with women and girls leaving prostitution. She ultimately left, married and has 2 sons and 4 grandsons. Along the way she practiced Siddha Yoga in the Hindu tradition and developed a practice of meditation and chanting. She is active in the Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church in Hartland and their Social Action Committee, as well as volunteering at City on a Hill, a free medical clinic in Milwaukee. She enjoys the outdoors, walking, biking and contra dancing.

Beth Murphy struggled with addiction for over 20 years. Three years ago, she decided to say “yes” to suggestions and “no” to addiction. She has developed a peace within that no one and nothing can take. She recently became certified as a recovery coach and currently is taking dog training certification. She enjoys laughter, music, art, animals, and physical fitness.

Clayton Godby is a drummer in indie rock bands, a full-time psychology student pursuing a career as a substance use disorder therapist, and a single father of two. He started his recovery journey by checking into rehab when he was furloughed from his job during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. As an atheist trying to work the 12 steps, he started reading about and studying Buddhism as a spiritual path he could pair with his recovery program. He soon learned about Recovery Dharma, a program based on the basic principles of the Buddhist path that became so important to him. Wanting to transition his recovery program and meetings from 12 step to dharma, but having no in-person RD meetings in Waukesha, WI, where he lived, he started the Waukesha sangha in 2024 when his then-employer WisHope opened a recovery community center. When he moved to Madison, WI he again started a new in-person meeting. Noticing a need for greater interconnectedness among Recovery Dharma meetings across the state, he established the Wisconsin Intersangha of Recovery Dharma, which he still chairs. After meeting Taiso at the Second Annual Recovery Dharma Wisconsin Camping Retreat in 2025, he began studying with Hollow Bones Zen to deepen his practice and commit to a Zen sangha. Clayton looks forward to undergoing jukai in the near future.

Jō Sō Alberto Mendez, known as Ensō in the Dark Lotus Zen community, has cultivated a deep meditation practice since childhood, a habit born from those early experiences of time-out. His 2019 diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis spurred a renewed commitment to his spiritual journey, leading him to Green Bay Zen Center and the guidance of Hollow Bones. A transformative Mondo Zen retreat solidified his path, and in 2022, he completed Mondo Zen Facilitator Training, joined the Juggalos in Recovery board, and began leading their meetings. In 2023, he embarked on a New Warrior Training Adventure, embracing the brotherhood of the ManKind Project. At the 2024 Rohatsu ceremony, he received Jukai from Hollow Bones, marking a significant milestone in his Zen journey. Alongside his spiritual pursuits, Jō Sō has dedicated the past 20 years to the practice of Lima Lama martial arts and more recently, has delved into the study and practice of qigong, further deepening his understanding of the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit.