[Buddha-l] Buddhism and AA

[Richard Hayes]

On Tuesday 11 September 2007 14:26, James Blumenthal wrote:

> It is my understanding that the AA program encourages a spiritual life as
> an aspect of recovery, but that it is not affilliated with any particular
> religion and is absolutely open to all religious affiliations and practices
> of its members.  I personally know a number of Buddhists who are regular
> members of AA and have never spoken of any problem or conflicts of any
> kind.

What you report is also what I have observed. For that reason, I was surprised 
a) that a Buddhist would feel that AA was in any way contrary to his beliefs 
and practices as a Buddhist, and b) that a federal court fell for his 
argument. The second point perhaps should not surprise me too much, since 
courts in the US regularly come up with all kinds of really bizarre 
decisions.

-- 
Richard P. Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico
http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes