[Buddha-l] Addictive Dhyana?

[Richard Hayes]

On Mon, 2009-01-12 at 21:37 -0800, Katherine Masis wrote:

> What exactly do you mean by "addictive dhyana"?

Piya Tan will no doubt answer for himself. What I mean by the term is a
tendency to seek out the peacefulness of second and higher dhyāna states
rather than dealing directly with one's issues. It was once pointed out
to be that the distinction between simply being industrious and being a
"workaholic" (a ridiculous and ill-formed word if ever there was one) is
that the latter uses being busy as a strategy for avoiding one's
problems. To use Buddhist language, a workaholic takes refuge in being
busy. 

Drawing on that notion of going for refuge to a practice in order to
avoid facing unpleasant realities (especially unpleasant realities
within oneself), I made the casual observation that dhyāna can be
addictive; one can be a "dhyānaholic" (if I may be permitted to coin yet
another ridiculous and ill-formed word). Some people (I being among
them) will go to considerable length to avoid unpleasant realities. I
have spent countless hours on meditation cushions being quite peaceful
as a way of avoiding addressing my own kleshas. The Buddha himself
warned against this. I ignored his advice. People who had to live with
me paid the price.

-- 
Richard