Applying Buddhist Practices to Advocacy: The Advocacy-Serving Model

Abstract

Creating and retaining empathic connections with the most disenfranchised among us can take a toll on the wellness of counselor advocates. The Advocacy-Serving Model is introduced as a creative approach to strengthening the ability of advocates to serve through enhancing awareness, focusing actions, and connecting to community. The model integrates Buddhist practices into advocacy work. This article includes a brief description of advocacy, an overview of applicable Buddhist approaches, and an illustration of the model used in individual advocacy work.

Applying Buddhist Practices to Recovery: What I Learned From Skiing With a Little Buddha Wisdom

“…He embarked on a journey seeking wisdom from different spiritual practices and teachers hoping to find solutions to suffering. After 7 years of wandering, while meditating under a Bodhi (Bodhi‐enlightenment) tree, he realized that although negative conditions are inevitable, the suffering can be managed, as was evident with the mendicant (Warren, Klepper, Lambert, Nunez, & Williams, 2011, p. 135).…”

“…Buddha means an enlightened being (Warren et al, 2011, p. 136). An enlightened being has realized that there is a way to manage suffering.…”

“…The eightfold path is having the right (wise) view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration (Gyatso, 2005; Kumar, 2002). The middle way balances demands, desires, attachments, and cravings with reasonable limitations (Marlatt, 2002; Warren et al, 2011).…”

“…Five Buddhist practices—enlightenment, compassion, acceptance, daily practice, and the spiritual community (Sangha)—serve as the foundation for the Integrated Recovery Model (see Figure 1). Although similar in form to the Advocacy Serving Model (Warren et al, 2011, p. 138), the Integrated Recovery Model applies to recovery, not to self‐care in advocacy.…”

“…The moving self represents enlightenment. In the Buddhist view, the enlightened self is simply a reflection of perception and action (Warren et al, 2011). “The crumbling of the false self occurs through awareness” (Epstein, 1995, p. 73).…”