buddhism and marijuana

There are a lot of ways one can rationalize it; but it is an intoxicant and craving - as someone put very succinctly on the first page. Beyond that, it becomes something a lot of people come to rely on and become quite addicted to in their own way. The 'awareness' that so many say it brings is just as well reached by mindfulness and meditation; not by a chemical shortcut.

 

Grim guy,

I can't find your post. Is your profession American post war historian of silent majority politics?

Kris

 

I believe I am having some success using cannabis in help towards enlightenment, but it is difficult and tricky. I like the way it makes me feel and think, so my intent can bet muddled. And experiencing some clinging seems almost inevitable. But that makes it one more opportunity to release, not different from so many others.

I make no claim to any knowledge, but my experience with being high, like meditation it can allow me to experience what I miss. I can become the observer and nothing/everything. But I must be aware that it is a trap. Meditation may or may not dispel illusion, but being high has it built in. If you are not acting with mindfulness, ...... well who knows?

There are many paths.

Hope this made some sense, I am not very good with words. Peace All

 

If I may, one more thought or two. More about hallucinogens but also an example of never knowing where the teacher will appear. In the 70's I had some wonderful mind opening experiences with drugs, but like a meditation that prepares your mind for "that" moment, my greatest lasting realization was the drug itself. Such a small quantity of chemical and the world appears to change. That which I normally perceive becomes obvious illusion if just a small change of my brain chemistry occurs. It puts a lie to what I "believe" is reality. I know your brain chemistry is different from mine, what is your world like? Our own particular Illusion.

But, I may not be a Buddhist. I do use that label as a shortcut. But, I read the posts of those who have a much fuller understanding and realize I am a Westerner reading a book or two, listening to some blogs, meditating now and then kind of pulling out this and that finding what works for me. Maybe it is not the cannabis that keeps me from being a Buddhist.

 

what about not only marijuana but what if i had for or eight green and black jade teeth but also smoke marijuana in the botanical rotational mist of things also in association with the Buddhism reference.

 

i agree with this statement

 

The "chemical shortcut" concept is problematic. If true, is it a shortcut that I could use?

For me, I believe weed has helped me to look at a hardened, defensive ego that normally blocks reality. I would agree that, for me, it is a weak and lazy and like so much, induces craving to be released.

But I am grateful for insight that I might otherwise not have experienced without taking this part of my path.

Peace

 

I think DMT was given to some tibetan bhuddist to smoke once and they said 'it's the lesser lights of the bardot, you cannot go further than this and return'

I don't think bhuddism can be aproached like a religion, nor even an 'idealogy'

to me it appears to be about a conciousness obtained through special techniques for transforming thought. Techniques might include chanting, meditating, accoustical driving

You can see it however you want to, it's all about your perception.

I don't believe marijuana outright prevents you from entering deep medatitive states, though, IMHO, i think it would be a good idea to atleast spend some time medatiting without being on any mind altering substances, just to be aware of your mind in its natural state.

My motive in life is, of course, to end suffering, much like everyone else.

Im not sure I agree that having good sensations and feelings of the body is a bad thing that should be avoided (much like christianity and temptations of the flesh)
rather, our bodies are like vessels designed to feel pleasure, and are capable of feeling pleasure quite easily, without drugs* or sex or the media or anything else todays western mainstream society shoves down our throats.

When i refer to drugs i must point out that the word drug is very poor and innacurate at specifying what a drug really could be.
anything from caffiene, to sugar, to adrenaline, to DMT to pot is referred to as drugs.
and all these things are worlds apart in their function and physiology and effects on a person. They tend to all get bundled into one and it hurts us, as to some people, some of these things are strong medicines, sources of inspiration, they produce visions of guidance etc...

Some drugs may be 'chemical shortcuts' of meditation. I don't realy know though, because I haven't explored meditation enought. It's on my to do list

 

well i guess its problematic in the sense that, if you smoke a cone of DMT, you see full blown hallucanitions and get transported to other planets within seconds. If you could do this by closing your eyes and focusing on breath and meditating, than ..that would be ideal ^^

I suppose you can in a sense if your imagination is strong, but the DMT experience is alot more 'objective', as in, you can't just whisk it away....its THERE.
Maybe this is just a symptom of our terrible materialist society, we are so focused on matter than we have been desensitized to the vision of the 'third eye'

 

Your point stands as is, but when I wrote that, I meant that some people discount cannabis as a short cut, but calling it a short cut does not invalidate it.

I meant to encourage them to reconsider their view. they seem to want to say that it is no path, yet, they seem to allow that it is a tricky, dangerous path (shortcut).

I also believe meditation and mindfulness (in all things) is preferable. I'm most interested in how others answer variations on the original poster's question: "does anyone consider marijuana to interfere with the Buddhist beliefs of mindfulness"

So, I don't know about the Buddhist beliefs, but I believe it does interfere with mindfulness. However, I have accepted that for me there are personal mental forces at work that seem to require something beyond. It could well be my laziness, but I accept that possibility also. I try to be slightly high and mindful to the best of my ability and personal truths and ego states that I would never allow myself to see normally become apparent.

At some point the cannabis use must end and I need to be mindful to know it.

I cling, and despite seeing this for 35 years, it seems I will hold my ego in a death embrace right into my grave.

 

I wrote "mindful to the best of my ability". That is so different than the actual experience. Sorry I can't convey that "process"


Another problem with using cannabis is the time factor. I have never meditated for more than 3 hours, and I have never made it through a meal being mindful. 6 hours under the influence leaves a lot of time for mind wandering.

My pattern seems to be, the first hour I am better able to observe my thoughts and release them. Then my thoughts tend to turn to oneness. I don't have the words for that. It is part sensual, right seeming.

Then some hours remain with a general sense of well being but my thinking is drifting back to more established patterns.

Another interesting period is the "coming down" time. The familiar seems to spark moments of mindfulness. My illusions seem starker.

So, it may be better if the drug affected me for a shorter period of time and as someone else alluded to, the whole experience can fade like a dream. But now that I think about it, my meditation sometimes does that. During meditation something that seems important, valuable, essential, truthful, just fades away and can not be recalled later. If you experience that, multiply it to understand what happens during cannabis use.