i dont recall the tao te ching mentioning hallucinogens. taoism is moreso a philosophy of being than it is a set of rules and restrictions
no matter what you make your tea from, or how you journey and learn, be sure to smell the roses along the way, and mind the thorns.
idk what the taoists say, but. weed can either be an indulgence or an aid. i think the most important thing to take heed would be crave.
Taoism is just a philosophy and a way of life. I don't think it would advocate either the restriction or the advocation of marijauna.
Hi, Several of the Taoist poets (e.g. Tao Chien) praise inebriation by wine as the prefered state. Granted, it is chiefly metaphoric, but hardly proscribed against. Wine & weed are at least cousins, and often hang together. "Li Po, in the depths of his mountain solitude. Drunk with wine and beauty, cries: 'I am three with the moon and my shadow.'" (John Blofeld, 'Taoism, The Road to Immortality')
if there is no self, and only the integral way, what is the meaning of altering the mind, when there is no mind and no not mind? i fail to see how a person who was at one with the all of existence would find attraction or gratification in substance. if you are one with the universe, why would you need anything to alter your perceptions? there's nothing it can give you that you aren't already there.
Natural Philosophy: i think you misunderstand the philosophy with a post like that NS: 'Philosophical Taoism' is a philosophy that is very easy to "misunderstand." Understanding comes from misunderstanding; never the other way around. The Maxx: i fail to see how a person who was at one with the all of existence would find attraction or gratification in substance. NS: Objects have their natural ways of attraction and repulsion. When thirsty the body drinks, and when hungry it eats. "The grass grows of itself." There is no need to pull on its stems, or push on its roots, nor are gods required to create longer leaves for it. The human mind has always been attracted to, and enjoyed, altered states. Where is the need to resist this "way of life"? The Maxx: if there is no self, and only the integral way, ... if you are one with the universe, why would you need anything to alter your perceptions? NS: Are they "Your" perceptions, if there is "no self" to have them? There is no being "one with the universe," so long as one is occupied with being exclusively one with a particular individual, and that person's altered perceptions. "The source of life is as a mother, be fond of both mother and children, but know the mother dearer, and you outlive death." ('Tao Teh Ching' #52) This means to hold to the Source, in preference to the individual form (or its functions). In Zen and Taoism this 'detachment' and 'letting things be, and do, what they are,' is called 'wu wei.' All appearances (e.g. Maxx, NonSum) are merely the stuff of dreams. If you dream tonight that you get stoned out of your mind, does that mean you will wake up in the morning wrecked and hung over? Take everything lightly as a passing dream, my friend. "I lift my jug to hang on a cold branch From time to time I stare into the distance: Born into the midst of dream-illusion Why should I submit to dusty bonds." (Tao Ch'ien)
i agree to an extent-- but i tend to think that even the wisest needed time and experience to get where they got. psychedelics may certainly have been an aid to many of our species.. maybe the royal circumstance of Gautama's early life led him to develop a personality characterized by self-assertion, overindulgence, or pride.. Maybe his own disgust with his own habits in the face of the reality of the majority of people led him to explore the austere lifestyle. like any human, Lao Tzu and his counterparts, probably went through a lot of introspection to come to the conclusions that they did. cannabis has a high risk of overindulgence-- as a smoker myself, id advise keeping it special and mainly for meditation. It makes your brain slow. I think an achieved Taoist values sharpness of mind over the euphoria of ganj.
Yin is the key to longevity, that is, those things which slow metabolism. Therefore, whatveer substances make ones breathing harsh or male one stimulated are going to age you faster.
