Best Of
Re: The Plant Medicine Path
It’s quite interesting why these kinds of chemicals occur in the plant world. Pollan’s speculation is that there must be some evolutionary advantage. His first impulse was to see if it would serve as a defense mechanism, but then what to make of psilocybin mushrooms, where the substance is concentrated in the fruiting body of the fungus, meant to be eaten, and not in the mycelium network, which would need to be defended.
Jeroen
Re: The Plant Medicine Path
I came across someone on another forum who was talking about “the well-crazy psychedelic shit that is going down in some places” and he posted this link…
https://www.ecstaticintegration.org/p/dmt-on-mega-yachts-inside-the-psychedelic
It struck me, to be combining psychedelics with other drugs like cocaine and amphetamines or to be doing the strongest substances like 5-meo-DMT weekly when it takes most people six months to a year to get over a single experience is crazy and self destructive.
You have to ask yourself what hole in your life are you trying to fill with that behaviour. What the modern science of addiction tells us is that for the most part addiction is a response to something crucial lacking in your daily life, that if you are happy and fulfilled you will not go looking for substances. And merely being wealthy does not lead to happiness or fulfilment.
There are better ways to handle a psychoactive substance, and that is to learn and to cure. The shamanic path that the Peruvian curanderos follow is to learn a plant substance, to diet it, and in that way to learn to handle its spirit, for the purposes of learning and curing. It is a spiritual path, of curing those who are spiritually ill.
Jeroen
Re: “502” error on this site
Icrontic (which shares the server with NB) is getting swarmed by bots scraping the contents for AI nonsense, which is a growing problem across the Web. I've blocked a number of them for now, which hopefully will help. I have longer-term ideas but lack the time to implement them this week.
Linc
Re: No Buddhist Quotes
“When you learn to be the witness of your thoughts and emotions, which is an essential part of being present, you may be surprised when you first become aware of the background "static" of ordinary unconsciousness and realise how rarely, if ever, you are truly at ease within yourself. On the level of your thinking, you will find a great deal of resistance in the form of judgment, discontent, and mental projection away from the Now. On the emotional level, there will be an undercurrent of unease, tension, boredom, or nervousness. Both are aspects of the mind in its habitual resistance mode.”
— Eckhart Tolle
Jeroen
Re: Not biting the hook
I love this quote from the article: "This is not to say that the world doesn’t exist; it’s just that we’ve never lived in it."
In my opinion this is a great way to explain the idea of illusion to people newly approaching Buddhism. If they hear "everything is an illusion" when they are clearly living a life in the world, there is a danger there that part of their mind senses an obvious contradiction and will close the door on it.
Re: Not biting the hook
What larger force wants to consume me?
Uroborus, the well known Alchemical Buddhist magickal dragon, gives birth to his own consumption...
Sometimes the dragon is a worm. Sometimes the rescuer of the pure.
One of the most difficult aspects of Yogacara Buddhism is the idea that we are the creators of reality/existence. The limited Trump/Dali type crazy, believe they are the center of the universe.
So what!
Some of us are crazy enough to try to do good with such a great responsibility. We are the 'mother of dragons'? Or just a minded worm?
https://www.lionsroar.com/how-do-we-create-our-reality/
lobster
Re: Buddhism and Traumatic Life History
@Jeroen
It is not so much about letting go as it is about attaining a different perspective.
I am a Viet Nam Veteran War veteran, I have had to endure the near death and subsequent paralysis of a son, the death of another son in a tragic accident, the death of my wife, and other not so pleasant issues. I did not "let go" of the various hardships and losses. The are all still with me.
However, I was able to change the way I relate to each and all of them. Instead of allowing the pain and the suffering to envelope me, to turn me into a victim, I used my Buddhism to turn these stumbles and losses into sources of positive actions. I was/am able to help others who have their losses, to encourage them, Buddhist and non-Buddhist , through my experiences and my overcoming the very real pain and suffering. To turn suffering into challenge, victory and joy.
No, I do not forget or let go, I rose above and let the each pain, each suffering pass through. I then filled each void with the spark of determination, of empathy, compassion, of hope. By overcoming the negative, by enduring the pain and allowing it to pass through instead "letting go", I have emerged wiser, stronger, better able to encourage, aid and lift others. I am able to nurture my gratitude, to find joy in both loss and gain.
Your friend is searching, seeking. it is her way of finding solace, of mourning, of healing. That is her chosen path to heal. Her experience will always be a part of her it will always be with her. But it can be a base from which she can grow positively.
In another view, in the Buddhist sense, we might say the "letting go" is really "letting flow". Allowing the pain and grief to pass through the discovering the path to grow and rise out of that loss and grief.
At least, that has been my path.
Peace to all
Lionduck
Re: Buddhism and Traumatic Life History
My Mother is the same way. She’s very comfortable in her discomfort. Always has been.
Vastmind