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cannabis in Buddism
Hello are natural drugs allowed in Buddhism.
Mainly cannabis as i have used for years.
never abused it just to enhance a feeling.
Am hoping the answer is yes as they are left on the earth.
Redfrog1971
Mainly cannabis as i have used for years.
never abused it just to enhance a feeling.
Am hoping the answer is yes as they are left on the earth.
Redfrog1971
0
Comments
It doesn't really mater that it's natural, so is mercury.
You could argue that the 5th precept only applies to alcohol.
From other topics like this, it seems like a lot of people who have used it in the past have stopped after getting into Buddhism. It doesn't look like they regret it either.
I have no idea if it is allowed in buddhism. That would touch on whether you are a 'buddhist' if you have/have not taken all the precepts. The precepts are to keep ethical conduct which is part of all the paths of buddhism.
I would point out that using cannabis to "enhance a feeling" would be particularly inconsistent with Buddhism because Buddhism is about experiencing feelings as they really are. I don't suppose you would use cannabis to enhance a negative feeling, either, which would show attachment to positive feelings.
But please do that search for the other threads on this topic.
"BUDDHISM (Tibet, India and China) - from the 5th Century B.C.E. on - ritually used cannabis; initiation rites and mystical experiences were (are) common in many Chinese Buddhist sects.
Some Tibetan Buddhists and lamas (priests) consider cannabis their most holy plant. Many Buddhist traditions, writings, and beliefs indicate that Siddhartha (the Buddha) himself, used and ate nothing but hemp and its seeds for six years prior to announcing (discovering) his truths and becoming the Buddha (Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path)."
I know my path off to enlightenment will cross the path off cannabis a lot
We can't stop you from mixing Buddhism and cannabis. Nobody can. You will do what you want to do. This discussion has been had many times here, and the majority opinion is that cannabis is an intoxicant. If you already knew you would keep using cannabis despite any answers you got here, why did you ask the question?
Having a political cause if fine, but going on a Buddhist board and declaring cannabis to be a historical part of Buddhist practice isn't going to fly. Many of us probably wish it was legalized, but it's still an intoxicant.
Of course, the famous Simon & Garfunkel line comes to mind....
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest".....
Please cite a reliable source, link or quotation for your claims on Tibetan Buddhism and the current use of cannabis.
Of course, if you believe this to be true, then you can always follow Tibetan Buddhism, but bear in mind that even if this seems to fall in with your ideas on the use of cannabis, there may be more in Tibetan Buddhism with which you do not agree, and which does not sit well with you - in which case, it would be an unskillful reason for which to follow Tibetan Buddhism....that is, the fact they seem to use cannabis, and that reason alone....
What I'm trying to say is, Buddhism is not a 'pick 'n' mix' vocation, calling or religion. You cannot follow Buddhism and decide you like this bit, so you'll go with it, but you don't like that bit, so you'll ignore it, or find something to support your ideas, so there.
The 5th precept clearly states that you should make effort to refrain from using Intoxicants. Recreational drugs fall under that category.
This is obviously not what you want to hear.
So I guess you may well disregard the rest.
Advocating or promoting the use of drugs on this forum,is not something that is actively encouraged, either.
I wouldn't try to convince you to give it up I guess, but I will echo everyone else. My pharmacy training in addictions said that its wasting words to try to push someone along the steps to recovery. The first step if I recall is to see some of the negatives as well as the positives. Or maybe it was a once sided view of negatives and then a more realistic pro and con weighing.
I recommend mindfulness or an awareness practice to get the experience of an alternative to marijuana. Or even to become more aware so you can see what YOU want out of your experience.
"because its in nature its supposed to be good for humans"
Cut off intoxicants and get to meditating. If you really wish to see things just as they are, one must plant wisdom seeds in the past to see the constant harvest in the future.
Actually, I'm pretty sure its not allowed.
"5th precept: Suramerayamajja pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami --
I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness."
Sure, you could smoke pot. But why be a Buddhist then?
Pretend you are fat and you want to diet. So you begin to diet, but all the while you sneak a Snickers and Butterfinger in there. Yeah, sure it wouldn't hurt TOO much, but if you're going to keep eating the way you do, why do it at all? You're not learning anything by doing it.
But, on another note, who says just one beer leads to carelessness? It typically doesn't. So you might as well drink too, in moderation.
I'm surprised by all the Buddhists on here who drink and smoke pot. Well, it seems to me like I was wrong about the whole "The reason drugs and other intoxicants are not allowed in Buddhisms is because Buddhists consider the mind to be a precious thing and would prefer it to be in its purest form."
Ah well. I suppose I have failed again in my attempt at finding myself. Wrong about that and probably most other things. I must not understand this whole living by the precepts and eightfold path thing fully. Probably not the rest of Buddhist concepts either.
Osho's line comes to mind; 'meditation is the perfect drug'. 'No side effects'.
as for the weed.. if you are using it regularly and find it hard to stop then you are using it to escape from feelings and emotions.. maybe look at what it is your trying to run away from? xxx
Cannabis is a mood altering, psychoactive drug or nobody would be smoking it to begin with. It's kinda the whole point. I don't care if you light up, but the fact that you've convinced yourself that all it's doing is calming you down a little without effecting your coordination or judgement concerns me. This sort of thing is part of the attachment leading to suffering that Buddhism is trying to teach you, and why the precepts warn us about intoxicants.
There's a long history of seekers incorporating mind altering chemicals as part of a religious experience, so you might learn something about yourself, but please be careful. Don't let the lesson be that you can't drive and get stoned at the same time.
This seems an unsupported claim. Could one not also reply that cannabis is not an intoxicant? What does intoxicated mean in this context? Must I avoid the fun-fare in case I get intoxicated by adrenalin and dopamine?
I can see a clear dharmic reason why one should not lie, steal, murder etc. I don't see the same reasons, de facto, for cannabis.
>>>>Translated, smoking pot makes people do stupid things.
Again, I don't think this is clear or certain.
My take on this is that cannabis is not going to help dharma practice in the vast majority of people, myself included (perhaps there are some it will, i cant imagine how). For many reasons, from how it effects effort and concentration to how it effects Right View.
But to come in guns blazing with it's forbidden by the fifth precept isn't really supported by the historical evidence or the dhamic evidence, IMHO.
Mindful on a full belly of food, mindless on a full belly of food. What's the difference?
Mindful on the cushion, mindless on the cushion. What's the difference?
So is a crewcut and tan. So is an orange robe and shaved head. So is kayaking. So is a factory dumping waste.
Its all nature from a broader perspective. And its all workable. But you might die of lung cancer. Or waste put yourself in a stuck place of suffering hooked.
And no.
The Buddha encouraged us to view all teachings as subjects to examine, ponder, scrutinise and think upon. But he did not say - and nobody has ever said - "you can take the bits you like, and leave the bits you don't like...."
The whole point of questioning the teachings is to discover whether they speak truthfully to you, whether they are logical, sound, appropriate and Right in their instruction.
And there may be many teachings one does not like, and which one is moved to resist, because they simply go against what we feel like doing, or they go against what we have previously thought, or believed.
But that doesn't make them wrong, or inaccurate.
And if we discover that they are NOT wrong, or inaccurate, then it's up to us to not question the teachings, but to question ourselves, and to discover what the resistance against our following them, is. Precisely my point.
But I have to be honest about my beliefs. That doesn't matter I indulge in things I know hurt me. But it takes time to see clearly. My advice is that NO is dogmatic. Don't be divided. Don't identify with potsmoking or non. Just get confused and make mistakes of course within reason. Non-harming creates good karma. If you want to quit and you can't think how that hurts your heart and you long for a different reality. Your conditional mind will eventually change and it will feel workable to quit.
I drink O'douls instead of alcohol so I am still neurotic. But I am less heedless and have greater integration sensitivity of mind and body. Not on my high horse or teary.
it appears to me that the OP is fairly new to buddhism (no offense meant if i am mistaken) and has come here with a prepared opinion and no intent to change. but i think that's okay. you asked, we answered, but until you truly understand our reasons... it makes no difference.
buddhism is about the search for the true nature of reality. pot might make you feel closer to understanding this, but it is a false perception brought about by illusions of a chemical sort. consider, how can warping reality make you further understand reality's true nature? the only meaningful realization i have ever experienced via drug use is, "wow, our brains sure are easily manipulated." it felt pretty profound at the time but sounds pretty stupid now, lol. you know, a lot like most realizations while high.
but like i said, i don't believe the OP will quit just cuz i say so. but i think it might be likely that if you allow yourself to consider the REAL reason why you want so desperately for buddhism to be compatible with pot, you might find it has a lot to do with "cuz i like it and it feels good" and not much to do with "it's helpful for my pursuit of enlightenment" this is the reality.
It's easy to lie to yourself why you want to use drugs with your practice. It's easy to lie to yourself everything thats harmful for you is justified.
i except i am not Buddha and will i travel to be.
i see even by all the comments above there is dissagreance in each.
Zomiegirl and Gracelee both pointed to it, yes i have a preconceived idea, that does not mean i am not a Buddhist, yet i asked is it ok. I take the no's as yes.
Where i head on my path is my path. i am not wrong. i am just not on your path.
There where a few very negative no's they seem to force a issue.
My path is mine and i travel it. i pick the Buddha to suit neither is wrong yet all are right.
Frog
You're just picking and choosing.
If you are a believer in B uddhism, you believe Buddhism to be the guide to Life you need.
And it advises you against taking recreational drugs.
Therefore, if you choose to ignore such recommendations, (and that is of course, your choice to make) then you are being selective about this Guide, and are merely taking the bits which seem to conjoin with your opinions.
Which of course, makes the Guide easy-peasy..... In that case, you're going to have to put down some of the crap you're carrying, because you're just going to make your own journey that much more challenging.... DisagreeMENT. You're contradicting yourself. You first said 'yet i am not a buddhist', and now you're saying 'that doesn't mean I'm not a Buddhist'.
So are you - or aren't you? Then you are sadly deluded. No, means 'NO'. If you take it to mean 'yes', you might as well not even bothered having asked the question.
This is a senseless point of View based on Ignorance, Attachment and Craving.
Trust me - No - is No.
And which path are you on then?
because I do not recognise your signposts at all...
Are you making up the map as you go along? It would also help if you actually made sense.
So the crux is, you asked us whether cannabis is allowed in Buddhism, hoping the answer would be yes.
There has been an overwhelming slant towards, "No not really, but the choice is yours, however, it is advised against, and it's not a constructive element to helping anyone along their journey"....
So you've now come back with what basically amounts to "oh well, it's ok, because I'm not really following Buddhism anyway, and I'm going to do what I want".
Is that an accurate summary?
You're right though, given the right kind of person, it can lead to great things. Hell, without LSD, we probably wouldn't have Apple Computers.
Anyway, all I was really suggesting was that the "more real/vivid than reality" experiences may convince people that something relatively insignificant or false is very important.
From www.buddhanet.net:
Q:
Well, what about alcohol? Surely a little drink doesn't hurt.
A:
People don't drink for the taste. When they drink alone it is in order to seek release from tension and when they drink socially, it is usually to conform. Even a small amount of alcohol distorts consciousness and disrupts self-awareness. Taken in large quantities, its effect can be devastating.
Q:
But drinking just a small amount wouldn't be really breaking the precept, would it? It's only a small thing.
A:
Yes, it is only a small thing and if you can't practice even a small thing, your commitment and resolution isn't very strong, is it?
my day to day struggle with buddhism has always been to be aware of our connections to each other and to simply be happy and not suffer (or cause suffering to others). it feels like you're missing the point if you try and bypass all of that by taking a drug that will mimic these feelings ONLY WHEN you are under its influence. nothing real is learned here. this won't make any sort of life altering changes for me because it passes just as soon as the high does.
which begs the question, why do it at all? it's one thing when a person says, "i just like it." but it's quite another when a person claims it will aid them on their spiritual journey. i believe the latter to be a completely false notion whose only root lies in clinging.
Pot is a bit different from alchohol I supppose... Cause I'll have a beer or two once in a blue moon with friends. But, I don't "indulge" because I don't really aspire to drink beer. I don't see much wrong in taking a hit or two every now and then when with friends...
and @mindgate I actually really enjoy the taste of beer. I've actually thought about getting some non-alchoholic beer to drink on