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Caffeine
ShiftPlusOne
Veteran
Breaks the fifth precept. Yay or nay?
0
Comments
:coffee:
???
Yes? What stops that rule from extending to other precepts and situations. Sure, the first three are more about doing The Right Thing™ than mindfulness, but what about the rest of them? What about people who claim that they can have x amount of beers and be perfectly mindful?
I don't know, that approach raises more questions than it answers.
Or maybe I am just making it more of an issue than it deserves to be.
i don't know what it is about scandinavians, but they drink a lot of coffee. my family will have a pot brewing all day and night and switch to decaf when it gets real late. to be honest, i'm not even sure that i experience much of an effect from coffee anymore, other than i like the taste. i think it's better than drinking pop, but i will also drink tea.
As with many other drugs, it's quite easy to develop a tolerance for it. Depending on the level of tolerance, that leads to withdrawal symptoms like irritability or even depression... Do you notice yourself withdrawal symptoms if you go a day or two without it?
Buddha said not to kill, but in the case where you have to kill in order to save lives (as in a mass murderer), then you should.
Buddha said not to lie, but in the case where lying can be more beneficial than telling the truth (like calming a kidnapper), then lying is advised.
And so on.
Above all, the key is to maintain awareness and to be mindful of your actions and their repercussions. Do they bring benefit, or do they not?
Lol, I don't know many people like that.
i'm just going to be completely honest and say that at the present time, i see no reason to quit drinking coffee. it hasn't even been a year since i quit smoking and i'm still pretty proud of that! but like cigarettes, perhaps someday the day will come when i feel the urge to quit rise in me. but until that day, it matters not what others say. *shrugs* where there's a will, there's a way... but i have no will as of yet.
Cigarettes and coffee can enhance concentration. Not that you shouldn't avoid those for other reasons.
One Theravada meditation center I attended seemed to be pretty good about always having a coffee freely available.
Anyone here ever meditate on Ritalin or any other ADHD drug?
If one drug breaks the fifth precept they all do in my opinion (except of course when taken specifically for medicinal purpose). According to my quick scan of the interwebs some Bhikku's allow it and some don't based on it being a stimulant. This makes me think it is open to interpretation. I'm curious if certain schools of Buddhism lean one way or another.
On the other hand, someone who is already sleepy or tired should be able to take the coffee and reduce the sloth/torpor without producing an unusual amount of restlessness.
This is why so much is subjective and we must all decide for ourselves rather try to be true to rigid unbending rules. One glass of wine with dinner and I don't even feel a buzz (I weigh 200 lbs) yet one cup of coffee (even with breakfast) and it is 6-8 hours of insanity.
When you first start drinking it you feel the effects of it, so i don't think there is much difference between that and smaller doses of some other drugs (as caffeine and alcohol in small doses seem to have pretty similar effects on behaviour - talkativeness and such for example). It is true that with regular use for most people it doesn't do anything anymore - but when trying to stop there are all kinds of unpleasant effects. So even than it has some potential to break your mindfulness.
That is not to say that i care if someone drinks coffee much - everyone probably can see best for themselves whether caffeine or no caffeine is better for them. But just because its culturally excepted doesn't make it beneficial.
Also, I don't see why intoxicants wouldn't involve stimulants?
Doesn't intoxicant mean something that intoxicates?
Well if caffeine stimulates you then I guess it qualifies as an intoxicant if we want to get all black and white about it. I'm still curious what Sanghas and different schools of Buddhism have to say on the subject if anyone has knowledge on it.
GO ORANGE JUICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rockon:
I mix decaf and regular so I can brew a full pot for my mom and I. So we have 1 or 2 mugs but its part decaf.
i'm posting this here in case anyone was thinking about quitting cold turkey. best to wean yourself off gradually, i suppose.
Another thing? If you are drinking the coffee because it tastes good, makes you feel good: no problem!
If you are drinking it to keep yourself going, can't do without it, drinking to stay awake or work harder: THAT might be a problem.
I used to take them and it was very similar to speed. I couldn't stop talked, yet I felt very affectionate, warm, and open.
I could go on a deep conversation about life and philosophy for hours. The crash is nasty, though.
As such, I don't think this really applies to things like coffee or tea, which are intoxicants in the sense of being stimulants, but not intoxicating to the point of heedlessness or negligence.
If properly prescribed the person taking the amphetamine for their diagnosed ADD or ADHD would simply be able to function normally.
If stimulant abuse was involved it would be fifth-precept adverse in a BIG way.
The drug does allow the brain to focus intensely, BUT it is said there is little creativity involved and thinking is not very flexible. People get heavily into repetitive or executive actions like organizing or logical thinking for long periods of time.
What about caffeine as an unskillful attachment?