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The Dharma is like a mind altering addictive drug...
Shoshin
No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran
Kia Ora,
The Dharma (for me) is like a mind altering psychedelic addictive drug...Once hooked there's no going back...
Edited:
Metta Shoshin 
1
Comments
Yes; but unlike most mind-altering drugs, prolonged use actually improves the condition, and the side-effects are all pretty progressive....
The Buddha has been described as a Doctor, and his Dhamma the prescription.
Never tried drugs so I'm not sure if the comparison is accurate.
Dharma makes you more lucid about reality and, if anything, no self-inflicted suffering is involved in the process.
It can make you high, I agree.
As to 'no going back,' it's very personal. Some people go to an fro in the spiritual path.
I like dharma medicine better, as it is sensually, orally, visually and aurally appealing, with an added faint aroma all constantly changing at once (well ok it's not always delightful and appealing), and mentally feels cleaner than taking drugs.
I'm off to to walk the dog and seek out the elusive dharmadhatu, I will take my camera and see if I can catch a glimpse of it, otherwise I will just take a few snaps of things I find delightful and appealing, and some I might not - I'm a budding photographer today...
Kia Ora @dharmamom,
"Once hooked" there's no going back, ie once "experienced" there's no going back...
Metta Shoshin
Yes, @shoshin, I got what you mean. I, for one, feel that there's no going back for me.
But like I said, some people do choose to go back. Spirituality is a personal path and it does not work the same way with everyone.
We'll see.
I have known plenty of " Dharma addicts " who five years later had brought back all the stuff and more that they discarded during their conversion phase.
I am not saying that will happen to you..but it happens.
Kia Ora @dharmamom,
That's true, but I guess only for those who have yet to fully experience the benefits that comes from Dharma practice....
A Zen master once said :
"Great Faith and Great Doubt are two ends of a spiritual walking stick. We grip one end with the grasp given to us by our Great Determination. We poke into the underbrush in the dark on our spiritual journey. This act is real spiritual practice -- gripping the Faith end and poking ahead with the Doubt end of the stick. If we have no Faith, we have no Doubt. If we have no Determination, we never pick up the stick in the first place."
Metta Shoshin:)
Kia Ora @Citta,
So have "I"...
Metta Shoshin
Again with the inverted commas...
Once opened that door never fully shuts.
Kia Ora@Citta,
Because you're so special .....
Metta Shoshin
Kia Ora@MeisterBob,
And that's what I'm talking about....
Metta Shoshin
)
Yes, the Dharma is quite a bit like a psychedelic drug
When psychedelics are used with respect and intention, they can open up all of the doors the ego has locked up tightly. Down and down you go, into a deep level of transcendent wisdom, love, and interconnectedness- a kind of primordial hallway through which all things pass.
However, the thing with psychedelics is that the effects only last so long. Also, people with certain psychological predispositions can be quite damaged by experimentation with these substances. The Dharma, on the other hand, opens one up to the wisdom of that level of being in a much more gradual, yet long lasting and practical manner.
In my little swim through the river of life, psychedelics pointed me in the direction of Dharma, and now the Dharma is revealing many of the things that my psychedelic experiences taught me but my untrained mind could only grasp onto for a short while.
I think it is all about getting the balance right between spiritualism and materialism. No one can tell you how to do it, you have to find that way.
Psychedelics are often quoted as being the 'third eye opener', and Tibetan buddhism to me always comes across in their art, as revealing that there is a psychedelic aspect of mind (I see it as multidimensional, but can never grasp why - meditating on a thangka image for a good hour is like taking a psychedelic, particularly when you close your eyes, I also get that when I meditate on William Blake's art as well - God judging Adam is a great one to start with!), and that I assume is what visualisation practices connect with.
I am not sure..@anataman
I think we may have to distinguish between the kind of visualisation found in certain kinds of therapy and personal development, Jungian or example, and Higher Yoga Tantras where the aim is to connection with manifestations of the Dharmakaya that have objective existence, and which require empowerment from a teacher who has made that connection themselves.
And do not involve simply gazing at images.
Kia Ora Kind folk,
Please remember I said "like" in the sentence, as in "similar to", but not necessarily the "same as"...I just thought I would clarify this...
Believe it or not, originally this thread was just meant to be a way of expressing the powerful impact the Dharma can have on a person's life...It's life changing...
Metta Shoshin
Yes I get that @Citta, it's just that the art-form itself suggests the psychedelic aspect I referred to above. I have come to know the difference between a retinal image burn and it's after-image and a purely mental manifestation which manifests with a life of its own, and that can be an unsettling and fear-provoking phenomenon, and for me has been a glimpse of what may come at the moment of death; that is why I meditate - to prepare for that moment.
Kia Ora,
I should point out that I'm not advocating any form of illegal drug use...
This video is quite interesting and explores Buddhism (Zen) and psychedelic drugs...It's the first of three videos...
Metta Shoshin
In case there is doubt in Higher Yoga Tantra the yidam or subject visualised is not seen as a mental object which manifest a life of its own..it starts with the assumption that the Yidam does indeed have a life of its own every bit as real ( but no more real ) than your life or mine.
But that is perhaps for another thread altogether.
Indeed, having not done inititaed higher yogic tantra, I bow to your understanding of it so back to the thread.
Ok, from experience, having indulged myself will all manner of psychoactive and addictive drugs I can say, without any reservation whatsoever, that what you suggest couldn't be farther from the truth. Probably the most egregious analogy I've ever read, actually.
I mean, if you want to think that way, it's up to you, but ........
I will have to agree with Chaz.
If your path has gone from chopping wood/carrying water to some kind of down the rabbit hole, fantasy adventure, you have wandered into a cul de sac.
Not to worry though. Life has a way slapping your face to bring you back around.
egregious is a bit harsh in my view, as sometimes it can appear like your a character in a fantasy adventure. Your comment might also be seen as an egregious comment by the fact you used it in that way.
In fact I'm having a fantastic time at the moment, but thats not because I'm doing drugs, it's because I think the world is fantastic and dazzling and psychedelic - just seeing the sun reflected in a puddle looks cool (why are hippies always Caricatured as living in VW camper vans covered in sunflowers and rainbows), as does a cloud creeping across the sky not bothered by me in any way, and that blade of grass just waving in the wind, I get @Shoshin's point in a way. When you have glimpsed it, you want more, but striving to get it, is not the way to get it again and again and again (unlike like psychedelics - where you need to pop the pill to get the feel), you just have to relax your mind, and in some ways that can be viewed as an addiction, but who says all addictions are negative - not me ... \ lol / ...
The archaic (English) definition of 'egregious' is "remarkably good, respected'.
In fact, in Italy, when addressing formal letters, it is very much current standard practise to begin a letter with "Egregio Signore...."
See this dictionary....
Having become totally familiar with this definition, during my upbringing, it absolutely goes completely against my specific grain, to consider the word as an opposite adjective, even though the very same dictionary confirms it.......
Isn't language a funny thing...?
This is, grammatically, what is known as a 'False Friend'. (In other words, the same, or extremely similar word, in a different language, meaning either the opposite, or an entirely different meaning altogether.)
The moral of this post, is:
@Shoshin? Take it any way you want.
Well, that would follow, seeing as my hip-hop name is "Egregious C".
None of the above.
I have friends who would, after reading that, insist that you're on Needle Drugs.
Which, of course, is just sterotype BS. I was a "hippie" and drove a Datson 510 station wagon. After that I had a '67 Mustang convertible. I had an apartment. I actually had hippie friends who drove a VW microbus but nobody I knew had sunflowers
But you may pleased to know that I'm growing sunflowers in a cutti ng garden this year. I love 'em.
And I'm working on a CD we'll name "Werd Salad".
I can't place "addictive" in the same room as the Dharma without noticing how innately dis similar they are to each other. One limits freedom, while the other is actually freedoms expression.
I had a Datsun 410. 1200cc with a 3 speed on the column. Great fun!
I'm pretty sure it helped with my hippie image.
I mean, if you want to think that way, it's up to you, but ........
In fairness, I agree in that the analogy did not work for me and the more I ponder the more it seems to say the opposite of how I personally think I see it.
That said, plonking a LOL on the OP to denote disagreement feels unwholesomely passive aggressive and combined with the unfortunately patronising 'see it your way but...' probably isn't the best suited way to serve yourself or others.
@Chaz, you are sailing a bit close to the wind with some really patronising comments.
perhaps you'd care to take note out of this 'Sufi' saying...
don't get high on nirvana
Until you taste it, it doesn't matter....
When you taste it, it doesn't matter...
~ Oh how much I love the world of words and expression and although the archaic term may be quite respectable, I'm not archaic, and neither are any of you, I don't believe it was used archaically, but who knows - benefit of the doubt given (wriggle).
I am unashamedly needle-mark-free, and will always be!
but likewise 'don't get low on samsara'
I fully appreciate your enthusiasm. It is like finding a book of wisdom that explains what we need to know and how to get there. It is intoxicating.
It is also sobering. This is not a hobby or a Sunday service. It can be and eventually is a way of being. A way of being that is both mundane and wonderful in its simplicity.
:clap: .
Kia Ora, @Shoshin!
The simile was probably strange but I do get what you mean. There is a certain inebriation and elation when the truths of Dharma deeply resonate with you.
I deeply believe in the Dharma and I'm happy to see you're so enthusiastic yourself.
Kia Ora,
Thanks for the comments, and good morning (or I guess good afternoon/evening to some)-The birds are singing and the sun is rising and I'm drinking a cup of Tie Guan Yin Oolong tea, just to put you all in the picture....
How a person chooses to interpret my original post, is entirely up to them...I'm not offended by the not so pleasant comments, just intrigued...And most importantly I hope I have not offended others with my analogy of sorts....
"The mind is the root from which all things grow !" And fortunately I have a built in organic weed killer to nip things in the bud, should the need arise....
Metta Shoshin
Kia Ora @federica,
I take it like I take my Oolong tea, black with a spoon of local honey... -:D -
Metta Shoshin
)
Kia Ora@iamthezenmaster,
Can you smoke it or does it come in pill form or syringe ?
Metta Shoshin
That's what's great about this forum @Shoshin. You can almost guarantee you will get something unexpected!
And what's even greater: you won't see it coming.
Kia Ora@anataman,
That's so true, moment to moment one ventures into the unknown thus making it known for that moment...Life is weird and wonderful...
Metta Shoshin:)
Kia Ora@dharmamom,
True, that's why it pays to expect the unexpected by just going with the flow :clap: .. .Life would be so boring if one always knew what was going to happen next .. :coffee: .
Metta Shoshin
)
At least you can get the emoticons to work for you. That is totally unexpected!
Kia Ora @dharmamom,
Call it instant karma ..:D. see now they don't work...
Metta Shoshin
)
see now they don't work ...
...
... :coffee: ...
the Art is to contain the emoticon ... \ lol / ...
The art is to contain ourselves....
indeed
Time to make up our own minds?