another question for buddhists: marijuanna as a meditation tool?
Oct.18, 2007 in
Meditation software
greysmilyface asked:
this isn’t just a dumb stoner question, either. do buddhist scriptures or stories about buddha mention marijuanna use? did people in buddha’s time smoke pot? did buddha himself, before or after enlightenment? do any buddhists agree that it is a good tool for meditation?
just responding to student for life…weed doesn’t act the same way for everyone; when i smoke it i get extra aware. sure, it makes some people seem dumb, but if used for a purpose it can have the opposite effect. personally, it helps me to concentrate and it never really “clouds” my mind, and some of my best ideas and revelations have come to me while high. anyway, thanks for the input.
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this isn’t just a dumb stoner question, either. do buddhist scriptures or stories about buddha mention marijuanna use? did people in buddha’s time smoke pot? did buddha himself, before or after enlightenment? do any buddhists agree that it is a good tool for meditation?
just responding to student for life…weed doesn’t act the same way for everyone; when i smoke it i get extra aware. sure, it makes some people seem dumb, but if used for a purpose it can have the opposite effect. personally, it helps me to concentrate and it never really “clouds” my mind, and some of my best ideas and revelations have come to me while high. anyway, thanks for the input.
Question posted courtesy of: Caffeinated Content for WordPress
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:15 am
i’m not a buddhist, but i do zen meditation and have studied buddhism. One of the 5 precepts of buddhism is to refrain from intoxicants which cause the loss of mindfulness. i have never heard of buddha smoking weed, and i don’t think he did. This being said, he was a traveling holy man in india, and holy men in india often use marijuana as part of rituals and attaining higher consciousness, so it is possible. I doubt that buddhists would agree that it is a good tool for meditation, since it clouds the mind, causing a loss of mindfulness and awareness, the very things buddhists want to cultivate.
p.s. if he did smoke, i would assume it would have been before attaining enlightenment, most likely when he was an ascetic holy man. since the precept against intoxicants developed in buddhism, it seems unlikely to me that intoxicants would have been a part of buddha’s post-enlightenment teachings or actions.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:17 am
marijuanna……Full stop
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:08 am
In relation to all the sects of Buddhism that truly are based around the teachings of the Buddha (not all the small personalized ones) — No, marijuana, as “student of life” said, is one of the five precepts of the Buddhist faith. Buddhists believe in the present moment, becoming one with all things, through living in reality and attaining enlightenment. Seeing as how marijuana alters the perception of reality and the fact that enlightenment evolves an awakening and “cleansing” of the mind, marijuana would be highly un-Buddhist. It is possible that many “people” smoked pot in the Buddhas’ time, but not any “Buddhists.” It is not likely that the Buddha smoked pot before or after his enlightenment because (want we do know) he always, even from a child, sought a deep understanding and clarity of the world, not a false misconception of it. It would not be considered a good tool for meditation simply because the purpose of meditation is to become extremely aware of the present moment and the universe, entering into a place of eternal peace and happiness with all current things (via the breath). This would not be possible if someone was high or part of a different and altered perception. Hopefully I have given you a good perception on what the TRUE Buddhists believe about marijuana.
Eternal Happiness to All
Pertaining to your additional comment, while it may make you extra aware, the Buddhists believe that this can be achieved without the need for drugs and attained by constant practice and discipline. Peace