A community for the general discussion of Buddhism, dharma, and meditation.
Skillful Drug Use
I actually discovered Buddhism through drug use. I ate a bunch of morning glory seeds and had a wonderful trip and watched Samsara. I spent a few hours meditating on feeling one with all of existence. I know it was the drugs; that's why I took them. I know that the path to enlightenment is not through drug use. But how do you guys feel about psychedelics as a tool for meditation?




Are you talking Zen or another sect?
From my understanding of Zen, anytime you're "in the moment" you're enlightened. And Nirvana is the absence of everything, including the desire to experience Nirvana and enlightenment.
So, technically, if drugs help you to be "in the moment" then maybe they're ok, as long as they don't hinder anyone or cause more suffering and delusion in the world.
I mean, technically everything you experience is a delusion, according to Zen, so none of this matters anyway.
I'm honestly not sure. I haven't tried to look into any individual sect, just sort of generally exploring philosophy at the moment. I read somewhere that drug use wasn't considered skillful, but I've had some pretty profound experiences baked out of my mind. Thanks for the perspective.
Traditionally, the five precepts are:
1) Don't kill
2) Don't steal
3) Don't rape/cheat
4) Don't lie
5) Don't drink
Some interpret #5 as "don't consume intoxicants" but most translations are literally "don't drink alcohol" as far as I've seen.
The reason being that alcohol causes us to not be able to stop ourselves from doing #1, #2, and #3, and having to commit #4 the morning after, when our indiscretions while under the influence of alcohol catch up with us.
The whole hallucinogens/drugs thing is, in my view, an entirely different matter altogether, because the reason you're doing it is different than with alcohol, most likely. Heck, even alcohol can be used, if you're very careful, in a responsible manner, so the main thing is just to be responsible, I think.
Don't let yourself become heedless. Do everything with mindfulness.
Also, remember that release from all attachments (including the attachment you might have to the idea of being unattached) lies at the heart of Buddhist practice. So don't get attached to the feelings you get or the experiences you're having, because they're all just a delusion anyhow.