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| Hello all. I am a pretty big advocate of marijuana and smoke pretty much daily. I had recently took a two week or so break from smoking and have been experiementing with meditation. I've been reading a lot about it and can't exactly tell if I'm performing it correctly...but there is something about the act that i really enjoy. Anyone who has smoked marijuana understands some of the effects from pot..such as closeness with surroundings and the appreciation of things it can make one feel. I have recently been looking towards constructive ways of incorperating marijuana into different activities, and i was wondering if smoking a few bowls of pot before a session of meditation has in the past proven beneficial in any way or not. Any knowledge on this subject would be must appreciated, thank you all. |
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| Way back in the 70s into the 80s, I was a heavy user. I am still somewhat nostalgic about those times and there are far more good memories than bad, but (you knew this was coming, right?) I have no desire to indulge in that anymore. I don't hate it, I don't have strong feeling for or against people who use it based soley on that; I just have no craving for it. I would strongly encourage you to continue meditating and you may find that it releases its hold on you as well. I think it would interfere with my meditation. Drugs make the percieved reality change by changing the perspective to an alternate perceived reality. Meditation shows you that the perception is an illusion; a completely different way to change "reality". Starting with one illusion layered on top of another would make this more difficult, IMO. |
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Expert Yogi
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| What OptiMystic said  I know that in TM teaching they don't allow ANY mood altering drugs because they alter the functioning of the nervous system. Meditation will give you the real experiences you are looking for, not the perceptions or feelings you get from pot. And no, I am not anti-pot. Child of the 60's here  |
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| Hi Slyder,
Welcome. You may want to read the part of Michael Pollan's book, "The Botony of Desire," that deals with cannabis. His notion is that plants (botony) have seduced humanity in order to propogate their species.
He describes some of what's known about "the people's pharmaceutical." Simply stated, all humans have cell receptor sites that are only activated by THC. In other words, the molecular receptor will only house a molecule of a partiuclar shape, and that's cannabis. What happens when the cannabis receptor sites are filled, when a THC molecule is lodged into the receptor site? He describes that it blocks the nerve pathway to the memory stores in the brain. What happens when we can't access our memories of things so well? Everything looks fresher, "That's the reddest apple I've ever seen." We forget how many red apples we've seen and this one becomes special. Same is true for all the senses and our capacity for organizing sensory information. Hence, the moment seems to come forward in our perceptions, and the history of our understanding of things seems to recede into the background. Pollan calls it humanity's "relaxation" fix: we're disconnected from the burdens of reality for a while, then we return to the rat race (his words). He also writes about apples (for intoxication from apple jack), tulips (for beauty) and potatoes (for sustanance).
Cannabis is a legitimate pain reliever. When Jimmy Carter started the Compassionate Cannabis Project when he was president, 20 or so very ill patients were allowed the opportunity to access govenment pot.
A conference was held on the west coast several years ago to consult on what's happened to those folks over the past decades. Only a half dozen or so of them are still alive, all still very ill and disabled. They have their choice of any pain killer on the planet, including all of the morphines and opiods, but every one of those patients choose cannabis as their primary source of pain relief. Most do not use any other means. Chronic pain seems to be helped by smoking cannabis. But, it's the counter-cultural icon of the culture wars, so it's not likely that legality will change any time soon. Further, it's illegality and widespread use does a tremendous disservice to our youth. If they can ignore laws about cannabis, what makes any other law worthy of obeying? I personally think that if it were legalized, many current young user would probably stop, as going against authority is part of growing up.
Using cannabis to meditate is equivalent to looking to a child for wisdom. A child may appear wise, but lacks the experience to understand who s/he is, and bears no responsiblity for the whole community. The world is such an attractive place, no wonder it pulls so many away from our hearts and true understanding.
IMHO, Michael
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| Avoid drugs and alcohol. Carlos Castaneda was a talented fiction writer, but he misled many people. Drugs are not an effective path to enlightenment, but they are a quick path to misery and insanity.
Meditation brings a sense of fullness and completion and is the only permanent source of tranquility available to human beings. All other forms of serenity are temporary and dissolve into conflict and chaos over time. The euphoria of drugs quickly lead to misery and self-destruction. The wholesomeness of love, so beautiful and ethereal, is a relatively short lived and fleeting experience. As J. Krishnamurti said, meditation brings order and "That order is the order of the universe. It is irrevocable and doesn't depend on anything." Meditation is the eternal essence of nature taking on conscious form within the mortal human frame.
Meditation is also an adventure of self-discovery. How can you live without knowing who or what you are? If someone asks you who you are during the day you may state your name, as if a temporary label actually means something important. Ask yourself who you are when you are in deep sleep, 2unconscious and without even a dream to prove that you exist at all. Ask yourself who you were ten months before you were born and who you will be just one moment after your body dies. Meditation increases awareness of the natural phenomena that is actually going on behind your own eyes. Self-knowledge has intrinsic value, even without the indescribable bliss nature generously unleashes in those who practice meditation with sincerity and patience. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 1738
Location: right where I'm supposed to be | HOLY SMOKES 
I'm speechless!  |
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| slyder2412 - 2007-03-20 1:48 PM
Hello all. I am a pretty big advocate of marijuana and smoke pretty much daily. I had recently took a two week or so break from smoking and have been experiementing with meditation. I've been reading a lot about it and can't exactly tell if I'm performing it correctly...but there is something about the act that i really enjoy. Anyone who has smoked marijuana understands some of the effects from pot..such as closeness with surroundings and the appreciation of things it can make one feel. I have recently been looking towards constructive ways of incorperating marijuana into different activities, and i was wondering if smoking a few bowls of pot before a session of meditation has in the past proven beneficial in any way or not. Any knowledge on this subject would be must appreciated, thank you all.
I think this post is made in the blissful state of Marijuana. You are already in bliss and realized. Do not worry about meditation and all. Good luck! |
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| "Avoid drugs and alcohol. Carlos Castaneda was a talented fiction writer, but he misled many people. Drugs are not an effective path to enlightenment, but they are a quick path to misery and insanity."
I just wanted to say that i REALLY disagree with that statement. Drugs i think serve a very important purpose because i have always seen sobriety or being high for example as just different/alternative outlooks on the world. If drugs are used with respect and care, then you will always have a leash on them opposed to the other way around. I also do not agree that drugs are only temporary because if one comes to a realization while being on a drug, they may truely believe what they had just experienced and which will then become a permanent thought.
I just wanted to say that. But i really do appreciate all your responses. I now agree that pot should not be mixed with meditation as they are both completely different insights and as someone had said earlier, the combination of the two may make things A LOT more confusing. Thank you all once more. |
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| TigerTurban - 2007-03-21 10:23 AM
Avoid drugs and alcohol. Carlos Castaneda was a talented fiction writer, but he misled many people. Drugs are not an effective path to enlightenment, but they are a quick path to misery and insanity.
I think if you re-read Castenda you'll find an attitude of useful tools, with the potential to really hurt the user. A LOT of people have used Casteneda to justify thier own indulgence in these substances, while his attitude appears to be different. |
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| For every action there is a reaction, not just in theoretical physics but in ordinary human life as well. When you create positive actions you will eventually reap positive reactions for yourself and for others. In this way what we call ethics and morality are woven into the very fabric of the universe right down to the subatomic level. |
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| "For every action there is a reaction, not just in theoretical physics but in ordinary human life as well. When you create positive actions you will eventually reap positive reactions for yourself and for others. In this way what we call ethics and morality are woven into the very fabric of the universe right down to the subatomic level."
I'm not sure what you're getting at with this topic though? Please explain. |
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| The key word here is homeostasis. If you go to sleep on your own, that is fine. If you eat nutritious food and feel good, that is fine. But when you take a drug, it forces an effect on the body and the body fights back to bring it back to where it was. It creates an opposite effect-- also known as sling shot effect. So take a drug to help you sleep and the body fights the effect and it becomes harder to get to sleep. The MDs know all about homeostasis.
I have been doing yoga and martial arts since 12. Now I have never tried smoking pot, a tobacco cigarette or any alcohol except a few times I drank a glass of wine. Now if you want to see how I am doing with a lifestyle like this, read this article below and you will see. Remember whatever pot does for you, the body is doing the opposite to you since it does not like to be forced into anything. Takes less than 5 minutes to read. http://EzineArticles.com/?id=489529
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|  I'm very happy to see a post about marijuana on yoga forums. It seems there is a great confusion about marijuana... most people regard it as a "drug" ... but it is actually a holy herb. It is only a drug when you view it as a drug. When you regard it as sacred, it regards you as sacred.
I have found marijuana to be the only medium whereby I could keep myself rooted in this oft-times crazy world. Marijuana and meditation, for me, are a wonderful combination. Much inner knowledge has been revealed to me while under the benefic influence of marijuana. Its all about the mindstate you are in when you smoke it.
Different people receive different effects, based on their own individual approach. What I have noticed is that when you smoke marijuana you can come into closer contact with your own personal demons and your own dilemmas, and you can focus more clearly. At least I can focus more clearly when I am on marijuana. It takes me into a higher state.
But I also agree that there is a place in the spiritual path where marijuana serves a purpose, but there is also a point where it begins to do harm. Right now in my path, I feel that I have to abandon marijuana. It once served a purpose, but now I need to root myself in my pure being, without the need for external support.
And that is what Yoga and meditation is all about... freeing yourself from the need for external support.
I have been very depressed all throughout my life though, and marijuana has been the only thing keeping me up, and in a sense, the only thing keeping me down as well. It is a battle now to destroy depression without the need for marijuana.
But to each his own. Go with what you feel God. We are all individuals and there is no single concrete reality except the fact that we all exist together and each strand of silk echoes throughout the whole spider's web of existence. |
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| Wow...I googled this page, but I would have to say THIS reply is most enlightening.
Following your link to the site, I found the description of Flow. Words...they mean nothing until you have experienced them. I accidentally found "Flow"...after finding myself in a "transcendent state".......(I read about it in the book "Why People Believe Weird Things" - highly recommend)
....drumroll....
Due to pot!
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The transcendent state (of consciousness) occurred when my buddies and I were respectably high, and decided to watch an internet cartoon. This one was a lampoon of another series of internet cartoons that we found weird and quirky enough to be likeable.
I experienced Flow after that as I was absorbed in trying to make sense of what happened, but also appreciating the fact that I was high with my best friends and times were good. It was gone in the morning, and it came back (in various degrees, never as shockingly as the first time) over the course of five months.
My juvenile mind thought that I was unique in my experience, and instead of researching decided to create its own explanations. I discovered more about myself and other people. I applied the concepts I learned in Physics (grade 12, but complicated and simple enough to fit), facts I picked up (like Left Brain/Right Brain, and the Subconscious) and so on. And there was my downfall: assuming I was alone. Eventually I got sidetracked and discouraged, ending my research and still wondering if it was real.
So Big Thanks for the link to the site mentioning the "Flow". Incidentally I have the book "Relaxation Response" borrowed from the library and I've been putting it off. Now I know...
Now returning to drugs in general! I agree that drugs can be harmful and very beneficial. It's the same with everything. Technology...Politicians...Homework...Teachers...etc. It simply takes a balance.
Living with the Flow, I found myself attracted to the idea of trying drugs *in that particular state of mind*. Naturally there MAY be undesirable side effects, such as psychosis (in case of marijuana and LSD - and I would know, trust me), and death (if your hallucination takes you too far, or you smash into someone sober on the highway).
Just as wakefulness and dreaming are different states of consciousness, and just as there are lines between them (daydreaming, anyone?), I believe that drugs cause additional states of consciousness. Depending on the person's chemistry, mindset and experience, the drug-induced state of consciousness will interfere or enhance the experience. I know (from a book) that taking LSD and pot at the same time will likely give you a "religious experience" (if you have enough experience and don't have a bad trip). I wish I could point you all to mountains of research, but our right now, we wait.
The mind is powerful. Enough to make a professional cyclist go for eighty hours without sleep and hallucinate that his safety team was a bunch of aliens like those in "Invaders" (old movie).
Enough to drive a person out of poverty and into billionairedom. Enough to make the body STARVE until enlightenment is achieved (Gautama Sidhartha, aka Buddha). And enough to destroy the person from the inside.
All I know is that there is still ALOT we don't know. As people presently living on Earth, thinking in terms of the human civilization today. I don't doubt that people will discover new things accidentally...and incidentally, the discoveries happen when you're doing something you chose to do or like to do. Maybe you're a chemist, finding the structure of a benzene molecule in your dream. Maybe you're a pot head having THE realization guaranteeing world peace forever, making money obsolete. Who knows. If you like it, do it, but don't let it destroy you.
Comments?
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| slyder2412 - 2007-03-21 11:40 AM
I also do not agree that drugs are only temporary because if one comes to a realization while being on a drug, they may truely believe what they had just experienced and which will then become a permanent thought.
I just wanted to say that. But i really do appreciate all your responses. I now agree that pot should not be mixed with meditation as they are both completely different insights and as someone had said earlier, the combination of the two may make things A LOT more confusing. Thank you all once more.
I had a temporary Realization experience while high after I meditated one night. It was the most beautiful then I've ever experienced, but it was temporary. You can learn a lot from drugs, I agree and they can be used to gain greater insight into yourself. But once you learn what you need to learn, you need to put it behind you and move forward. I believe enlightenment cannot happen with drugs. |
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Location: Upstate NY | I have wondered much about this topic as I found out while reading that RamaKrishna was an avid hemp smoker, was his samadhi false? |
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| Ravi - 2007-09-21 8:05 PM
I have wondered much about this topic as I found out while reading that RamaKrishna was an avid hemp smoker, was his samadhi false?
Was he really?
I'm very suprised!!
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | You guys....Shiva's favorite herb is Marijuana. I thought everybody knew that one!!
What's wrong with marijuana??? Sometimes, I would love to have an organic, no chemicals added joint. If I ever get to Nepal!! During Shivaratri, smoking pot is a very common thing. In fact, there is another Nepali Hindu festival where you smoke pot all day long...I'd be in heaven,
Here in the states...I can't function smoking pot. It makes me paranoid because of all the controversy surrounding it. I feel like I'm going to get arrested just for being stoned and can't go near a public place. But, when I was a teenager, we had the real stuff and we had some really happy fun times. Life was so different back then. |
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| Dear Ravi:
The greatest sage Shree Ramakrishna did not take smoke when he was in his austere state in the woods. He had achieved his liberation before he was known to be smoking in the company of his devotees. Smoking hemp was NOT the main quality of him. The hemp smoking was common in that society. The Asana master BKS Iyengar Guru drinks Tea as well as Coffee. That does not mean he became Asana master by drinking Tea and Coffee (Actually, his book stated 'drink one cup of tea or coffee before the practice if you are very hungry!)
Shree Ramakrishna could NOT touch money. How many persons do you know who come in that category?
And, let me tell you one more thing. Shree Ramakrishna and Shree Sharadamata are the only couple known to this date which was married, but were real celibate througout their life.
O Ramokrishno jayo ramokrishno pronom lo tobo charane prabhu pronom lo tobo chorone....
I can tell more about him. But, I shall stop here.
OM ShantiH
Ravi - 2007-09-20 12:05 PM
I have wondered much about this topic as I found out while reading that RamaKrishna was an avid hemp smoker, was his samadhi false? |
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| this resurrected thread..........
marijuana
Bad news in the USA |
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| Weed makes me advance too quickly in mediation. I try to avoid it while meditating. |
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Yes, it seems logical that marijuana and other drugs are laced with toxins here in the U.S.
As for the comment that it makes you advance too quickly I find that to be very interesting. Not in a hurry to advance? Explain.
In the end though the goal of meditation according to tradition is true concentration regardless of what state you are in, altered or otherwise, so I would say they are unrelated. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| "Advancing too quickly" - my interpretation of that is that it disturbs and perhaps injures the nervous system. Like trying to drive a formula one race car after one driving lesson. Not good. |
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| One of the biggest drug abuse issues in the UK has arisen because the strains of pot being sold are getting increasingly strong and are often cut with some fairly nasty chemicals. Even pure, the strength can now cause life-long mental health issues such as paranoia.
Fee |
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| Cyndi - 2007-09-20 3:27 PM
You guys....Shiva's favorite herb is Marijuana. I thought everybody knew that one!!
What's wrong with marijuana???
It causes lung cancer and bronchitis, memory loss and the inability to organize and integrate complex information, reduced sperm production and erectile dysfunction, increased risk of stroke or heart attack (due to increased blood pressure/heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood), impairment of the immune system, various short and long term mental illnesses and can result in arrest and possibly prison, depending where you live.
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Marijuana and Meditation
