AUDIOBOOK
About
• Presents guidance and techniques for Buddhists who wish to incorporate psychedelics into their practice as well as for psychonauts who are interested in the maps of inner space provided by Buddhism
• Explores the use of psychedelics in Buddhist practice, sharing the kind of spiritual experiences that can be gained with each
• Describes meditation techniques, with special attention being given to the generation of the Four Positive Attitudes
In this user's guide to psychedelic Buddhism, Lama Mike Crowley presents techniques for Buddhists who wish to incorporate psychedelics into their practice as well as for psychonauts who are interested in the maps of inner space provided by Buddhism. The author details how psychedelics have led to spontaneous awakening experiences, such as "Indra's net" and universal voidness, that were once thought to be available only to advanced meditators. He explores the use of psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, in a Buddhist context, sharing the kind of spiritual experiences and benefits that can be gained with each. The author also looks at the use of psychedelics encoded in Vedic and Buddhist scriptures, particularly in the Vajrayāna tradition, from the Middle Ages until the present day.
Presenting an informed summary of Buddhism for psychonauts, the author explores the key beliefs of Buddhism, the life of the Buddha, and the practices followed in various yānas, or paths. He describes meditation techniques, with special attention being given to the generation of the Four Positive Attitudes: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, each being taken from their personal to their universal forms. He looks at Buddhist symbols, ceremonies, deities, and initiations, as well as psychic powers in Buddhist tradition, and how these ideas and practices can be used in the exploration of the inner realms of consciousness.
Providing a complete guide to integrating psychedelics into Buddhist practice, this book reveals how the ancient Buddhist teachers discovered their universal maps of consciousness and how you can use their wisdom to guide your journey. Lama Mike Crowley met a Tibetan lama, Lama Radha Chime Rinpoche, in London when he was 18 years old. He became Lama Chime's first student and has continued to study with him to the present day. He took "refuge" and the five Pansil vows on May 1, 1970, and, after much study and meditation, was ordained as a lama on January 1, 1988. He is the founder of Amrita Dzong, an American extension of his teacher's group, and a member of the advisory board of the national Psychedelic Sangha. The author of Secret Drugs of Buddhism, he lives in northern California. From INTRODUCTION: The Lineage of Psychedelic Buddhism
CAN A BUDDHIST TAKE DRUGS?
Well, of course they can, and why shouldn't they? In addressing this question, many people will raise the topic of the fifth precept of the vows for laypersons. If we examine the history of this precept though, we find that, originally, this precept referred only to alcohol. Besides, and more importantly, these vows are purely optional and not a formal prerequisite of Buddhism, which actually has no dogma.
That being said, however, some Buddhist teachers, such as Thích Nhất Hạnh, may say no while others (usually privately) say yes. I think I understand why Thai, as his students called him, may have instructed his followers not to take any drugs, including psychedelics, and that is because he is a Mahāyāna teacher who wishes his students to come to grips with "reality," without any intervening lenses or filters. This does not apply to all Buddhists, though, just those who have opted to take the fifth precept in this specific tradition.
The first Tibetan teacher in the United States, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, like Thích Nhất Hạnh, advised most people against psychedelics but, when I knew him in Great Britain, he was m
• Explores the use of psychedelics in Buddhist practice, sharing the kind of spiritual experiences that can be gained with each
• Describes meditation techniques, with special attention being given to the generation of the Four Positive Attitudes
In this user's guide to psychedelic Buddhism, Lama Mike Crowley presents techniques for Buddhists who wish to incorporate psychedelics into their practice as well as for psychonauts who are interested in the maps of inner space provided by Buddhism. The author details how psychedelics have led to spontaneous awakening experiences, such as "Indra's net" and universal voidness, that were once thought to be available only to advanced meditators. He explores the use of psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, in a Buddhist context, sharing the kind of spiritual experiences and benefits that can be gained with each. The author also looks at the use of psychedelics encoded in Vedic and Buddhist scriptures, particularly in the Vajrayāna tradition, from the Middle Ages until the present day.
Presenting an informed summary of Buddhism for psychonauts, the author explores the key beliefs of Buddhism, the life of the Buddha, and the practices followed in various yānas, or paths. He describes meditation techniques, with special attention being given to the generation of the Four Positive Attitudes: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, each being taken from their personal to their universal forms. He looks at Buddhist symbols, ceremonies, deities, and initiations, as well as psychic powers in Buddhist tradition, and how these ideas and practices can be used in the exploration of the inner realms of consciousness.
Providing a complete guide to integrating psychedelics into Buddhist practice, this book reveals how the ancient Buddhist teachers discovered their universal maps of consciousness and how you can use their wisdom to guide your journey. Lama Mike Crowley met a Tibetan lama, Lama Radha Chime Rinpoche, in London when he was 18 years old. He became Lama Chime's first student and has continued to study with him to the present day. He took "refuge" and the five Pansil vows on May 1, 1970, and, after much study and meditation, was ordained as a lama on January 1, 1988. He is the founder of Amrita Dzong, an American extension of his teacher's group, and a member of the advisory board of the national Psychedelic Sangha. The author of Secret Drugs of Buddhism, he lives in northern California. From INTRODUCTION: The Lineage of Psychedelic Buddhism
CAN A BUDDHIST TAKE DRUGS?
Well, of course they can, and why shouldn't they? In addressing this question, many people will raise the topic of the fifth precept of the vows for laypersons. If we examine the history of this precept though, we find that, originally, this precept referred only to alcohol. Besides, and more importantly, these vows are purely optional and not a formal prerequisite of Buddhism, which actually has no dogma.
That being said, however, some Buddhist teachers, such as Thích Nhất Hạnh, may say no while others (usually privately) say yes. I think I understand why Thai, as his students called him, may have instructed his followers not to take any drugs, including psychedelics, and that is because he is a Mahāyāna teacher who wishes his students to come to grips with "reality," without any intervening lenses or filters. This does not apply to all Buddhists, though, just those who have opted to take the fifth precept in this specific tradition.
The first Tibetan teacher in the United States, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, like Thích Nhất Hạnh, advised most people against psychedelics but, when I knew him in Great Britain, he was m