everythingspirals

Psychedelics, it seems, did not make it into the Buddha's handful of leaves, and thus there is no canonical stance upon them. Perhaps the Buddha did not consider them relevant to Indian society at the time, or perhaps he did not consider them relevant at all. In the modern Theravada community, they are commonly lumped together with alcohol under the category of 'intoxicants' and thus prohibited under the fifth precept. To many like myself, this definition contradicts personal experience. Unfortunately, there is little useful information addressing this issue, as both camps for the most part seem equally ignorant of one another.

Firstly, the definition of psychedelics as 'intoxicants' is simply inadequate. The fifth precept is clearly stated to indicate alcohol, however many logically extend it to include 'other substances which cause heedlessness'. This sub-clause allows the fifth precept to encompass most of what we now consider 'recreational drugs', i.e marijuana, opium, cocaine, amphetamine, and the like, because one simply cannot deny that they lead to inhibition. The problem with defining psychedelics is that their effects vary greatly depending upon the user. The experience is not so much a reflection upon the substance as it is upon the mind which hosts it. In a sense they are like both microscopes and telescopes, magnifying that which already exists. Thus, to judge fairly, one must distinguish between proper and improper use, just as a medicine should not be condemned for any negative effects it produces when used incorrectly.

The Good
When used properly, with correct setting, intention, and understanding, psychedelics generate a type of hyper-awareness. The experience tends to follow the structure of the Noble Eightfold Path, that is, morality, concentration, and wisdom. At first there arises a capacity to acutely perceive thoughts and behaviors, both of past and present, making one's moral position (often shockingly) clear. As the experience progresses, the personality view begins to dissolve, along with its associated views. LSD in particular seems very much to be a dissolution of namarupa, a breaking down our binary conception of the world, which begins to seem silly and meaningless. Eventually the mind tends to quiet, and the various divisions that we once scattered across space and time, that is, pleasure and pain, birth and death, self and other, mind and matter, all leave their posts and stand together. At this point language is rendered impotent, however simple phrases like "everything is the same," or "everything at once" somewhat suffice. In brief, linear divisions suddenly become circular, almost in the Taoist sense, and one recognizes that all duality inevitably leads into the other. I suspect that the experience can go beyond this, from unity into emptiness, if one were wise enough, but I admit I myself have not been.

The Bad
The fundamental catch of the psychedelic experience is that anyone can have it--one need only swallow a pill. This poses many problems, for as I mentioned before, Entheogens in-of-themselves are more like tools than teachers. Though one can reach an exalted state, they end up having no idea how they got there. Even more likely, they find themselves stuck at some lesser stage, perhaps morality or more likely personality-view. Often this can lead to a "bad trip" typically characterized by anxiety and despair. Experiencing the personality dissolve while clinging to it from within is not always pleasant, and resisting this process tends to complicate things a great deal. At higher doses, there is a risk of forgetting that one has taken a drug at all, at which point one might make some life threatening decision if not adequately prepared for the experience. Thus, while the process invoked by psychedelics may be somewhat definable, the user's interpretation and reaction to them certainly are not. One tends to comprehend things within their own predefined framework, and so long as the self-view remains, it has the capacity to cause a great deal of confusion. Ajahn Jayasaro once aptly quoted, "if [psychedelics] expand the mind, than an ignorant mind will get expanded ignorance." Suffering, impermanence, and non-self, though magnified in the experience, are just as easily mistaken for me, mine, and myself as they are in the sober state. Thus, even if one should get to an exalted level, they tend to associate it with delusions of grandeur, thinking "I have attained enlightenment," or "I understand everything". At the opposite end, one might conclude that the world was ending and it was up to them to do something. This was certainly the case with Charles Manson, as well as an MMA fighter who recently gauged out his friends tongue, heart, and eyes on psilocybin mushrooms, thinking that he was possessed by the devil.

This last statement certainingly seems to contradict the benefits mentioned earlier, and that is the problem. The experience is entirely dependent upon the user, and as a general rule, the more prevalent the five hindrances (sensual desire, anger, sloth, anxiety, doubt) are in the user, the more deluded the experience tends to be, and vise versa. In programming speak--garbage in, garbage out. This carries back to the question of relevance, for if one were free from the hindrances they would be in Jhana, and there would be no need to take psychedelics at all. However, one could make the argument that psychedelics aid in the process of overcoming the hindrances, and while this is certainly true in the immediate sense, I'm not convinced it is in the long term. So often, after realizing the error of my ways and feeling I had transcended them thro Without understanding of the aggregates, the psychedelic experience is simply too much too quickly, and one is ultimately left with more questions than answers. This While reading the Pali Cannon I often reflect upon my experiences an think "ah, that's what that was about," but during the experience itself it went right over my head.

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