After 13 Years Of Daily Meditation, This Spiritual Guide Drops ‘Pristine Purity’ And Turns Back To Cannabis For Awakening
Can cannabis be a tool to help you reach spirituality? For some, the answer is definitely yes. But, what about when marijuana use is believed to go against the religious teachings of your faith? Is it just a matter of interpretation?
Buddhism, one of the world’s largest religions seems to have a complex stance on cannabis consumption. On the one hand, its spiritual tradition doesn’t contain a path to salvation through faith or a “higher authority,” but rather is more focused on the practitioner’s personal spiritual development.
Does this mean cannabis use is peremitted if it helps in a person’s own spiritual journey or awakening?
The answer is not that simple considering that Buddha provided Śīla, a code of conduct comprised of Ten Precepts for “right speech, right action, and right livelihood.” The fifth one requires Buddhists to abstain from consuming intoxicating substances that can fog the mind, and a clear mind is needed to see the “true nature of all things.” Some practitioners and experts believe that the Fifth Precept refers only to alcohol.
In Buddhism, which originated 2,500 years ago in India, developed to have several traditions and schools, some of which have agreed that THC’s relaxing effect can improve meditation practice.
Benzinga wanted to learn more, so we reached out to Will Johnson, the founder and director of the Institute for Embodiment Training, which combines Western somatic psychotherapy with Eastern meditation practices. Johnson is also the author of several books including Cannabis in Spiritual Practice: The Ecstasy of Shiva, the Calm of Buddha. For Johnson himself, cannabis plays an important role in spiritual practice.
“Cannabis felt like God’s medicine to me from the very first time I ever got high,” Johnson told Benzinga.”Almost immediately I experienced a far deeper sense of self and identity from the bon vivant, Ivy League, art critic …