Mysticism: Contemplative and Chemical
Dharma Dragon, by Android Jones, 2012
Notes from Sunday Service, September 15th,
from the book, Zig Zag Zen
Zig: Buddha “comes to his senses”, enlightenment– the oneness of all things
Zag: rituals of consuming a small class of entheogenic plants and fungi
Zen: long debate is whether enlightenment arrives suddenly or gradually
“Satori” a thumping foretaste of Nirvana, or “kenshos”, passing glimpses
Buddhism and Psychedelics share a concern for the attainment of liberation for the mind
Some say they don’t mix well, but today we find that with many modern teachers,
psychedelics are in the toolbag of meditation, mindfulness, and consciousness expansion
Agnostic view may object to the Theo in entheogenic-
But acknowledge that the use of plant material to trigger primary spiritual experiences
Intro-
Meditation: to concentrate and calm the mind, “Dharma” discussions after
Dharma - means "right way of living" and "path of rightness".
Mystical experiences are usually conceived of as coinciding with altered states of consciousness.
As a result, a consideration of mystical states should begin with a discussion of consciousness itself, the nature of consciousness is one of the most fundamental and difficult of all philosophical questions.
What is consciousness- how does it relate to reality? Many answers, no clear theory yet
Whatever consciousness is the desire to alter it is clearly common and widespread ; Erika Bourguignon Did a cross-cultural survey and found that 90% of the several hundred societies that she surveyed possessed institutionalized means to altered states of consciousness.
She concluded that we are dealing with a matter of major importance, not merely a list of anthropological esoterica. Moreover, she found that in traditional societies these altered states were viewed as sacred, almost without exception.
In the natural mind, Andrew Weil, a lead researcher on psychoactive substances concluded that the “desire to alter consciousness periodically is an innate normal drive analogous to hunger or sexual desire.”
States of consciousness-
Raises questions of the natural end of the optimal state of consciousness
In the west, it is commonly assumed that our usual waking state is optimal. Yet many religious and contemplative traditions make claims about consciousness that run counter to western assumptions.
1 Our usual, state of consciousness is severely optimal, or deficient
2 Multiple states of consciousness, including true “higher states” exist
3 These states can be attained through training
4 Verbal communication about them maybe necessarily limited
Teachings of mystical traditions inform us that are usual state of consciousness is not only sub optimal, but dream like and illusionary
Assert that whether we know it or not, without mental training, we are prisoners of our own minds, unwittingly trapped by a continuous inner dialogue that creates an all consuming distortion of our perception. These traditions suggest that we live in a collective dream variously known as Maya, illusion, or what psychologist Charles Tart calls “consensus trance.”
Numerous traditions converge on the idea of the mystical union, described by mystics and the Saints, as constituting the supreme states of consciousness, and in fact is the highest achievement of human existence.
Transcendent, as going beyond the usual boundaries of ego when feels one with the universe
Usually, the state of mystical union arrives after years or decades
Hindu Sage Ramana Maharshi expressed it “all scriptures without any exception proclaim that for attaining salvation mind should be subdued“
Entheogens And meditation:
Differ in causation, may be experientially indistinguishable
1 Ineffability : the experience of such power and is so different from ordinary experience that it seems to at least partly defy description
2 A heightened sense of understanding
3 An altered perception of space and time
4 Appreciation of the holistic, integrated nature of the universe and one’s unity with it –
Intense positive affect, including a sense of perfection of the universe
Terms: Cosmic consciousness, peak experiences, samadhi or satori
Psychologist Charles tart model of consciousness is helpful here:
Tart suggests that any state of consciousness is the result of the interaction of multiple psychological and neural processes, such as perception, attention, emotions, and identity. If the functioning of the process is changed enough, the entire state of consciousness may shift. Therefore it seems possible to reach a specific altered state in more than one way by altering different processes.
For example, one may attain states of calm by reducing muscle tension, visualizing, restful scenery, or focusing on the breath. In each case, the mind process employed is different though the resulting state is similar.
So a similar phenomenon could occur with mystical states
Different techniques affect different brain mind processes but produce the same mystical state of consciousness
A contemplative might finally taste the list of mystical after years of cultivating such qualities as concentration, love and compassion
Psychedelic practitioners may see glimpses of the mystical over many experiences or have one dramatic experience, perhaps the most dramatic of their life but is it enough to overcome conditions accumulated over decades?
If it’s a flash and then must spend A great deal of time, deliberately working too understand the spiritual implications
Whereas the contemplative has acquired of a belief system that provides an explanation for experience and the discipline to cultivate it and a tradition of social group that supports it, and that can guide its expression then integration may be quick
“Chance favors the prepared mind” Louis Pasteur
Some Entheogenic users may be psychologically, and spiritually mature enough to be transformed by their experiences; likewise, some mystics may not be, or at least may have areas of personality, behavior, and neurosis that remain relatively transformed
Each individual is different
The idea suggest a qualified equivalent between contemplated and chemical mysticism; that some drugs can indeed induced genuine mystical experiences in some people on some occasions, however, they seem more likely to do so and more likely to produce and benefits in prepared minds
Dissolving the Roots of Suffering
From the point of view of Buddha teaching, all states of suffering can be reduced to one: ignorance.
There are various ways of defining this ignorance: obscurity, lack of clarity, absence of clear awareness, error, and perception and error in cognitive processes through which the human mind attempts to understand reality
An incomplete or incorrect representation of the reality of being itself.
The Buddhist Dharma is a healing path to transcend existential or essential suffering
Saṃsāra is a Sanskrit word that means "wandering through, flowing on", as well as "world," wherein the term connotes "cyclic change" or, less formally, "running around in circles."
the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.
Different traditions, cultivate, and develop a different levels of being
Psychic, subtle, causal, non-dual
Zen tradition characteristically “aims directly for the root, without pausing at the branches or the leaves.”
It aims directly to attain the causal level of supreme and perfect wisdom
Regarding Entheogens
Literally “that which gives rise to inner divinity”
Substances or preparations, natural, or synthetic, that allow users to free themselves momentarily from the perception of reality created by the logical rational mind, putting them in touch with experiences, originating at other levels of the chain of being
In the natural domain, we find ayahuasca, Peyote, cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms, Yopo, the Amanita muscaria mushroom, salvia divinorum, San Pedro cactus, Iboga, To name only the most well-known
The active constituents of many of these have now been synthesized in laboratories
Therapeutic power & Spiritual potential
Buddhist teachings describe five states of awareness that are contemplated according to the level of attention
1 The ordinary state in which attention is centered on “me “and “mine”
2 The state of unconscious sleep with dreams. The attention works unconsciously moving in and out of focus from one content to another, following the unconscious karmic tendencies.
3 The state of unconscious sleep without dreams, during which consciousness rest in its original nature (dharmata) without being aware of itself
4 The state of conscious sleep with dreams or “lucid dreaming”, attention is not centered on me or mine, but rather act as a mirror that reflects without choosing or rejecting; this state characteristic of deep meditation
5 The state of conscious sleep without dreams
This state is characteristic of a very advanced meditator, whose carefully trained attention allows them to remain in the unborn and deceased nature of the consciousness in which nothing is born and nothing dies
Precepts:
There is no moral or dogmatic principle that absolutely encourages or prohibits the use of entheogenic substances
First three precepts take refuge in Buddha, dharma, Sangha
Next three, the three pure precepts: avoid evil, do good, benefit all living beings
The next 10 or the main 10, guiding overall practice
The fifth precept of the 10 “do not intoxicate the body or the mind” When the blindness of ignorance does not arise, the precept of non-intoxication is practiced - essence, the greatest toxin of all is ignorance, when consciousness is freed from ignorance, the precept of non-intoxication is practiced.
This reading implies the correct use of endogen allows higher access to higher states of consciousness characterized by greater lucidity, greater understanding, and important and quantifiable changes and conduct. That is, they facilitate the dissolution of ignorance, understood as limited perception of reality centered on me and mine.
Alchemy:
The use of entheogens (or not), like the practice of meditation, is determined by the intentions of the individual, and requires a sincere practice and lifestyle choices, as well as a global vision and ethical basis for the ultimate objective of happiness and liberation of all living beings.
Entheogens facilitate the emergence of higher states of consciousness which afterwards must be integrated into the totality of the person who experiences them into their daily life.