Does anyone have any insight into what Taoism says about the use of marijuana, or any mind-altering drugs for that matter?
Age old subject.
Most schools of Taoist thought revolve around homeopathic purity through rigorous dietary and physical regimen, and drugs are perceived as a detriment.
That being stated, there are a small number of sects that do ingest hallucinagenics for “heightened meditative awareness”, but in the overall, they are disregarded as using the philology to suit the needs of a drug addict/recreationist. Not well received as drug use stands against millenial old understandings and precepts.
The other side, to each their own. Choose a path, and accept that the chosen path may only lead so far.
Indeed.
Think of drugs as a shortcut to a type of meditation which is rigid and stagnant. In other words you’re blasted to a certain state of mind and you stay there. Most drugs wouldn’t even constitute anything close to mediation but weed, certain other ones, and especially the hallucinagens are a bit different.
From my point of view as a pothead/drug enthusiast I would say that if you are -really- into the tao in it’s historical sense I would shy away from weed. I’ve tried proper meditation sober and high, and it’s really hard high… a lot of static and random cerebral jumps.
As for the more intense hallucinagens, I would say that the level of introspection attained is more than most people on earth could achieve no matter how hard they try sober. Of course when random Joeys try acid they can’t make sense of it… but it’s not that way for everyone. Acid, Ketamine – they can provide fairly reliable shortcuts provided one has the cerebral insights and a firm lucid base. The problem, as Mas pointed to, is that once you are there, it’s for a short period of time before you’re forcibly returned to your sober, rather unempowered state of mind.
Drugs, like anything, are tools. Use the tool wisely.
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It says the weak rely on them
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Taoism, as far as Lao Tsu, is not concerned with little things like whether or not we should do drugs, or if marijuana is beneficial to attaining enlightenment. It is concerned solely about introspection of your mind. Once you start attaching religion, beliefs, and ideologies to the essential teaching of Lao Tsu, you no longer understand what he said.
There is no drug that is a substitute for meditation, unless you want a temporary high, and that is not what philosophy is about. Any sort of seemingly deep truths one finds with drugs are not truths at all, but states of illusion, since you are not enlightened by the truth and possess no understanding of it. With meditation, after having an experience the knowledge you learned about realilty and yourself stays with you.
Claiming that Tao is placed within the confines of the enumerated characters drawn by Laosi, is to understand nothing.
The terms of the parts can never be the sum of the whole, Tao remains nameless.
Ironically, every statement denies itself in Taoism. To claim it is not limited to something limits it to being unlimited. (I don’t have a problem with this, I view it as one of the greatest points in Taoism, actually.)
In my understanding, there is no necessary dictum in Taoism, not on drugs, or any topic.
Not exactly, in my perception.
Tao"ism" is a set of disciplines created by people attempting to express understanding of Tao.
Tao is not defined by such, nor contained within such.
“Claiming that Tao is placed within the confines of the enumerated characters drawn by Laosi, is to understand nothing.”
I agree. I do not understand why people talk of the Buddha, or Jesus, or Lao Tsu, or whatever. It is about the teachings, not the person.