Friday

Buddhism and Psychedelics: A Practitioner’s Personal Experiences and Reflections

By Frederick Meyer

Buddhism and psychedelics have a long and mixed history in the West. Overall, the question of how psychedelics and Buddhism mix—and how, when, and whether these experiences benefit the practitioner’s Buddhist and spiritual path—remains a lively one.

I am a lifelong Buddhist practitioner, and beginning in my early thirties, I have had several experiences with psychedelic substances (also called entheogens), specifically psilocybin and ayahuasca.

I have personally found psychedelics extremely helpful on my Buddhist and spiritual path. My experiences are, of course, unique to me, but I hope that sharing and reflecting on them can illuminate some ways in which Buddhist practice and psychedelic experiences might support one another.

Psychedelics and Buddhism: General Background and Caution

To ground the discussion, this section offers general information (not from my personal experience) on psychedelics and their intersection with spirituality, including a caution about the dangers of psychedelics.

General Intersections of Psychedelics and Spirituality

After a history of confusion and boycott in the 20th century, psychedelic use is now experiencing a cultural resurgence in North America, including renewed and rigorous scientific study.

As a mini-summary of some recent results in this field, psychedelics are known to alter people’s beliefs “away from ‘physicalist’ or ‘materialist’ views,” and to directly induce spiritual or mystical experiences. For example, in a study published in 2006, psilocybin delivered in a controlled setting led to the following results:

• Twenty-two of the 36 volunteers reported having a “complete” mystical experience, compared to four of those getting methylphenidate.
• That experience included such things as a sense of pure awareness and a merging with ultimate reality, a transcendence of time and space, a feeling of sacredness or awe, and deeply felt positive mood like joy, peace and love. People say “they can’t possibly put it into words,” Griffiths said.
• Two months later, 24 of the participants filled out a questionnaire. Two-thirds called their reaction to psilocybin one of the five top most meaningful experiences of their lives. On another measure, one-third called it the most spiritually significant experience of their lives, with another 40% ranking it in the top five.
• About 80 per cent said that because of the psilocybin experience, they still had a sense of well-being or life satisfaction that was raised either “moderately” or “very much.”

For a detailed, book-length exploration of the current intertwining of Western Buddhism and psychedelic use, read Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America.

Caution on the Danger of Psychedelics

Psychedelics, and mind-altering substances in general, are extremely dangerous.

Psychedelics, and mind-altering substances in general, are extremely dangerous. They can lead to permanent psychotic symptoms, and can take people into terrifying experiences that depress or destabilize us for years (Less than two weeks ago, I spoke to someone who experienced that life is a hell realm upon taking ayahuasca, and who lived in this experience for several years).

To continue reading please click here to visit the Shambhala Blog.