[potsandplans]

Cannabis has been, throughout the ages, been associated with enlightenment.

The Vedics/Hindus believed cannabis to be a "sacred grass" bestowed upon mankind as a gift from Shiva.

"Bhang (dried cannabis leaves, seeds and stems) is mentioned in the Hindu sacred text Atharva veda (Science of Charms) as 'Sacred Grass', one of the five sacred plants of India. It is used by medicinally and ritually as an offering to Shiva."

http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabi...s_timeline.php

It is also believed by certain sects of Buddhism that Siddhartha Gotama (THE Buddha) ate only cannabis on his path to enlightenment.

"From "Plants of the Gods" by Schultes & Hofmann.

Page 97.

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="90%"> <tbody><tr> <td>Quote:</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="quote">The Tibetans considered Cannabis sacred. A Mahayana Buddhist tradition maintains that during the six steps of asceticism leading to his enlightenment, Buddha lived on one Hemp seed a day. He is often depicted with "Soma leaves" in his begging bowl and the mysterious god-narcotic Soma has occasionally been identified with Hemp.</td></tr></tbody></table>"

The anointing oil from the bible calls for nearly six pounds of a material called kaneh-bosem.

"Researchers in the United States say the oil used in the early days of the Christian church contained a cannabis extract called kaneh-bosem.

They suggest the extract, which is absorbed into the body when placed on the skin, could have helped cure people with a variety of physical and mental problems."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2633187.stm

Interestingly, Jesus is reputed to have traveled to the East, including Tibet, and was initiated into their Mysteries (the missing years), where he was known as Issa. There he could have learned the medicinal and enlightening properties of the sacred plant.

"There are persistent rumors that Jesus visited and studied in both Greece and India, and that a coin struck in His honor in India during the first century has been discovered. Early Christian records are known to exist in Tibet, and the monks of a Buddhist monastery in Ceylon still preserve a record which indicates that Jesus sojourned with them and became conversant with their philosophy."

http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta44.htm

http://reluctant-messenger.com/issa.htm

So anyway, it is pretty clear that the ancients (or at least those who had knowledge of the plant) held the plant in high esteem and is often related to enlightenment.

So I will ask the question:

A lot of potheads like philosophy (myself included). Do you think that those who like philosophy are more inclined to try smoking weed, or that smoking weed cause one's mind to be more inclined to philosophy?