Buddism

I don't see weed as being materialistic, quite the opposite. Weed is something that humans are supposed to have, like a nutritional dietary suppliment. On the other hand, livin' in a capitlaist society where weed is illegal you're forced to be somewhat materailsitic in order to have money to buy weed.

Peace

 

Weed would be equal to candy, or alcohol, still a vice (as in it's not needed to survive). It is not materialistic, although you can buy stuff with it trades and etc..., but it is unneeded.

I'm not sure if buddists only use what is strictly needed or not, for example do they eat dessert, or do they take seconds, probably not, so I would assume that they would not smoke pot.

Of course some may very well hold the theroy that it helps with meditation and such, I believe it does, but probably not many. Alcohol makes me sleep but you don't see me getting tanked everytime it's bedtime.

 

How can weed in itself be a vice? Yes, it is if you use weed in that manner, but in that context anything can be a vice, even food. I see weed not like alcohol or candy, but more like oregano or other medicinal (physically, mentally, spiritually medicinal) herbs and plants. Society creates it's image as a vice, particularly the fact that it's illegal. To a weed dealer, yes, weed is materialsitic. As far as unneeded, i believe it is quite the opposite. Cannibinoids stimulate THC receptor sites, causing a G-protien to react and effect a neurochemical change that causes the body to react in ways which benefit overal health. Archaeological evidence suggests that cannibis was an essential ingredient in the development that allowed humans to survive without the need to be nomadic. easily grown hemp provided fiber, food, and medicine. As a result of this humans genetically evolved to form a symbiotic realtionship with cannibis in which the plant used it's benefits and attractiveness to spread it's seed, and for humans and other mammals it's high is a way to ensure that mammals will seek out this plant and benefit from it's healthful effects.


Peace

 

Yes I meant that it is a vice in the sense that all food can be a vice if it's greedily consumed. If you smoke weed only because of it's medicinal qualities then no it's not a vice. But if you smoke it for recreational reasons then it is a vice, not a bad one, and not one that I would even tell people they should quit or anything, but I don't tell my friend who eats Macdonalds 9 times a week that he should cut back either.

I didn't mean to say I think weed is a vice, I meant to say Buddists, the hardcore ones, would think of it as a vice, because it is used for selfish reasons, even though it has other qualities. Also I'm no buddist expert, this is just the impression I have from the little knowledge on Buddists I do have.

Personaly I say fuck vices, do whatever you want to do, as long as you're not hurting other people (unless they want to be hurt). I'm not going to live my life the way some other guy suggests I should. There's only one thing I care about ME, My Enjoyment.

 

Buddhist don't smoke pot. Or at least a strict Buddhist shouldn't.

Samma Kammanta (Right Action) means to stop harming any living creature; not to take anything which is not freely given; and not to misuse the senses by indulging in food, drink, drugs and sex as an intoxicant.

Peace.

 

hahahaha!
i knew i shoulda popped into this thread sooner.
Genius is in the eye of the beholder (lol) and is rarely reccognised as such beyond the beholder in its own time. such is a rare occurance. most of the time, it is never reccognised.

... so i think i must be a robot.
lmao.



but idk why you think this is an area i should know of.... there are many people hre with more knowledge on buddismh than I. (that damn pesky h, never manages to go in the right place teehee)

but i still have a few words to say on the matter of materialism in buddhism... you knew i would...

i think it somewhat comes down to functionality and/or purpose. Buddhists wouldnt look down on a PC connected to the web surely (well, not that they "look down" on anything really... they are more enlightened than that) because its "value" lies in its ability, its purpose and function. it is not just a materialistic item. if you were to loose your computer, would it be the computer you missed, or all the things you can do with it?

weed....
it would all depend on the philosophy rather than the stuff itself. weed can and does enlighten people and help many to reach some level of enlightenment that they would not have reached without it. ... so at the very least it could be looked upon as a stepping stone in apath of enlightenment.

"Samma Kammanta (Right Action) means to stop harming any living creature; not to take anything which is not freely given; and not to misuse the senses by indulging in food, drink, drugs and sex as an intoxicant."

so it could be percieved that it all depends on how you view the herb... is it a drug? are you going to indulge in it? does its effects simply augment your senses, or missuse them? are you going to have sex whilst stoned?

mmmmm... uhh.. sorry.. forget that last one... got distracted by a picture on my desktop. ;D



but like i say... i'm not the best expert on buddhism here, i've only just encorporated some of the teachings, wisdom and philosophies into my own path. i cannot really say i am a buddhist at all. not yet anyway, but it is a path i may one day walk in search of enlightenment.

 

I don't see why Buddhists would see weed as wrong, seeing as how the founder of their religion was enlightened under a "tree"!!

 

Not a pot tree.

Just a tree.

And the reasons Buddhists see drug use (any drug use) as not being the path to enlightenment is because of the alteration of the users perception. If you are led there by drugs you have not become enlightened througfh yourself, rather through an outside context (being stoned).

As Digit said it may help ease the path to enlightenment, but from a purist point of view that actually means it isn't enlightenment... IMO a false dawn if you like.

But that's me. I see Buddism as a lesson that there are no easy wins when it comes to spirituality.

 

Buddhists believe life is full of suffering caused by that of which we desire...
Marijuana should be acceptable, just as alcohol is (Lenny and Carl in the Simpsons drink beer... They're Buddhist... Therefor this must be true...), as long you do not crave for it...

I'm not sure whether or not marijuana is acceptable in aiding a meditation session...
I would think that even if it were, it would not be used in that way since enlightenment should be acheived independently through determination, dedication, and inner reflection...

The level of understanding reached when one truely realizes and accepts that desire is the cause of suffering, is acheived through self control, obtained knowledge, proper conduct, and meditation...
This is the enlightenment Buddhists strive to reach...

Using weed to aid a meditation process would be like walking down the path to enlightenment and catching a bus 1/4 of the way there...
(Then upon approaching the state of enlightenment, you realize you have forgotten something at home, hitch hike all the way back and forget most of what you saw and experienced on your trip...)

Anyway...
It should be okay to use marijuana as long as you do not desire, crave, or lust for it...

But alas, I am not Buddhist...
So anyone who is Buddhist, feel free to correct me if any of this is wrong...
This is just stuff I picked up while studying world religions way back in middleschool and later on in college...