I've been really thinking lately about the Taoist perspective on smoking weed. I have to say that depending on which Taoist concepts you think about, the use of weed could be viewed as positive or negative. From the perspective of living in the moment and enjoying life to its fullest, it could be considered a positive thing. But as far as meditation and chi flow, would one not think that weed would be frowned upon because it is an impurity that can have a negative impact on your chi flow and your meditation practice? I've been thinking about this a lot and I'm sort of on the fence on how the use of marijuana would be viewed from a traditional Taoist perspective. It has me curious. Thoughts?
Hmmm, well Taoists don't really see things as good or bad, right or wrong. What is virtuous to taoists is being one with the tao, flowing with life like a river. If marijuana hinders you from being able to do this, then you shouldn't do it, because it is taking you away from the Tao. If it helps you, then perhaps you should. I have found that smoking weed takes me farther from the Tao if anything. Even if you smoked weed and it hindered your ability to flow with life, it still wouldn't be seen as bad by Taoists, because they don't see things as good or bad. Everything is perfect.
great point. in my understanding, the way that they see it is that it just is. saying that something is good or bad is subjective - it is based on your feeling and your opinion.
Moderation is the Key. Like a good glass of wine....or anything else in Life. Once it becomes part of your everyday life and rules OVER You, however, it would be a hindrance.
Does that include moderation in moderation? If not, how can we know what moderation is without over-indulgence and limitation?
I feel that smoking marijuana helps me feel more in touch with my consciousness, however it is merely an expansion of how I always feel, and I often take some of it into my "sober" consciousness. There is no need for "drugs" really, as it's merely an expansion of what is, making it more obvious, but nonetheless if they present themselves their is no rule saying they are wrong or anything like that
Yes, you're right on the lack of definition of good or bad in Taoist philosophy I didn't think about that. So I guess its more of how it affects me and my way of life. I need to sit back and observe myself and my surroundings and find my own answers. For me I have not been able to meditate in quite a long time due to having 2 loud kids running around all the time and having a little more stress in my day to day life that makes it harder to quiet my mind during meditation. So for now I'm using weed as my way of focusing my mind and observing my surroundings and doing more self analysis. It has helped a good bit since I was able to work thru some personal issues by smoking and meditating/observing the situation and finding the answers I was seeking. So I think for now its a positive influence in my life as long as its done in moderation, but as soon as it becomes an addiction and begins to rule my day to day life, then its time to let it go. Thanks for the perspective guys.
If it hinders you in your pursuit, then do not do it when you are pursuing. Save it for when you are not. It should be a natural desire not to hinder yourself, so I expect this should require little effort.
Well I've found that in my 10+ years of being a Taoist, that living my daily life in tune with Tao has become more and more like second nature for me as I get older. Because so many of the concepts and ideals are ingrained in my head that they are a natural part of my consciousness. So really the only hindrance I'm dealing with right now is what my old Taichi teacher called "Lazy dragon syndrome", I do not meditate and practice my Qigong and Taichi on a daily basis anymore, but that happened long before I ever started back smoking. I'll stick to moderation and use it as another type of meditation as opposed to an escape from reality. I think thats the mindset that will keep me on track.