Tantra and Cannabis, difficult practice???

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Tantra - Sex and Spiritual Development

Tantra and Cannabis, difficult practice???

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draumaz

Denmark
5 Posts

Posted - Jun 25 2012 : 11:47:54 AM

Hi,
I am a 25 y o male, who has been practicing different meditations techniques and yoga for years.
I am new to the forum, and have been reading alot on tantra.
I was wondering if any of you have any experience with solo tantra practice combined with cannabis?. I have had experiences in the past with sex and cannabis, that were very profound.
Now Im curious to explorer the tantric approach together with Cannabis.

Greetings

Bodhi Tree

USA
591 Posts

Posted - Jun 25 2012 : 5:20:22 PM

Hate to burst your bubble, Draumaz, but through my own personal experience, and the logical, scientific observation of cannibas's effects on the nervous system, the long-term results will not favor the purification and opening of the divine channels.

Check out this lesson:
http://www.aypsite.org/307.html

To quote:
"Are drugs an aid in ongoing yoga practice? If there is any initial benefit found in the artificial experience produced by drugs, then the repetition of that experience is not likely to take us further. To assume so is a flight of fancy � the magic bullet syndrome. In the case of continuing with hallucinogenic drugs to recreate a particular kind of experience, we will be producing the opposite effect underneath � adding to the obstructions lodged deep within our nervous system."

This is not a demonization of cannabis--it's just an accurate assessment of what it does.

Meditation, spinal breathing, and other yoga practices will far surpass what THC/cannabis can do--and these practices lead to permanent change--no coming down to worry about!

Godspeed.

draumaz

Denmark
5 Posts

Posted - Jun 26 2012 : 12:48:17 AM

Thanks for your reply Bodhi, I read some time ago an interesting article on the subject. I know drugs often becomes a crutch, but since it was used in ancient india I became curious.

http://real-gaia.angelfire.com/charas.html
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1372.html

yogishankar

USA
78 Posts

Posted - Jun 26 2012 : 8:38:32 PM

I listened to the lecture of Swami Satyananda Saraswathi long ago about Kundalini awakening. He talked about 10 different methods and one of them is a method called 'Aushadhi', meaning medicine, (medicinal herbs mixture) for Kundalini awakening. Those Aushadhi do not contain any cannabis or LSD or Marijunana. Inputs and Preparation techniques for such Aushadhi is closely guarded secret.

I had read the books of Osho also on Aushadhi usage for Kundalini awakening.

I can tell you one thing, Maharishi Ayurveda's Amrit Kalash is very very liquidated version of such Aushadhi. It will give you calmness, no agitated mind and plenty of sleep. You will feel sense of intoxicated without really intoxicated during day time. One of my friends tried that medicine and I found him to be calmed with better health.

Edited by - yogishankar on Jun 26 2012 10:49:01 PM

Radharani

USA
520 Posts

Posted - Jun 28 2012 : 04:56:30 AM

With all due respect to Bodhi, I think AYP lesson 307 refers specifically to psychedelic drugs, a slightly different consideration than cannabis (and I fully agree with what that lesson states). Regarding tantra and cannabis, I have used the herb to augment my practice from time to time and have found it quite useful. However, I think the effect can vary significantly from one person to another and it is important to self-pace and use careful self-inquiry. Some find cannabis to be sacramental. For me it has been so, and very powerful, and resulted in a lot of purification and dredging up of "stuff" that I might otherwise not have acknowledged and processed so quickly. But, obviously what we want to avoid is becoming dependent on an external substance, however benign and harmless it may be, to achieve our spiritual goals. If it becomes a habit it may detract from our progress. At the same time, we should give thanks for the good herbs that God/ the earth gives us and use them wisely. Feel free to email me.

draumaz

Denmark
5 Posts

Posted - Jun 29 2012 : 11:15:00 AM

Thanks alot for your thoughts on this. I guess its wise to start out exploring tantra alone, without any substance involved.

Edited by - draumaz on Jun 29 2012 11:22:31 AM

Bodhi Tree

USA
591 Posts

Posted - Jun 30 2012 : 7:54:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Radharani

With all due respect to Bodhi, I think AYP lesson 307 refers specifically to psychedelic drugs, a slightly different consideration than cannabis (and I fully agree with what that lesson states). Regarding tantra and cannabis, I have used the herb to augment my practice from time to time and have found it quite useful.

LOL. Makes me think of the Ben Harper song Burn One Down: "Before you knock it, try it first; then you'll see it's a blessing and not a curse. It's a gift from the Earth, and what's from the Earth is of the greatest worth."

So, don't worry about disrespecting me.

If it's working for you, do it! Nevertheless, I feel obliged to report my personal experience (that cannabis and other psychedelics won't sustain spiritual experience/living over the long-term) as well as the guidance of Yogani/AYP/the science of neurobiology.

Again, it's like comparing the difference between watching the preview of a movie vs. watching the full movie. Psychedelics will give a preview, but not the full-access, director's cut, behind the scenes, bonus DVD version of the movie. To get THAT, we have to stimulate and massage our nervous system in a way that is permanently changing.

There's a story about Ram Dass and his guru. Apparently, when Ram Dass was still experimenting with LSD, he brought a handful of large doses to his guru, and suggested he try a small amount to experience what the young kids of America were up to. Before Ram Dass could stop him, the guru snatched the WHOLE handful and ate the bunch of doses without hesitation! In the following hours, Ram Dass said that his guru was not phased IN THE LEAST by the exorbitant amount of psychoactive chemicals.

The lesson: The guru was already in the state which pyschedelics normally rocket us normal folks into. Therefore, it was like pouring a glass of water into a massive river. Absurdly negligible and miniscule in relation to the size of the giant body of water.

Also, just to be clear...cannabis IS categorized as a psychedelic by pretty much all the scientific sources I've come across. The effects on the nervous system (receptor site interaction, serotonin production, etc.) are akin to the big boys of psychedelics: LSD, DMT, psilocybin, mescaline, and so forth.

To each his own.

yogishankar

USA
78 Posts

Posted - Jul 01 2012 : 10:17:07 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Bodhi Tree

quote:
Originally posted by Radharani

With all due respect to Bodhi, I think AYP lesson 307 refers specifically to psychedelic drugs, a slightly different consideration than cannabis (and I fully agree with what that lesson states). Regarding tantra and cannabis, I have used the herb to augment my practice from time to time and have found it quite useful.

LOL. Makes me think of the Ben Harper song Burn One Down: "Before you knock it, try it first; then you'll see it's a blessing and not a curse. It's a gift from the Earth, and what's from the Earth is of the greatest worth."

So, don't worry about disrespecting me. If it's working for you, do it! Nevertheless, I feel obliged to report my personal experience (that cannabis and other psychedelics won't sustain spiritual experience/living over the long-term) as well as the guidance of Yogani/AYP/the science of neurobiology.

Again, it's like comparing the difference between watching the preview of a movie vs. watching the full movie. Psychedelics will give a preview, but not the full-access, director's cut, behind the scenes, bonus DVD version of the movie. To get THAT, we have to stimulate and massage our nervous system in a way that is permanently changing.

There's a story about Ram Dass and his guru. Apparently, when Ram Dass was still experimenting with LSD, he brought a handful of large doses to his guru, and suggested he try a small amount to experience what the young kids of America were up to. Before Ram Dass could stop him, the guru snatched the WHOLE handful and ate the bunch of doses without hesitation! In the following hours, Ram Dass said that his guru was not phased IN THE LEAST by the exorbitant amount of psychoactive chemicals.

The lesson: The guru was already in the state which pyschedelics normally rocket us normal folks into. Therefore, it was like pouring a glass of water into a massive river. Absurdly negligible and miniscule in relation to the size of the giant body of water.

Also, just to be clear...cannabis IS categorized as a psychedelic by pretty much all the scientific sources I've come across. The effects on the nervous system (receptor site interaction, serotonin production, etc.) are akin to the big boys of psychedelics: LSD, DMT, psilocybin, mescaline, and so forth.

To each his own.

Bodhi, What a Wisdom of Words (WoW)!!

My _/\_ to you.

Edited by - yogishankar on Jul 01 2012 10:24:33 AM

Radharani

USA
520 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2012 : 04:44:16 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Bodhi Tree

quote:
Originally posted by Radharani

With all due respect to Bodhi, I think AYP lesson 307 refers specifically to psychedelic drugs, a slightly different consideration than cannabis (and I fully agree with what that lesson states). Regarding tantra and cannabis, I have used the herb to augment my practice from time to time and have found it quite useful.

LOL. Makes me think of the Ben Harper song Burn One Down: "Before you knock it, try it first; then you'll see it's a blessing and not a curse. It's a gift from the Earth, and what's from the Earth is of the greatest worth."

So, don't worry about disrespecting me. If it's working for you, do it! Nevertheless, I feel obliged to report my personal experience (that cannabis and other psychedelics won't sustain spiritual experience/living over the long-term) as well as the guidance of Yogani/AYP/the science of neurobiology.

Again, it's like comparing the difference between watching the preview of a movie vs. watching the full movie. Psychedelics will give a preview, but not the full-access, director's cut, behind the scenes, bonus DVD version of the movie. To get THAT, we have to stimulate and massage our nervous system in a way that is permanently changing.

There's a story about Ram Dass and his guru. Apparently, when Ram Dass was still experimenting with LSD, he brought a handful of large doses to his guru, and suggested he try a small amount to experience what the young kids of America were up to. Before Ram Dass could stop him, the guru snatched the WHOLE handful and ate the bunch of doses without hesitation! In the following hours, Ram Dass said that his guru was not phased IN THE LEAST by the exorbitant amount of psychoactive chemicals.

The lesson: The guru was already in the state which pyschedelics normally rocket us normal folks into. Therefore, it was like pouring a glass of water into a massive river. Absurdly negligible and miniscule in relation to the size of the giant body of water.

Also, just to be clear...cannabis IS categorized as a psychedelic by pretty much all the scientific sources I've come across. The effects on the nervous system (receptor site interaction, serotonin production, etc.) are akin to the big boys of psychedelics: LSD, DMT, psilocybin, mescaline, and so forth.

To each his own.

Cannabis is a "psychedelic" as opposed to any other class of drug. However, its receptor site is not the same and it is not serotonergic. Moreover, anyone who has used both cannabis and the stronger psychedelics can testify that their effects are quite different, particularly in regards to "ego death" and achieving complete silence/stillness. The stronger drugs have a fairly predictable pattern of action whereas cannabis can be more ambiguous.

Thanks to a Christmas gift from a friend, I recently had the opportunity to discover that LSD no longer affects me in the way that it did many, many years ago when I last experienced it. Apparently I am now in the unitive state that I previously used it to obtain; there was nowhere to get to and nobody to come back down. So it is not difficult to believe the story about Ram Dass' guru.

In any case, I agree that chemical or herbal shortcuts are no substitute for ongoing daily spiritual practice, as I think I already stated, above, and I am not recommending it. At the same time, I would not say that their use is never beneficial, as many of us have found otherwise. For me, many, many years ago the "preview of the movie" encouraged me to seriously pursue my yoga practice and I wouldn't be here today if that were not the case.

delta33

Canada
86 Posts

Posted - Sep 21 2012 : 7:32:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by draumaz

I was wondering if any of you have any experience with solo tantra practice combined with cannabis?

yes

quote:
Now Im curious to explorer the tantric approach together with Cannabis.

cannabis grants me enhanced prana awareness which can make it easier to circulate the sexual energy generated by tantra practices up and down the spine.

there are some prices to pay:

- cannabis drains prana, generally out the bottom of the root chakra.. it's pleasurable but certainly a drain.. certain mudras can help reverse this, but on to the next price..

- cannabis is forgetful.. forget to do mudra locks, forget to do pranayam, forget to do tantra in the.................. space-outs that happen.

- cannabis can contribute to both bliss and paranoia (classic duality delusion).. it is an object from the realm of impermanent forms after all.

- cannabis dulls the intellect and inhibits memory..... what were we practicing again? it seemed important.. maybe we'll remember 'later'....

so cannabis can be helpful maybe, but there are some important drawbacks to consider.

draumaz

Denmark
5 Posts

Posted - Dec 19 2012 : 4:02:04 PM

Thank you delta33,

Very insightful answer. I will remember this.
I believe if cannabis shall ever be introduced into my practice, it will be very small amounts, and not very often.

mystylenow

France
7 Posts

Posted - Jan 19 2013 : 1:25:59 PM

Hi
Concerning the tantric solo practice in my experience it is best to stay away from all stimulants who are not of sexual nature.The whole point of this practice is to stay in front of orgasm while staying on the edge of excitement, and thats much easier without emotional amplifiers like canabis etc.Also we need to take one houre rest minimum after the practice in order for the hormons to spread to all cels of the body and to enjoy the feeling of Hi.Second time in thr same day is more dificult to control...All the best.

Arman

Australia
24 Posts

Posted - Jan 22 2013 : 11:06:59 AM

Hi Draumaz. :)

Sometimes I get attached and excited over the idea that I can combine certain substances with my practices for benefits - because I think back to when I used to smoke and have a lot of fun. When it comes down to it though I have found that in the end, smoking cannabis seems to block subtle energy flows and I think it is a less effective route. Ram Dass also said that he felt cognitive tax the morning after smoking "and it's just not worth it anymore!" as he would say.

It's also my opinion and personal experience that using substances while engaging in spiritual practices that are changing the brain fairly radically can come at energetical and cognitive costs. Even if it is with a substance as safe as cannabis.

Everyone is different though, perhaps you should try the tantra with cannabis and without to see for yourself. Who knows. :)

Edited by - Arman on Jan 22 2013 11:08:13 AM

devinpentagram

USA
2 Posts

Posted - Mar 16 2013 : 3:35:14 PM

I have made a personal study of this, if interested:
www.devinpentagram.com

jonesboy

USA
40 Posts

Posted - Apr 06 2013 : 11:31:28 AM

Now I am a newbie but I will say that i think cannabis does increase the effects/feel while doing the practice. Yet I think it does diminish the after effects throughout the day compared to not using cannabis. It all depends on your goals i guess.

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