Culadasa on 5-MeO-DMT

[ardacigin]

I've just watched Culadasa's most recent Patreon interview and one of the questions that were asked was his opinions on psychedelics and he mentioned 5 Meo DMT there as well. So I thought people in this forum might be interested in. 

Culadasa views psychedelics differently than many Buddhist teachers.

He views them as plant medicines and he'd tried many different substances in the past. He thinks of them as medicines that literally give you various insight experiences directly. Their effectiveness changes depending on intentions, user's skill level, set and settings. He also views psychedelics to have profound effects on emotional healing as long as the student has the skills to work on this aspect of the practice.

His opinions on the psychedelics start at 42:02 minute mark.

 

 

[Leo Gura]

Well that's refreahing to hear. It'd be nice if more teachers spoke from experience about them.

Tired of hearing spiritual teachers poo-poo psychedelics as though they are irrelevant.

[mandyjw]

2 hours ago, ardacigin said:

He thinks of them as medicines that literally give you various insight experiences directly.

Nothing can give you insights directly. All psychedelics do is heighten sense perceptions and stop thought (all the same movement), when that happens, not matter how that occurs, insights come. 

 

[allislove]

7 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

Nothing can give you insights directly. All psychedelics do is heighten sense perceptions and stop thought (all the same movement), when that happens, not matter how that occurs, insights come. 

Yes, the most powerful tool to heighten sense perceptions and stop thought.

Edited November 20, 2019 by dimitri

[mandyjw]

5 minutes ago, dimitri said:

Yes, the most powerful tool to heighten sense perceptions and stop thought.

Power tools are great for building houses, not so great for delicate work. 

Men and their power tools, I swear to God it doesn't matter what hobby I get into, men are always obsessed with their equipment. 

[allislove]

6 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

Power tools are great for building houses, not so great for delicate work. 

Men and their power tools, I swear to God it doesn't matter what hobby I get into, men are always obsessed with their equipment. 

Funny, funny Mandy, thanks. 

Edited November 20, 2019 by dimitri

[peanutspathtotruth]

1 hour ago, mandyjw said:

Men and their power tools, I swear to God it doesn't matter what hobby I get into, men are always obsessed with their equipment. 

Hahaha yes I get what you're saying. But honestly, if you look at the psychedelic community that specifically uses entheogens for healing and spiritual insight, there seems to be quite a balance between men and women seeing these substances as extremely powerful medicines. Not so much in the "let's go meet aliens" or "rave with infinite fractals around me" camp - there it's indeed mostly men I agree.

Just saying, EVERYTHING is a tool - every thought you think about what is true, every "just being" moment where you don't think, you could call all of that a tool. The only thing which is not is Being itself. But we can't do anything about it. So it's more than valuable to use tools with caution while seeing their place in the whole journey. I know, you probably aren't particularly against this thought, but I see a general black/white split of people being extremely hyped about the tools and people being overly dismissive.

[mandyjw]

@peanutspathtotruth

I have benefited immensely from psychedelics though indirectly, through other's insights from them. I'm not bothered by the "let's go meet aliens" stuff at all, I am a little saddened by the assumption by some that the potential lies within the psychedelic rather than in the magic of reality or the perceiver themself.

The power of nature is such that "one" does not have to physically eat the mushroom but only look at it to really see. However that also means that it makes no difference whether you literally do or no not ingest the "magical" forms of nature. 

"It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”- Jesus

Edited November 20, 2019 by mandyjw

[peanutspathtotruth]

57 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

I am a little saddened by the assumption by some that the potential lies within the psychedelic rather than in the magic of reality or the perceiver themself.

Ultimately, yes, definitely. It's the classic taking the map for the territory.
Although, I have to say honestly, I would be very interested to know how your specific view would change or not change if you experimented with psychedelics yourself. Maybe in a different dimension  
 

59 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

"It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”- Jesus

Don't really get that, why is coined in a negative way (defilement)? I think I don't really grasp what is said here.

[mandyjw]

@peanutspathtotruth I can tell you for sure, the brain makes its own natural DMT. I don't know, but I suspect I've got enough of my own natural crazy to go around. 

 All I was trying to say with that verse is that the external world, including psychedelics are imagined. Intention and intuition is everything. Life and awakening is one giant personalized scavenger hunt, not everyone finds the same clues along the way but we all unite together in the end. 

 

 

[passerby]

while i'm all for psychedelics, I also judge these types of people (high level meditators, gurus, teachers, whatevers) by their actions, to glean an idea of whether what they are doing seems to be working. And Culadasa was recently stood down because he was banging hookers and some students who were not his wife... many of his actions were against the most simplest morals that Buddhists (and all spiritual systems really) hold

Edited November 20, 2019 by passerby

[Jordan94]

On 21/11/2019 at 3:36 AM, passerby said:

while i'm all for psychedelics, I also judge these types of people (high level meditators, gurus, teachers, whatevers) by their actions, to glean an idea of whether what they are doing seems to be working. And Culadasa was recently stood down because he was banging hookers and some students who were not his wife... many of his actions were against the most simplest morals that Buddhists (and all spiritual systems really) hold

I'm not 100% sure on what really happen, but from what I heard (from some people that are actually close to culadasa and know more), he did not bang any student

And the whole scenarie of "he's a sex addict who could not resist his urge to go bang hookers and cheating on his wife, from craving, even if he would regret it afterwards" seems far from reality, from what I've heard his relationship with his wife was coming to an end and even though they were still oficially married, they did not even live together and didn't divorce (yet) mostly to avoid paperwork/stuff like that, and his wife knew that he was seeing other women

Which makes a big difference in the whole story

[Leo Gura]

Doesn't matter how many hookers he banged, 5-MeO-DMT is still awesome!