My Take On The "psychedelic Videos" ;)

[Neo]

That's ok, I don't have a hangup about the warning thing. A lot of this is just me spewing out thoughts.

[Andrea Marchetti]

@Neo and everybody here, these kind of drugs will not cause you to be addicted. It is impossible.
It is incredible how much these substances can cause such a difference in perception and in your daily life too. Be open minded and don't categorise these drugs as same as cocaine or opioids or alcohol. And don't see them as a recreational drug to use with friends. These drugs can be really helpful if used properly. These are powerful tools... Don't condemn them.
When Leo said that these drugs will do nothing he was just calming down all the excited people out there who use these drugs thinking that they own what the drug shows them. Which is delusional... But they are not useless, they can show us many things. They are mind opening and also they can be a fuel to keep moving along the path. There is also some dangers with them and that's why one should be cautious about them.
Don't judge what you don't know. I am not saying you should take it, just don't have prejudices and be open to new possibilities.
 

Edited September 22, 2016 by Andrea Marchetti

[Prabhaker]

The drug experience is a forced, phony experience, but because we don't know the real, the phony seems to be right. If you have not seen the real, then even the phony is too much.

The drug experience is so cheap and the meditation experience is so costly, because you have to go through such effort. Then by and by the mind starts choosing the cheaper one. Mm? It is the path of least resistance, so the mind says "Why bother?" The drug can give you something so easily, then why bother with Vipassana -- sitting and meditating and struggling hard? Why not the easier way?
 

[Huz]

33 minutes ago, Prabhaker said:

The drug experience is a forced, phony experience, but because we don't know the real, the phony seems to be right. If you have not seen the real, then even the phony is too much.

The drug experience is so cheap and the meditation experience is so costly, because you have to go through such effort. Then by and by the mind starts choosing the cheaper one. Mm? It is the path of least resistance, so the mind says "Why bother?" The drug can give you something so easily, then why bother with Vipassana -- sitting and meditating and struggling hard? Why not the easier way?
 

I don't see why both cant be used in congruence with each other. Do psychedelics say once every other month to deepen you practice, open your mind and obtain insights. Then it would give you motivation to do consciousness work even more. You probably take the path of least resistance a lot in your life. Say for example, I am guessing, that you use mechanical transport to get around town. That is the path of least resistance. You don't apply the same ideal of not taking the path of least resistance in all areas of life. Only to the parts which bolster up your belief system, and beneficial to your ego. Yes doing psychedelics is taking the path of least resistance in some aspect, but if used responsibly it can be a powerful aid for your spiritual practice. Just like driving a car is for your life. If you use the car ALL the time and don't walk, it would be unhealthy, just as if you trip balls on acid all the time it would be irresponsible and damaging to your practice and health.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Huz

[Neo]

59 minutes ago, Huz said:

I don't see why both cant be used in congruence with each other. Do psychedelics say once every other month to deepen you practice, open your mind and obtain insights. Then it would give you motivation to do consciousness work even more. You probably take the path of least resistance a lot in your life. Say for example, I am guessing, that you use mechanical transport to get around town. That is the path of least resistance. You don't apply the same ideal of not taking the path of least resistance in all areas of life. Only to the parts which bolster up your belief system, and beneficial to your ego. Yes doing psychedelics is taking the path of least resistance in some aspect, but if used responsibly it can be a powerful aid for your spiritual practice. Just like driving a car is for your life. If you use the car ALL the time and don't walk, it would be unhealthy, just as if you trip balls on acid all the time it would be irresponsible and damaging to your practice and health.

Now I'm not saying I wouldn't ever try the drugs, and since this thread was posted Leo did the interesting "God" video.

Mearly that, some people, are finding a spiritual awakening, even if only a small part, and it can seem at odds with the drugs topics (even if this is due to previous conditioning or whatever). To explain further, Leo even has us eating salads in previous videos, i.e. get healthy. So my body is going from being a *temple* (don't take this too seriously the way I explain things) to taking the cheap option; drugs.

 

Secondly, when you are talking to people who haven't tried psycodelics, they haver their own experiences in life, maybe other drugs as a frame of reference. For example, *someone* took amphetamine solid for 3 days and flew out of their armchair and up through the roof and could see all the insulation and bits of fluff in the ceiling and flew back into the chair scared out of their brains. But on the come down, do they believe they left the body? No, they believe they completely f**ked their brain up and the boundaries between imagination and reality were blurred. The brains functions, instead of being enhanced were actually breaking down. You have to understand they haven't experienced what you have.

 

I just want to elaborate on this point about the brains functions breaking down. It could be argued that the brain has a function within it, structures and software if you like, that create ego, and the function of the ego is to separate us from infinity so that we can fight for survival on this planet. If our brain kept tripping out every minute so we could admire infinity, it would be great for our predators. So these brain functions are pretty solid, and the drugs are causing this function to break down. It could in contrast be argued that the meditative approach is more of an "opening up" of the mind with a learned ability to see it's function. You could counter argue that this is a moot point because the drugs enhance your ability to do the later. Fine, but others may view that approach as taking a sledgehammer to the brain without complete understanding of other side effects. All of this is meant to contrast one way of thinking with the other.

 

Thirdly, these people may not ever be able to follow Leo down this path due to family / partner reasons, because they will have the same hang ups about drugs, and the person concerned could only do it in their home environment where their kids are for example so you open up a lot of practical issues.

 

 

Edited September 22, 2016 by Neo

[Prabhaker]

2 hours ago, Huz said:

Do psychedelics say once every other month to deepen you practice, open your mind and obtain insights.

Just one or two sessions with a guide will be enough. The man can be moved towards meditation. And once he moves towards meditation, drugs have no importance at all. Phony experience is different from real experience. You can start thinking that you have achieved what you were seeking, and your hands are empty. 

[Meave]

There is no right or wrong way to do this, for some it may be meditating, for some it may be reading or staring at the ocean and for some it may be psychedelics. The thing is, if it was as easy as following a set of rues, they everyone would wake up. This is a personal journey, whatever it takes to unlock the next door.

[Tron]

Its funny how Leo did massive research on psychedelics and went about using them in a constructive way, while I just kinda started doing them in my late teens and early twenties with no real knowledge of 'real reality'. I haven't done any in a long long time and wonder what it would be like now if I did. 

 

But in a lot of ways, taking psychedelics led me to my current spiritual path. I'm not saying everyone should take them. But me being open minded to what they had to offer (and yes mushrooms, dmt, and lsd are not in the same ballpark as life ruining drugs) is the same open mindedness that made me question reality all together. 

Edited September 23, 2016 by Tron