Possibilities… Drugs or No Drugs!

Our bodies and minds are designed magnificently. We are a very complex and responsive biological machine, which can experience a fantastic variety of sensations, emotions and feelings. We are also a part of Nature, which continuously provides opportunities for unforgettable stimulation to our 'natural' senses. Our talents, sensitivity and emotional awareness have been developed in an evolutionary process which took tens, or perhaps hundreds, of lifetimes. Our consciousness has also a multitude of possibilities, such as the ability of astral travel or telepathic communication over great distances.

It is also common knowledge that our physical bodies eventually die and disintegrate completely. However, all religions aspire to teach us that there is no such evidence at all regarding our consciousness. Our consciousness continues to exist from lifetime to lifetime, despite the fact that we are given different "egos" to fill during this earthly embodiment. Each lifetime appears to be an individually chosen and tailored lesson, with its own goals and challenges.

So how does one get in touch with their consciousness and gain access to this bounty of knowledge? There are numerous possible methods. Some require the use hallucinogens or other forms of drugs to attain the expansion of this knowledge, yet it is also possible to attain this insight through meditation.

This meditation is a process of inner searching. In Lama Anagarika Govinda's book Drugs or Meditation, he cites that "…the process of meditation, in the gradual achievement of integration, we are not concerned with an 'expansion' of consciousness, but… with an intensification of consciousness"(Govinda (1973), pg:1). This intensification of consciousness he cites as the… 'The mistake that is made nowadays and which has its reason in the quantitatively accentuated rational attitudes [that] consists in the opinion that a material "more" must correspond to a "more" in the realm of consciousness. This "more", however, concerns only the reflecting knowledge, which has [a] quantitative character. For this reason alone we had to insist, that we must not fall into the error of striving after consciousness expansion, but that what matters is a consciousness intensification. A mere consciousness expansion leads as much to destruction as the material atomisation, which to some extent has already taken shape"(Govinda (1973), pg:1).

It would appear then, that the main difference between the states of consciousness caused by hallucinogens and those created by meditation, is the fact that drugs deprive us of any control. We are oft helplessly tossed about by our now heightened emotions and deceived by 'hallucinations' or the creations of a chaotic imagination. Our attention is scattered and confused by thousands of fragmentary images and sensory impressions. Meditation on the other hand is a creative process, which converts the chaos of upsurging feelings, thoughts, uncontrolled volition's and contending 'inner' forces into a meaningful 'cosmos' (a harmonized 'universe'), in which all the psychic faculties are centred and integrated in the depth of our consciousness.

Govinda further states that "…It is only the creation of this inner centre that makes us into consciously spiritual beings and lifts us beyond the blind drives of our animal nature, which bind us to the 'chaos' of Samsara (the world of delusion). Hallucinogens lead us away from the centre into an ever more fragmentising multiplicity of unrelated, eternally changing projections of subconscious thought, the contents which, though momentarily capturing our attention, leave us as completely passive spectators of a "psychic film show", which, the longer we devote ourselves to its contemplation, the surer it will suffocate all creative impulses and all individual effort towards their realization"(Govinda (1973), pg:1).

Meditation is frequently confused with various forms of concentration. The purpose of concentration exercises is to focus our full undivided attention on a specific aspect of functioning of our mind and/or the body in order to accomplish a certain goal or develop a certain skill. Exercises such as yoga, tai-chi, breathing exercises, visualization are all forms of concentration.

In contrast, meditation is an exercise, aiming to prevent thoughts in a natural way, by deeply relaxing the physical body and then trying to keep the mind completely "blank" with no thoughts whatsoever. This state may be maintained for a few seconds or a few hours, depending on your skill. Purity of the mind achieved during meditation is essential to gain access to Higher Self. It seems that our Higher Self does not admit any impurities.

Dr. Tom Chalko in his web site on meditation cites "…Contrary to popular belief, promoted by people who attract followers and/or charge money to teach meditation, Mantra has no sacred 'meaning' and no mantra is essentially better than any other. However, regardless of its content, mantra has two important functions, which may greatly assist us in achieving and maintaining a meditative state of a blank mind.

1. Mantra is a very simple thought. It becomes very familiar to us when we repeat it in our mind. This thought is used to replace any thought that may come to our mind. Every time a thought comes during meditation, we use mantra to replace it.

2. When we practice meditation regularly using the same mantra (whatever it is), soon we train our mind to associate the mantra with a calm meditative state. This association is called an 'anchor' by Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioners. After such self-training, even if we are agitated, a thought of mantra usually brings an immediate calm of the mind. This makes our mantra a very powerful tool to deal with stressful situations in our life, a tool which we can develop ourselves as a result of a regular meditation practice"(Chalko (1997)).

The use of hallucinogens has been a part of Pagan culture since time immemorial. Many well-known and well-respected Pagans, such as Alister Crowley, have used both hallucinogens and meditation in their personal pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Whilst it is not for me to declare nor proselytise which is the correct or better 'way' - drugs or meditation - one would hope that understanding that our body is a limited resource, one which deserves and at times demands our respect, that meditation would be the preferred method to gain access to this accumulated life knowledge.

References:
Lama Anagarika Govinda (1973) "Drugs or Meditation?: Consciousness Expansion and Disintegration vs. Concentration and Spiritual Regeneration", Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

T. Chalko (1997), "Thiaoouba Prophecy: Believing is not enough, you need to know", Accessed: 30/08/04, URL: http://www.thiaoouba.com/medit.htm