I have a friend who is kinda tight-ass and priggish about spirituality and enlightenment. As a goofy joke and a poke at these aspects of his belief system and ideals of enlightened beings, I told him I was going to buy a cigar and smoke it if I got stream entry. (I rarely smoke tobacco)

I was smoking marijuana the day I got stream entry. Yesterday, I indeed smoked that cigar to celebrate, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be.

I don't think that spiritual progress or orientation gives anyone a right to neglect morality and conduct, but I also don't think that morality and conduct just flow from spiritual progress or orientation. I'm not trying to encourage or justify drug use. I'm just trying to make this point: many people have all sorts of notions of what is holy and unholy, what is spiritual and non-spiritual, what is ethical and unethical. Holiness, spirituality, and ethics are all just more ways we create conditions we think we need to meet. No one needs to align with "good" or "holy" or "spiritual" to get enlightened. There are particular conditions that are conductive to getting enlightened. Those conditions aren't the actual enlightenment, and may even be corrupting insight. Path doesn't happen when you rub the Buddha's tummy or when you find the right religion. All you have to do is set up the right conditions (which really translates to sustaining and flowing with an insight practice of some sort). The conditions don't mean a thing though, besides the functions the conditions may serve in leading to whatever results you're looking for. That's my understanding of pragmatism and why it trumps value-judgment oriented thinking and practice.

Smoke a joint, get enlightened. Smoke a cigar, still enlightened. Call it immature, but I don't mind indulging in a thought-mix of honesty, humor, wisdom, and pleasure.

*shrug*

Ahhh, the classic dropping of silabbata-paramasa.

Was the marijuana related to your getting stream entry?

I have no idea. I really doubt it, but I'm still not extremely clear on how marijuana makes a difference on my practice. I'm not trying to endorse the use of it. I'm just pointing out that using it and getting stream entry are not mutually exclusive, and that many people such as the friend I mentioned would benefit from seriously scrutinizing expectations and ideals of what "the path" morally entails, requires, and leads to.




Read: would quit being hard-asses! ;)

All fun and games. I don't want to knock anyone who attributes success on the path to morality. I'm aiming for the goons who look down on jokes, abhor human instincts and desires, and see spirituality as necessarily removed from the ways of society and modern culture. Perhaps it can do some people good to give up certain pleasures and renounce certain ways. I've just learned that there is a fine line between cultivating sila and acting a pseudo-enlightened, holy, mystical, perfected twat. Unfortunately, I've played the latter at times.

I believe that it might depend on the individual's relationship with the substance. Having been 'chronic' for many years I consider it today to be a serious impediment to my spiritual practice. This was not always the case. Many years ago I enjoyed a much more casual relationship to it. I suspect that I will (am already) putting everything aside until I gain stream entry.

While I occasionally crave to smoke I understand much better that it is not actually very pleasant to right now. I become so anxious and manic, then insomniac and full of lust... not exactly ideal conditions to work.