Drugs as a Spiritual Tool

Occasionally, I see references to people using drugs as a method of spiritual progress. While no given rule serves everyone, I can make a few observations that suggest it’s not a recommended technique. There are much safer, more potent ways.

Some scholarly works describe soma, the “nectar of immortality”, as a hallucinogenic mushroom. This is ridiculous for anyone who has experienced soma directly. It is produced by the body itself when it is sufficiently refined. Celestial experiences are not hallucinogenic, however they might sound. They are experiences of subtler values of the existing reality. There are other similarly misunderstood ideas that mistakenly suggest drugs are an effective practice.

Drugs may bring experiences, but these are not produced in natural ways so they tend to be highly distorted and are not sustained afterward. Drugs also usually require increasing doses to get the same result, resulting in a downward spiral away from the goal. Also, experiences have little to do with actual being. Thus, while there may be some experiences, the result is a movement backwards.

From the people I’ve met or read about, I know of only one person who’s initial waking was as a result of a drug experience. The result was not clear. But I know several whose life was majorly messed up by a “bad trip”. It’s a risky journey to make.

Further, I know dozens of meditators who found they needed considerable time in meditation retreats to purify the nervous system of past drug use so they could have clear experiences. That past had caused a kind of fog, a pollution of the subtle body.

A far better technique for spiritual progress is effortless meditation. It takes you directly into source, has no side effects, and supports all-round development. Research has also indicated that it causes drug use to fall away as drugs reduce internal clarity.
Davidya