Quote Originally Posted by Etrain
Hello everyone, I'm still very young and I don't have a religion. Before now, I have never been a big fan of religion, although lately I have been contemplating buddhism. If anybody here has any thoughts/suggestions or knows a buddhist, I would appreciate it if they would enlighten me with knowledge. I've heard mixed reports on cannabis/drug use regarding the religion, but talked to a buddhist today and said cannabis has long been used as a meditation and enlightenment tool. If I wanted to take this seriously, would I have to quit smoking socially/for fun? Does all this sound stupid? I'm confused...
Hi To be a true Buddhist you must take vows which we call the five precepts, the 5th precept is to not drink alcohol or to take any form of intoxicant. The reason for this precept is that Buddhism is about learning to control the mind through meditation which needs to be perfectly clear for this to be achieved. But the good news is That Buddhist teachings are not just usefull to practicing Buddhists but to all people whatever their beliefs. You may have heard of Buddhist monks who smoke cannabis but i can assure you they are not thought very highly of in the monastic world. H.H. The Dalai Lama says on this subject, that for medicinal use it has its advantages but we need to clear our minds of illusion and not add to it, by using it as a drug. heres wishing you well Garry D.