weed and meditation

[cbishop]

smoking pot makes you lose your keys. Do you want to spend 30 minutes a day every day looking for your keys?

holy mother of god. someone who finally understands the truth about pot.
that is the single greatest drawback of smoking pot.

kind of makes you wonder why it's still illegal

[Tingjid]

In my experience (which over the years may have been a dime or two too much) weed will loosen you up enough to release a fair amount of chi(depending on your pent up chi at the time), and that's awesome and fun to play with, but excessive use will completely f up your concentration and for me totally screwed my chi kung ability. I would have to say the best way to improve your chi control is the natural way, meditation, tai chi and practice and practice, and maybe later if there's time some practice.

My theory on weed (I may have too much free time, I should be practicing) Smoking weed gives a false sense of contentment, which while enjoyable is still totally false. It can lull you into thinking you're happy all the while you're getting weaker and your defilements are gaining more and more control over 'you'. Don't get me wrong though, a J can be a great way to relax and hang out with friends, even if it isn't real, but hey, what is?

So I guess my opinion would be all things in moderation.

- Max

Enjoy everything, you might as well...

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

It's all real, even the illusions are real illusions.. i think people find it too convenient to refer to something as illusory when it's too much for them to deal with in "their" real world.. there is a difference between temporary and illusory.. just because something is temporary doesn't diminish its realism..

Be well..

[David Jamieson]

Kungfu will come from diligence in practice and understanding formed from the doing of the work.

one can smoke all the weed they want, heck, you can inject heroin and do your tai chi, it isn't going to enhance anything other than your own perception because really, it isn't all that beneficial to ones practice. In moderation it doesn't detract, but it doesn't add.

Let's not try to make a silk purse out of a sows ear here. The more intouch with the reality of the task, the better the likelyhood you will gain further understanding. The more you navel gaze, the more likely you will continue to navel gaze.

I personally could care less if someone wants to use substances to enhance thei perception of the world, but if you are self medicating yourself to escape from aspects of your reality, then that is not reality, you are only increasing the maya.

[hazhardy]

so i quit smoking jah herb, coz i came to a conclusion = it wasn't doing me any favors and i felt that if i smoked, the next time i did chi kung, my chi would not be flowing as well as if i had not smoked previously... basically i felt that smoking unblocked chi,,but when it came to get chi circulating without any 'extra use' of substances, it became much more difficult.
interesting.
hza

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Good move, Haz.. you can't spark-up a fatty every time you want to do Qi work.. or, i guess you could, but.. you'd forget why you sparked it up.. it has its place but, it's not for real Qi work or for casual recreation..

Good work and Be well..

[hazhardy]

cheers bob, yeah, well some noice zan zhong will do the trick instead'a the 'erb
hza

[Ou Ji]

Just to add my nickel bags worth I'd have to say that some people function quite well under the MJ influence while others do not. I'm in the latter category and I'm amazed at how others work up a storm and actually know what they're doing.

Back in the day I stood at the steps of the nations capitol smoking Thai Stick with Keith Stroop while reporters interviewed him before going in to testify before congress to legalize MJ. Good thing they didn't ask me any tough questions, like my name. I was shlitfaced. That was the White House smoke-in 1974.

So I really can't fault those who start their day with a spark just because it doesn't work for me. Another thing I noticed personally was that my joints were much tighter when I smoked. Not the ones I rolled (although they too were much tighter), the ones in my body. It might relax you at the time but you'll be stiff later. That's why you need to spark up to loosen up.

[bing bang pow]

Smoking pot is certainly not the way to develop your awareness of energy or chi. Smoking Pot is like a light bulb that emits light only from one side of the bulb. While you may feel Chi in ways you never had before, It is very incomplete and will, over time, hinder your advancement.
The drug's effect has nothing to do with the balance of energy, awareness and concentraition. All of these elements are involved with Chi development and need to be balanced and enhanced with skill. Pot will increase your ability to concentraite and feel butit decreases your awareness and energy. Usually, that is. Everyone reacts alittle differently to smoking Pot, however, there is a correct and complete way to develop Chi and Chi Gung. Drug use has no part in it.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Cannibis is a sacred herb.. used as a sacrement it has benefits.. used recreationally, it will deceive you.. Cannibis is its own meditation, and shouldn't be used with other types of meditation/energy-work.. Cannibis has the ability to ease-up the "structure of beliefs", such that when someone feels trapped by their own dogmas, it can nudge them past a plateau.. it also has some influences on creativity.. it should, however, be used infrequently and only with great respect..

Be well..

[mawali]

Ganja (bhang) should never be used with meditation because it will prolong the experience (sensation/delusion) and for those whose system cannot handle it, the result can be neurological related problems.

TaiCHBob's example is an excellent one!

[doug maverick]

not to mention that weed is seriously bad for your kidney's

[herb ox]

Mawali's comment regarding TCBob was not very nice... unless you were were joking (I hope), you need to smoke more weed, man. Ease up.

DMav - marijuana bad for your kidneys? Please clarify.

It's only called a 'drug' because it has been demonized by people with pecuniary motivations. Anything you put in your body is a drug, whether it be sugar, caffeine, chili peppers, ginger, etc. [sound of a fresh can of worms opening in the background] as they all have an effect on our physiology. Therefore, to simply rule out the use of cannabis because 'it's a drug' is not a valid reason.

As for causing brain cancer, recent research suggests the cannabinoids have a neuroPROTECTIVE function, keeping the brain from degeneration. It's an herb, a medicine, a drug... depends on how you use it.

To address the main question, in qigong practice, your connection with the natural and heavenly influences is paramount to progress. Cannabis can re-awaken a dormant or latent connection to nature, therefore it can be beneficial. However, one should never become dependent on the herb for increasing awareness, as the highest awareness requires liberation from body and mind, therefore clouding your sacred vision with smoke is strongly cautioned against.

kind regards,

tha' herb ox

[mawali]

herb ox,
I & I smoke with the best of the islanders and desi so I know the effects BUT I did not inhale and if I did, I was unawares!
Anyway I observed my friends exhibiting a ravenous appetite and the infamous rude man shuffling so slow, a tortoise could have passed him!
It give spaced out a new dimension!
Anyway to each his own as they say in USA!

It has been show to be good for cancer so we agree, I hope, mon!

[cjurakpt]

Greetings..

Cannibis is a sacred herb.. used as a sacrement it has benefits.. used recreationally, it will deceive you.. Cannibis is its own meditation, and shouldn't be used with other types of meditation/energy-work.. Cannibis has the ability to ease-up the "structure of beliefs", such that when someone feels trapped by their own dogmas, it can nudge them past a plateau.. it also has some influences on creativity.. it should, however, be used infrequently and only with great respect..

Be well..

hey Bob - I missed that part in the latest US marijuana policy statement - would you regard the above as an "off label" usage of the substance? anyway, i guess that you won't be a candidate for head of the FDA anytime soon, LOL!

unfortunately, your very direct assessment of the context within which any natural substance is utilized is so diametrically opposed to the contemporary economics of morality (yes, that's what I said), that I am afraid the culture will never support it (not that you necessarily care, obviously); now personally, I would never engage in the sort of activity you suggest; why? not because it is wrong, but because my sense of myself has always been that my system would not handle it; but that is personal choice: I think if people want to partake of that, or really any substance, let 'em do it, God bless; just legalize it, give it away for free, but organize it in a way that if someone does do it, they can't operate heavy machinery; of course, it would be great if everyone could employ it as a means of interacting with altered states of consciousness in a proactive manner- but I think you need an intrinsic sense of self in order to do so, a sense that most people lack, either due to cultural environment, predisposition, or both;
but otherwise, good on ya' brother

oh, and to legalize alcohol but prohibit cannabis - the greatest of all hypocrisies, but again, the economics of morality!