[Buddha-l] Buddhism and psychoactive substances

[Michael J. Wilson]

  Joanna
   
  Your friend's story is very moving. May all beings be well.  
   
  Fasting has been a spiritual instrument (not sure it is a "power tool") for millenium, among seekers of visions and others.  My own caveat for the 10 day "Master Cleanser" fast is that you first determine, perhaps through your family physician, whether or not your metabolism is capable of benefitting from it.
   
  For more information on the "plump" monks who live on the essence of flowers I heard this story from Glen Mullin, tibetan translator who gave a talk on his book "Selected Works of the Dalai Lama II: The Tantric Yogas of Sister Niguma." Chapter eight is his translation of Pa-dam-pa' Sang-gyes 'Essence of Living on Mystic Pills (Essence of Flowers)'. Tibet does have one of the worlds richest pharmacopia's, so I wouldn't put it past them.
   
  I can't say I have seen "obese" Tibetan monks.  Returning from Nepal once, which has one of the world's worst rates of malnutrition, I observed a very obese Canadian society on the bus going home from the airport.  
   
  And now to determine if there is time to do the medicine buddha sadhana this morning.
   
  All the best
  Mike
   
    Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 16:51:46 -0600
From: "jkirk" 
Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] Buddhism and psychoactive substances

Maybe your 10 day liquid-only fast with psychedelic visions might help to explain why ending one's life by fasting and eventually stopping food and drink might be as bearable as it was for a friend I know who did it-----she had reached 92, had gone blind and had had small strokes, and decided that there was no point in ending up in a nursing home, blind. She took the Jain sallekhana, fasting to death, and died peacefully, having visions of what she said were her protectors (she wasn't a Buddhist, but more into native American vision things). 

I wonder about the monks on flower pills being plump--how do you know they weren't plump to start with? Most of the Tibetan monks I've seen in the US. by far, are extremely plump--actually, they are obese. If only on flowerpills, I'd worry about kidney malfunction and water retention, if plump.
Best, Joanna
   
   

 		
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