“Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics” A book review by Ira Israel.
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“While a sportsman will have his Olympic medals revoked for using drugs that enhance his performance, a musician would not be stripped of her Grammy awards if it turned out that her songs were composed and played under the influence of an illegal substance.” ~ Stephen Batchelor
“Buddhism and psychedelics are together probably the best hope we have for an antidote to egotism and materialism, which are fatally destroying the planet.” ~ Terrence McKenna
I found “Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics” to be one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I was born in 1966, the year that LSD was made illegal and all of the experiments at Harvard Divinity School and in the psychology department at Harvard went underground. One must take into account that the professors leading these experiments at Harvard – such as Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (later known as Ram Dass), David McClelland, Frank Barron, Ralph Metzer – as well as many other people experimenting with these drugs such as Aldous Huxley and Alan Watts – were exceptionally bright, well-educated people who had the intention of exploring human consciousness. By the time I was a teenager in the 1980s, drugs were mostly used for recreational distractions.
Allan Badiner wanted to know what happened to the research with psychedelics by bright, spiritually-minded people so he decided to ask a wide spectrum of seekers what their experiences exploring the relationship between Buddhism and psychedelics was.
Firstly, as all Buddhists will tell you, the Buddha was very specifically against intoxicants (although Robert Thurman says that in the original Pali language, the 5th precept clearly refers to alcohol.) So most of the writers and interviewees in “Zig Zag Zen” have to weigh in on whether psychedelics constitute intoxicants or not. Some argue that they are intoxicants, some argue that they aren’t intoxicants, some argue that they are intoxicants but get a pass, and some argue that they aren’t intoxicants but still should be avoided.
What Allan has assembled is a fascinating array of diverse perspectives and personal experiences wherein many gifted writers and thinkers try to use language to convey the ineffable. In addition, Alex Grey is the Art Editor of “Zig Zag Zen” and has compiled visually stunning artworks from people trying to represent experiences they have had while on psychedelics.
After reading “Zig Zag Zen,” I asked Allan what he thought the counter-culture’s choice of drugs said about potential deficits in the dominant culture? We brainstormed for a moment and agreed that the prevalence of LSD in the 1960s represented a search for wisdom; the prevalence of marijuana in the 1970s represented a search for peace during a time of war; the prevalence of cocaine in 1980s represented a search for lightness; the prevalence of crystal meth in the 1990s represented a search for a new type of intensity; the prevalence of MDMA in the 2000 represented a search for unconditional love; and the prevalence of ayahuasca in the 2010s represented a search for a connection (reconnection) with the mother earth.
In the book, Ralph Metzer says that “From my fifty years of exploration and research on consciousness expanding substances and methods, my conviction has grown that the two most beneficent potential areas of application of psychedelic technologies are in the treatment of addictions and the psycho-spiritual preparation for the final transition.”
Brad Warner believes that Buddhism and psychedelics are two ways up the same mountain: ”A guy in a helicopter gets the same breathtaking view as someone who has climbed the mountain, but he gets there more quickly and more easily.” However Brad feels the seeker taking the fast and easy route may miss some lessons and joys along the way.
Michele McDonald claims to have had “some very deep experiences, even spiritual experiences on drugs” yet does not recommend them.
Allan agrees with Robert Thurman who said that “at a time of global crisis on so many levels, the careful use of entheogens to accelerate our capacity for empathy and compassion may be a skillful means, and compatible with the practice of Dharma.”
All in all, “Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics” is a fun, historical exploration of the divergent viewpoints and experiences from many extremely bright people who – like the Buddha – have the intention of exploring human consciousness with the goal of allaying suffering.
Allan with Tracee Stanley, Jennifer Galardi, and me at Esalen earlier this year.
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