Are Psychedelics A Shortcut To Enlightenment?
Are Psychedelics A Shortcut To Enlightenment?
Psychedelics may grant us what feels like a "free trial" to enlightenment — but this cosmic wisdom is fleeting without the long, disciplined integration baked into traditional spiritual practice.
Zen Buddhism teaches simplicity, naturalness, and direct experiential wisdom (called Kenshō) as a means to attain enlightenment. This sort of wisdom is typically earned through long hours of sitting meditation (called zazen) — which eventually exhausts the ego and its constant chatter.
The idea is that through meditation, one can achieve complete awareness. During this state, one holds no expectations, no attachment, and no judgment. Zen practitioners can make observations about the self and the world around them without projecting internal biases or opinions.
Through this profound clarity, insights about life, death, and the nature of reality present themselves in ways impossible to describe. These insights cannot be taught or intellectualized; they can only be experienced firsthand.
Certain psychedelics, such as LSD, DMT, or psilocybin, may offer a shortcut — sort of. These substances have the remarkable ability to provide glimpses of this ineffable wisdom.
Psychedelics produce on-demand exposure to so-called "direct experience." They inject users into states similar to the ones hose cultivated by Zen Buddhists and many other spiritual traditions over many months or years.
With that said, psychedelics may not be quite the shortcut we'd hope they could be, and there are some significant caveats to using them. Their effects vary widely from one session to another, often leading to experiences that are more confusing than enlightening. Even in times when they are profoundly insightful, the insight gained dissipates quickly if not properly integrated and supported by consistent practice or guidance.
The Mystical Experience
One of the great virtues of magic mushrooms and other classical psychedelics is their capacity to induce powerful — often life-changing, religious experiences. Psychologists call this the "mystical experience."
Some examples of phenomena reported by patients who fit the criteria for having had psychedelic-induced mystical experiences include seeing the interconnectedness of all things, separation from ego, realization that all things are a manifestation of the same universal energy, and meetings with divine entities.
These states are powerful. A study from Johns' Hopkins in 2006 reported that 67% of study participants who were given psilocybin claimed the experience to be the single most meaningful experience of their life.
Profound as the psychedelic experience may be, the insight they provide is only temporary. If you don't return to life, you won't bring enlightenment back with you — you're merely visiting the place where enlightenment exists.
As an old Zen proverb puts it:
"Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."
Psychologist and renowned American Theravada Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield says:
"Yes, awakening comes in a moment, but living it, stabilizing it can take months, years, and lifetimes."
I like to think of the psychedelic-induced mystical experience as a sort of "free trial" of what enlightenment might feel like — but it only becomes a reality if you can integrate it into your daily life… a process that requires dedication and effort.
Psychedelics & the Illusion of Clarity
Speaking on the topic of psychedelics and spiritual insight, legendary psychologist Carl Jung once cautioned us to "beware of unearned wisdom."
The implication is that although psychedelics can provide us with on-demand revelations about the nature of the self and the universe — without a solid framework to truly understand and integrate these experiences, we paradoxically run the risk of causing further delusion and inflation of ego.
Overuse of psychedelics or experimentation with psychedelics without first establishing a solid philosophical/spiritual foundation could paradoxically strengthen the ego and one's attachments to the drug itself and the experiences it creates.
Most people who have used psychedelics have experienced those "aha!" moments. In these moments, everything suddenly makes sense.
But these insights are fleeting — like a clump of sand slipping through your fingers. One minute, it's there, vivid and clear; the next, only a few grains of sand remain clinging to your hands.
Even if you remember parts of the experience, without properly integrating these ideas into one's daily life, they become buried by the passage of time.
I've had several of these "aha!" moments from psychedelics. Some were strong enough to completely alter the direction of my life. But after just a few short weeks, these insights and their impact were nowhere to be found.
This is where the benefit of a disciplined spiritual practice comes in.
The Slow, Disciplined Approach
Structured spiritual practices, such as Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, all emphasize the cultivation of steady routines around one's spiritual development. This may include long hours of daily meditation, constant reaffirmation of simplicity, deep personal reflection, and a disciplined approach to one's daily responsibilities.
These practices allow space for us to constantly reassess what we think we know about ourselves and about the nature of reality and to address topics we unconsciously try to avoid or disregard — like death, impermanence, and the illusion imposed by the ego.
Structured spiritual practice, regardless of its form, gives us the opportunity to more thoroughly integrate the insights gained through psychedelics so they remain and compound long-term. They also offer a framework in which to attain similar cosmic knowledge without relying on altering our pharmacology.
These practices are much more sustainable long-term and allow the insights gained from psychedelics to compound and grow over time rather than fostering further delusion and ego.
Using Psychedelics "Mindfully"
Psychedelics can act as a gateway to cosmic insight — but they're merely one of many tools we can pull from as part of our broader spiritual toolbox. The trick is to use the right tool for the job.
You wouldn't use a hammer to drive a screw, and a crowbar is overkill for opening a can of paint.
In the same way, psychedelics shouldn't be the sole method of seeking spiritual enlightenment but rather a complement to grounded practices and structured learning. Just as a tool can cause damage when misused, the unmoderated or thoughtless use of psychedelics can lead to misunderstandings or further cloud one's path.
Use them, learn to "let go," and allow the insights received to leave their mark and then dissipate. Avoid clinging to these insights.
As Dudjom Rinpoche puts it:
"If you see anything horrible, don't cling to it; if you see anything beautiful, don't cling to it."
That said, many people do find value in the insights gained from responsible, respectful use of psychedelics, particularly when those experiences are approached with the kind of mindful, non-attached awareness that is cultivated in Zen practice.
I'll conclude by suggesting that the supplementation of insights gained through the use of psychedelics, with a consistent practice like Zen meditation, can help us understand, integrate, and truly "earn" the wisdom these visionary substances have to offer.
Are "Shortcuts" Allowed in Traditional Spiritual Practice?
There's a lot of debate about the position of psychedelics in traditional spiritual practice. In Buddhism, the Fifth Precept advises against the consumption of intoxicants. The wording of the Fifth Precept varies somewhat depending on the translation but is commonly rendered in English as something along the lines of:
"I refrain from taking intoxicants which lead to heedlessness."
Some take this to suggest that the use of any mind-altering substance is bad. They believe maintaining clarity of mind is essential to realizing greater "truths" about the nature of reality.
However, many Zen teachers, including Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, have clarified that this precept is more specific to the "unmindful" use of intoxicants. The idea of a "shortcut" through psychedelics doesn't run antithetical to the teachings of Zen Buddhism.
"People who have started to come to the zendo from LSD experiences have shown an ability to get into good zazen (sitting meditation) very rapidly" — Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.
When the Dalai Lama was asked if students could use drugs to attain enlightenment, he said, "I sure hope so."
Zen is centered around the idea that the nature of mind and consciousness is non-dualistic. This means there is no such thing as a "shortcut" because there is no path to be followed in the first place. There is no right or wrong way to do anything.
Zen teachings say that enlightenment is everpresent — all the meditation, simplification of thought and material, and ritual involved with Zen Buddhism are simply tools to help dissolve the ego and uncover this inherent clarity.
Psychedelic plants, fungi, and even synthetic molecules are just another set of tools we have at our disposal to explore the depths of consciousness as we slowly but surely uncover this elusive but ever-present enlightenment.