Dhamma appreciation, (e)x hippy

[may.all.bliss]

I think there is great value in the hippy revolution, or having been important to open the mind of materialist, orthodox christian thinking, have spiritual experience, as well as community, authenticity, metta or love, or some art.

Yet it can also be limiting, focused on just pleasures, getting high or fantasies about getting high, being on a field with people, on a nice sunny day, talking, that that is what life is about, and should be about.
Thinking work and society stupid are kind of stupid, having spiritual fantasies, addiction of mind.

Yet Buddhism is more inclusive, strives for the higher, through balanced living, a wisdom structure, teaching,
acknowledges the potential hardship, pains, and training.
Doesn't exclude anything or any one,
isn't focused on identity, a view, or place.

It doesn't have to exclude each other, of course, but grateful for finding Buddhism.
It took me a while to realize, and accept, life isn't just about the hippy dream,
al though there is some wisdom there too.

[Dweller]

Hippy can break all the precepts freely.

But precepts are meant to be as part of practice to put the end of stress/suffering.

So ordinary lifestyle full of stress can be even more harmful than some thing hippies do.

Very traditional family would not even allow its offspring to openly practice Buddhism for example, while hippy would not care.

What is better or worse depends on so many things...

[DNS]

The Beat Generation of American Buddhism (1960s-1970s) probably served a useful Dhamma propagation for Buddhism in the West. It opened up the idea that Buddhism can be "cool" although ironically or paradoxically so, given the 5th precept.

And due to Buddhism becoming "cool" it exposed many people to Buddhism that otherwise may not have heard about it or investigated it further.

[rolling_boulder]

Yeah, buddhism being open about such things makes it much more accessible to the western mindset.

Almost everyone I know , when I mention being buddhist, says something like,

"Oh, buddhism is cool, it's more of a philosophy than a religion right? "

And I just say "Sure, yeah," haha.


Not to mention that many of our senior monks are some kind of Ex Hippie or another!

[may.all.bliss]

The Beat Generation of American Buddhism (1960s-1970s) probably served a useful Dhamma propagation for Buddhism in the West. It opened up the idea that Buddhism can be "cool" although ironically or paradoxically so, given the 5th precept.

And due to Buddhism becoming "cool" it exposed many people to Buddhism that otherwise may not have heard about it or investigated it further.

Well I would say it did a little, or a lot more than that, it gave people direct insight or glimpses into unity or emptiness, which is quite hard to gain by just practicing on your own, maybe except if you do a lot of retreats (and in my opinion, practice sleep yoga), yet can still be difficult.

As for the 5h precept, I think it refers to alcohol and intoxication, leading to heedlessness.

Whether they are intoxicating, they can be, they can also be sobering, literally, i.e.
an alcoholic realizing how destructive his lifestyle is, or a violent person coming to insight, or someone realizing no self.

Of course they can also be indulged in

[may.all.bliss]

And, because the psychedelic experiences can be so powerful, they can be helpful for the prepared meditator, while still being difficult.

And possibly somewhat harmful to unprepared people, especially with medium or strong doses, for a while and thereafter, especially without wisdom, Buddhism, meditation. Creating more delusions, because so many people aren't very grounded in meditation, has happened a lot, but it does also open the door for people to come to truth eventually still.