On the Borderlands of Religion and Science: Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Contemplative Traditions and Psychedelic Medicine
Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies May 1, 2025 DOI: 10.15239/hijbs.08.01.08 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Keywords | Contemplation Karma Spirituality Religious studies |
| Key points | Argues that classical Indian Buddhist sources classify psychedelics as medicine rather than intoxicants, placing them in a therapeutic sphere defensible through Buddhist ethics, and that herbs are recognized as sources of extraordinary experiences, linking psychedelic and meditative experiences. |
Abstract
Gyatso, 'The Nature of the Mind'.chedelics are argued to be medicine (bhesajja/bhaiajya) as opposed to being akin to alcohol or an 'intoxicant' (majja/madya), they fall into a 'therapeutic' as opposed to an 'enhancement' sphere and are defensible as a medical intervention via Buddhist ethics; and (3) Indic sources convey an understanding that herbs (osadh/oadhi) are a known, if not legitimate, source of extraordinary experiences and capacities (ddhi) and thus provide conceptual grounds supporting the contemporary linkage among Buddhist communities between psychedelic and meditative experiences.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |