And I do believe that within four years marijuana will be legalized in California.

What was it like to be around so many pot heads?

There was a good cross section of people in attendance, with many people breaking from the marijuana smoker stereotype. I’m sure I was among the minority there who were not regular pot smokers, so that left the majority of those I saw as bonafide “potheads” and “stoners” (as was often expressed from the stage). Who were they? Well, they represented people from all walks of life - the soccer moms, the silicon valley professionals, the Joe six-packs, alternative young people … and yes, the obligatory aging hippies. The presenters and organizers of the event were serious and competent, which undermines the idea that marijuana users are amotivated and non-productive. The program did run a little over time, so I wondered if maybe pot smokers were a tad less concerned about time. Or maybe they valued the information presented over adhering to a rigid schedule. Who knows. The main point is that overall the program was run in a professional and well organized manner. And throughout the day came examples of accomplished individuals who didn’t follow the stoner stereotype.

A few differing viewpoints

One of the things that struck me was that there were a few points of disagreement between the presenters and others, showing that there is much debate surrounding several issues:

To Drive or not to Drive

Some presenters claimed that marijuana does not impair their driving, while another stated that it’s appropriate to throw the book at anyone who drivers while under the influence. The problem I see is that there is no definitive way to prove how “intoxicated” someone is. It’s not like alcohol, where you can measure the blood-alcohol content and base legislation around it.

Performance Enhancer?

Among a panel of successful pot-smoking athletes, one of them, professional wrestler Rob Van Dam, felt that cannabis helped him in the ring by allowing him to focus on the fight and not be distracted by any other cares or worries. Other athletes on the panel (former All-Star NFL football player Mark Stepnoski and MMA fighter Toby Grear) did NOT feel that marijuana had any performance enhancing qualities. Toby abstains for close to a month before a match, and Mark stated that the main benefit related to football was that marijuana helped him to relax after practices to take the edge off the hot weather. So this highlighted the complexities surrounding the issue of whether there should be sanctions against sports players who smoke pot, regardless of the laws.

Is now the time to push for legalization?

One of the breakout sessions was about the status of current efforts to legalize cannabis in California. Currently there are a couple of initiatives and one bill being pushed advocating for varying degrees of regulation, taxation, and decriminalization of marijuana. Many are targeted for the November 2010 ballot, but there is some concern as to whether that would be the right time.

In one camp are those who feel that 2010 is too soon and than the sentiment among the population for legalizing marijuana is not strong enough. Also, a higher percentage of younger voters will turn out for the Presidential election, so 2012 stands a stronger chance of being a successful year.

But others are saying that now is the time. There is momentum building and the cannabis issue has grown so much in recent years that there will be significant support at the polls. Also, in 2012 the issue will be eclipsed by the Presidential election (which no doubt will be a big one) so it might not get the needed attention.

Will legalization of marijuana help California’s budget crisis?

I’m not well-versed in the detailed pro and con arguments, but suffice it to say that even among supporters of marijuana legalization there is disagreement as to how much tax revenue such legalization would generate. How do you measure it? Do you based it on the current consumption? Do you base in on the supply? Do we use data provided by a government that seeks to inflate the “problem”, and inadvertently inflate the impact on taxes?

Dr. Lester Grinspoon - unlikely cannabis advocate

For me, the most impressive presentation came during the luncheon. Using skype, Dr. Lester Grinspoon spoke to the audience from his home on the east coast. Yes, the technology is not perfected and there were glitches and some delays, but overall the video conference was a success and Dr. Grinspoon had the audience’s full attention.

Who is Lester Grinspoon? The following is taken from his own website:

A little about me. I am on the faculty (emeritus) of the Harvard Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry. I have been studying cannabis since 1967 and have published two books on the subject. In 1971 Marihuana Reconsidered was published by Harvard University Press. Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine, coauthored with James B. Bakalar, was published in 1993 by Yale University Press; the revised and expanded edition appeared in 1997.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. In a nutshell, in 1967 he started conducting researching for a paper he was going to write on the dangers of marijuana, and found that the dangers that he had heard about were based on myths and disinformation. From that point he began a lifelong study of marijuana (which eventually included personal experience) and has been advocating for its legalization ever since. You can read an essay on his experiences with cannabis here.

After completing his book in 1971, he predicted that at most it would take ten years before people and the US government would see the need to legalize marijuana - and legalize it. His good friend Carl Sagan (himself a regular partaker of the herb) replied “Why so pessimistic? There’s no way it should be longer than two years!”

A couple of points he made that I found interesting:

In his view there are three main categories of uses for marijuana - recreation, medicinal, and enhancement. It is in its usefulness as an enhancer that I am particularly interested, especially in the realm of spiritual practices and experience.

He also made the case that Marijuana does not need the FDA seal of approval. Hundreds of studies have been conducted in an effort to show how harmful marijuana is, but have proven unsuccessful. On the contrary, they have shown the relative harmlessness of marijuana and there is no reason why these studies not should be accepted as such. Also, before the advent of double-blind experiments, aspirin had already been recognized for its therapeutic uses. Yet it did not need rigorous testing once such tests were developed. And marijuana, like aspirin, is a substance that has been shown to be unusually safe and with enormous therapeutic potential.

Rick Steves - well known travel writer, and self-proclaimed child-rearing, church-going, pot smoker

Rick Steves gave the concluding talk, and presented a very balanced perspective. The talk was based on a recent conversation he had with a law-enforcement officer who was not supportive of the marijuana legalization issue. The one area where there was agreement was that the officer agreed with Rick Steves that it is a civil liberties issue. And he felt that if two areas could be addressed to his satisfaction, then maybe he would feel positively about legalization. Those two areas were prevention of people driving while high, and protecting children from getting involved with smoking marijuana. Rick then went on to encourage everyone to acknowledge these as legitimate issues, and that by acknowledging them and engaging in dialog to address them, it would lend credibility to the legalization cause.

What I took away

I remember the late 70’s and into the 80’s when it seemed that no one considered marijuana that much of a threat. But then something changed. More and more “reports” and “studies” were coming out showing how bad it was for you - chromosome damage, lung cancer, and long term brain damage were a few of the warnings given. Law enforcement started to crack down harder on users.

And I bought into the hype. I even conveniently blamed all my personal shortcomings during my younger years on my occasional pot smoking, when in reality I just needed some growing up and maturing.

Yes, marijuana can be abused, and constant overindulgence is not conducive to living a productive life (although there may be differences of opinion as to what constitutes “a productive life”). But …

• No one has died of a marijuana overdose.
• Moderate, responsible use by mature adults does not bring harm to the individual or society. Therefore, such use comes under the purview of personal liberty, and to ruin such people’s lives through legal sanctions is the real crime.
• The war on marijuana is by no means a success - people are still using it and will continue to use it. In European countries that have a softer policy on cannabis and treat marijuana use as a health issue and not a criminal issue, there is no significant greater use (even among teenagers) than there is in the U.S.
• And the list can go on …

As was echoed many times throughout the conference, the most dangerous thing about cannabis are the laws against it. I share the hope that in the near future our society will regard the current “cannibophobia” (to quote Lester Grinspoon) as a temporary mania that embraced the country for a time.

• California NORML
• Dr. Grinspoon’s Marijuana Uses
• Rick Steves: Marijuana Conversation
• California AB 390, Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act
• California Cannabis Initiative - The Tax, Regulate, and Control Cannabis Act of 2010

This month I had another opportunity to listen to him speak, and this time the reverence and venue were kicked up a notch. Yes, this young enlightened master’s recognition had clearly spread in both intensity as well as numbers.

Who is Paramahamsa Nithyanda? The following was gleaned from various sources, including his website Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam:

He was born in India as Rajasekaran. Practically from birth his life has been centered around spiritual events and pursuits. Shortly after his birth, an astrologer cast his horoscope and, based on the unique configuration of planets in his birth chart, declared that he would grow up to be a Raja Sannyasi (King among Swamis). Since a young age, Rajasekaran would show interest in spiritual things - when he was a young child he would make idols out of mud, clay, and soap stone, decorate them and worship them. And from the age of three he was under the tutelage of various spiritual teachers. Upon graduating from high school, he studied mechanical engineering, but then decided to pursue the life of a wandering sadhu at the age of seventeen. This he did for nine years.

In 2003, Nithyananda founded a meditation ashram in Bidadi, India as the headquarters for his social activities around the world. He also founded the Life Bliss Foundation in Los Angeles, USA, to serve as the headquarters in the West. His mission statement is the “Transformation of humanity through transforming the individual, and spreading global peace and inner bliss”. In his own words, “Enlightenment flowers when individual consciousness disappears into Universal Consciousness. When you start living enlightenment, you automatically raise the human consciousness around you. Living enlightenment holds the key to global peace and inner bliss. Every individual should be a pioneer in the transition of human consciousness to divine consciousness.”

And so it was only six years after he started his work that he appeared at a Hindu cultural event held at a community college in Cupertino, California. What was his recent visit like, three years after that?

Another Darshan Experience

In 2009, he came to Milpitas, California as part of his Yogam 2009:North American tour for teaching the principles of yoga as created by Patanjali, the Father of Yoga. Accompanied by my son, I attended one of the free public talks that he gave. As we arrived at the Indian Community Center, the place was already filled - mostly with members of the Indian community! We made our way through the crowded lobby area, signed in at one of the side tables and received our token for the darshan, then went directly into the main auditorium and found a seat a few rows from the front. Yes, there were definitely more people to see him at this event than there were three years ago.

At the scheduled time, a devotee welcomed the audience, made some miscellaneous announcements, and then announced that after the talk there would be a darshan. OK, now this was getting serious. The only darshans I had ever attended were the ones that Amma gave. Nithyananda’s spiritual stature had now developed to the point where people would not only listen to him speak, but would also wait in a line to receive his blessing - to be close to an enlightened being and have an audience, however brief.

I have to say that I enjoyed the talk, based on Patanjali’s 22nd Yoga Sutra, which discussed how making intensity your focus is more important than pursuing enlightenment. More on that in another post. He definitely knows what he’s talking about and doesn’t claim to be presenting anything new - at least as far as world knowledge is concerned. This is how I evaluate the legitimacy of any self-proclaimed spiritual teacher. The information must harmonize with and build upon the core spiritual teachings underlying all religions. This was true of his talk, which he presented in a very personable way, yet with authority. As when I heard him in Cupertino, I was impressed by this event.

Afterward he finished his talk, the welcomer started to announce who could get in line for the darshan, based on the color and number of the tokens handed out. My son and I waited for our turn, which didn’t take long at all - especially since we were used to having to wait hours for Amma. This was a less involved process. Slowly we made our way up the stage to finally come face to face with the young guru.

I’m still not completely at ease at these things, so things kind of went by in a blur. I remember kneeling at his feet and bowing my head in reverence as he touched my forehead. My son stood behind me and actually held out his hand, which the guru took for a moment to bestow his blessing. They exchanged smiles, but when I looked up at Nithyananda to establish eye contact the time had passed and the next people in line were already approaching as the attendants guided us away from the platform. Still, to be that close to one whom I do believe is that spiritually evolved was not something I would have wanted to miss. Even my son, who has very little experience with these things, later exclaimed “that was awesome!”

So what’s the big deal?

I do understand that “belief” plays a role in the whole experience. Without some degree of belief, it would be hard to see any value in kneeling before another human being only to receive a token gesture in return. But even without believing in the exchange of spiritual energy that accompanies a darshan, I also feel there is more to be learned here.

The teachings such as those passed on by Nithyananda represent years of study in the human consciousness, carried out by through a system of reflection, and trial and error by wise men thousands of years ago. There have been those who have refined the teachings, such as Gautama Buddha, but even his teachings represent a discovery of truths already in existence - that there is a way to realize our human potential, a way to transcend suffering, and way to achieve peace in any situation. Seeing someone who has accomplished that to a significant degree in our day and age serves to remind us of that, and inspires hope that such a path is not futile.

See my related posts:

• Are there really enlightened beings?
• Journey into Spirit Time with the Hugging Saint

It doesn’t feel good. Nobody in their right mind ever wants to feel this way. And what makes it worse is that it affects how you deal with the other person, which further aggravates the situation and now you have a vicious circle. But believe it or not, it’s possible to change bad feelings into good feelings - and turn this into a fun spiritual practice! How?

Eckhart Tolle’s, in his books The Power of Now and The New Earth, describes techniques for dealing with negative feelings, primarily through accessing the “Now”, or present moment. It was while practicing these techniques that I discovered something quite remarkable - not only are they effective, but they also make it possible to transmute a negative emotional feeling into a positive physical one!

According to Mr. Tolle, every emotion is our body’s reaction to a thought. By continuing to dwell on a negative thought or memory, we perpetuate the bad emotion that accompanies it and the feeling never goes away. So instead of reliving the offense in your mind, take the opportunity to focus on the present moment. Take advantage of the situation for your benefit by using it to practice focusing on the inner stillness that is behind all thoughts and emotions.

It’s easier to begin practicing this with the little irritations and annoyances. You want to be able to stop letting the irritation continue to feed the negative emotion. It can be difficult because sometimes we seem to have a need to replay the experience over and over again. We can’t let go. That’s why it’s easier to start with small annoyances.

First, decide whether it’s a matter that needs to be addressed right then and there. You might decide that there is no point in taking any action, or it is really too late. If that’s the case, then it does no good to dwell on the offense. Instead, put all those thoughts aside as you focus on noticing the feeling within your body. This is the key. Most of the time the emotion is concentrated in a specific area of your body, such as your chest, stomach, or shoulders. Notice where the feeling is located. Notice what the feeling is like. Is it a tightness? A sharp pain? A racing feeling?

As you notice the feeling, take some slow, deep, breaths to relax. Don’t judge the feeling or try to fight it. Let it be. What is happening to the feeling as you observe it while taking slow, deep breaths? Almost immediately it should start to dissipate as you stop providing the emotional fuel.

This feeling has an energy to it. It’s real and the effect on your body is real. But then something remarkable happens. What I’ve noticed is that, devoid of the emotional baggage, devoid of the negative thoughts, the energy has a soothing vibrational quality to it that I actually find pleasurable. It’s almost like a soothing massage, and there have been times when it was similar to a post-meditative body buzz.

This has a couple of advantages. For one thing, it makes it easier to remain in that state until the energy completely dissipates and you’ve been able to allow the bad emotions to pass through you. Holding on to negative emotions stresses your body and contributes to aging. The other benefit is that it is a useful gauge as to how successful you are in focusing on the present. Being familiar with the present moment and what that feels like makes it easier to go there more and more often throughout your daily life.

And being present is crucial to being awake. It’s no surprise that good feelings are associated with the Now. Perhaps this just demonstrates the truthfulness of the teaching that it’s within the present moment where we find true bliss.

The words, “Aakhan Jor”, come from the first line of the prayer, and mean “no power in speaking”. It echos the message contained in the rest of the prayer - that we have no power inherent within us. All power comes from God, the Most High, the Creator, the Source. Anything that we accomplish we should credit to Him who watches over all and who has power over all. All that remains is for us to accept that fact, and in doing so work with the source of all power instead of against it.

How can we have no power and yet think that we can ever accomplish anything?

The key to understanding this paradox is to realize that the “we” who has no power is actually our ego, our separation from the source. The true Source of power is always moving towards creating, so we just need to realize our true connection with that Source and then, free from ego, accomplish what we wish without struggle.

• The entire prayer
• Preview the MP3:

He is risen in our minds, our hearts, our souls - there is no separation between him and us. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Christianity is not the only spiritual tradition that finds meaning in Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I’m not referring to the pre-Christian celebrations that form the basis of many practices observed today - from the fertility egg and rabbit to the rites of Spring. No, I’m referring to the beliefs of yogis past and present, one being the Paramahansa Yogananda, who brought yogic teachings as well as the practice of Kriya yoga to the west.

And he had a few things to say about Easter and its importance to humanity.

Paramahansa Yogananda took the Biblical account of the story of Jesus quite literally, but his interpretation was not what you’d hear in a church. To many students of eastern philosophies, Jesus was an advanced yogi whose life provided an example of what lies ahead for all of humanity. Through the Biblical account, we see the progression that must be followed in order to achieve true freedom and salvation from the trappings of a life of illusion.

In his book, The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You , Yogananda describes a complex process by which Jesus withdrew his soul from the three bodies - physical, astral, and causal - in order to achieve a permanent resurrection from death, karma, and illusion. The process even continued after the day of his resurrection, and explains why he told Mary, “do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father”. He still had residual karma that needed to be shed, such as the karmic debt incurred in his moment of forgetfulness while on the cross as he exclaimed “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Is this accurate? One thing that Yogananda says in his book is that so much of his understanding of Jesus’ resurrection process came through intuitive insight gained during his own meditations.

It is impossible with mere intellect to comprehend fully the intricacies of the astral and causal passageways to liberation and their correlation with the spiritual eye. They are gradually revealed to intuitive perception by the practice of Kriya Yoga.

I do believe that spiritual insight has to be experienced first hand. You cannot benefit from blindly believing in the say-so of someone else. And based on my own meditative experiences, I do know that it’s possible to gain insights into all sorts of matters through meditation. Unfortunately, I must admit that this is a practice I’ve neglected for a number of months now. Perhaps the possibility of understanding the awakening process can be another motivation for me to rekindle this practice.

We each have our own unique experiences and spiritual perspectives. That said, we can all gain something from considering Christ’s resurrection on Easter day. If it moves us to grow in our connection with the spirit, then that’s what really matters.

As you consider Christ’s resurrection this Easter, may you grow closer to the Spirit, in whatever form that takes.
May your faith in your salvation be strengthened.
May you be strengthened in the hope that all things will be renewed.
And may you consider your own awakening.

Amen

Peace