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Smoking is a type of meditation

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I started smoking again and I've realized much of smoking is the way you breathe. Yes there is the nicotine, but there is just something blissful about it. It's a time to ponder things, and just let go.

 

Do any bums here smoke and feel the same? Even during such an act as smoking, I believe you can realize the same things you would if you were meditating. It is all in the intent right, the body will wither away.

 

My father says it is a type of yoga/meditation but not a good one.

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I've never really experienced smoking as a meditation.

 

Yes, it's a time to step away and gather my thoughts, but that's precisely why it's NOT meditative...for me, at least.

 

Meditation to me has nothing to do with ruminating or pondering, and is in fact the opposite of those things.

 

I've often said I use smoking to relax me, but I've come to realize it's a false relaxation.

 

I think smoking could be done meditatively, but I'm not interested in trying or developing that. It's something I want to get away from, not get more involved in.

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PM me for a useful stop-smoking movement should you wish to give up.

No judgement intended. I smoked cigarettes when younger but anything that might lead to addictive attachment hinders effective cultivation.

Plus you'll have more money once you stop.

As for that Jamaican dancing tobacco that some of the young people favour.

That rubbish is for puny weak-willed-losers.

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You don't need a cigarette to breathe in and out... you can do that on your own. Likewise, you could really spend all your time pondering things and letting go of preconceptions without attaching ritual times, implements or spaces to it.

 

Your body will wither away, but you will not. You will continue on, and just as that self will continue on, so will the reflexive tendencies it engraves in it's DNA through experience. Your cosmic lineage will continue throughout beginningless time just as it has been.

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My guess is that smoking, for most people, is a mindless ritual.

A habit, an addiction.

It is nothing like true meditation.

That said, anything done with complete mindfulness can be a meditation but I doubt that is what is going on with most smokers.

It certainly wasn't a part of what I did when I was a smoker...

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Nicotine provokes a reaction in your body, because its a poison, and your body responds by creating endorphins, you body's natural pain killer. So you get high, and it may feel like meditation due to the nice feelings. But it also robs your body of endorphins, forcing it to hoard them for the next time you pick up a cigarette. So it distabilizes the body, and also creates a dependency since the nicotine effect wears off slower than the endorphins, producing a tension in the chest, creating the urge to take another cigarette to reproduce the cycle. I look at it as more like masochism, like those people who cut themselves habitually, getting high of the swing from pain to endorphin rush.

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Even during such an act as smoking, I believe you can realize the same things you would if you were meditating. It is all in the intent right, the body will wither away.

 

Nominated for the Golden Rationalization Award LOL

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I guess...there's a reason why tobacco was treasured by the Native Americans (and others) in their ceremonies...but they also didn't abuse it. Tobacco's power is said to weaken the more you do it...like you get too used to it and it becomes less sacred. Then besides being useless for spiritual purposes, it creates addiction...and destroys your health and takes your life. There is so much scientific literature on how bad cigarettes are for you.

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David Hawkins on smoking. David Hawkins has actually calibrated tobacco using kiniesiology as being good for you. He says tobacco is harmful because of the added chemicals. So, if you smoke - it's best to grow your own tobacco - or buy those American Spirit cigarettes which don't have chemicals added to them.

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David Hawkins on smoking. David Hawkins has actually calibrated tobacco using kiniesiology as being good for you. He says tobacco is harmful because of the added chemicals. So, if you smoke - it's best to grow your own tobacco - or buy those American Spirit cigarettes which don't have chemicals added to them.

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As a good friend of the lineage holder for the Yucatec Mayan people's cigar knowledge I hope I can shed some light on tobacco, its traditional uses, and how it relates to meditation. I've sat and listened to what he is willing to share about the traditional methods of cigars for 8 years now and I also worked in the commercial cigar industry for almost 3 years. I’m not going to write much about cigarettes, hookah, or other forms of tobacco consumption as cigars are the traditional method and the others really aren’t healthy or conducive to meditation in my opinion.

 

Tobacco is a plant that originated in South America and was traded north and it eventually traveled intercontinental to the rest of the world after European conquest. In South America it was used in a similar manner to the Banisteriopsis caapi plant because of its MAOI action. At the time the trade began there was only one species of tobacco and that was Nicotiana rustica. This variety is a far more potent plant as far as chemicals go, it was used in shamanic ceremony because of its MAO inhibitory action. Now this species of plant is mainly used for pesticide production and it is also secretly blended into lower quality cigarette and pipe tobaccos for consumption here in the States and not so secretly outside of the USA.

 

Tobacco was not refined for true spiritual use until the Mayans got hold of it and they still have not truly passed on their knowledge of cigars to anyone outside of the family, much to my disappointment. Like many rare styles of gong fu, the true cigar knowledge is in danger of passing from this world. My friend is in his 50s and of his 13 children, only one has shown any interest in learning. Hopefully my friend will follow the trend of his family: another 50 good years ahead of him and sire children into his 100s. While he has uncles and cousins who still use the same traditional cigar making methods, his grandfather taught him blending especially because the old man recognized talent and passion. Blending is the true art of cigar making. Anyone with manual skill can roll a cigar with little training; it takes a master to blend.

 

Once the Mayans traded with the South Americans to get tobacco they set out to turn it into a quality product that was to be used without damaging the body. Nicotiana tabacum is the cultivar that came about from their selective breeding. They traded the seeds of the lower quality plants that they did not plan to keep to tribes further north and around the Caribbean, which is how the Native Americans here in the States got tobacco. Tobacco meant strictly for fine cigars did not move away from Mexico until the Mexican Revolution. While Cuba’s western portion of the island is perfect for growing excellent quality tobacco the tradition is lost in that country and was only there since the 1800s.

 

Since it has been traded to the Old World tobacco has been made into cigarettes and cannabis smoking tools such as hookahs have made the smoke easier to inhale. The Native Americans here in the United States typically used long wooden pipes to cool the smoke. None of these methods are how the Mayan uses tobacco and none of the other peoples use the same quality of tobacco.

 

Mayans DO NOT INHALE the smoke from their cigars. Tobacco burns at approximately 700F which is more than sufficient heat to cause immediate lung damage without a long pipe or water filtration to cool the smoke. The smoke is meant to be held in the mouth and absorbed through the membranes. Action similar to the “whiskey chew” should be made with the mouth after puffing so all parts of the palate are engaged and then the smoke should be blown out once you are satisfied with the flavor. There should be no intentional passing of smoke through the nose as the sinus membranes are extremely sensitive. A single commercial quality robusto (5” x 50/64”) or larger cigar is approximately equal to 70 cigarettes’ worth of nicotine and ammonia. Most of the other chemicals in cigarettes will most likely not be present in a commercial cigar unless the cigar is meant to be stored outside of a humidor and then the manufacturer will typically treat the tobacco with propylene glycol so it stays “fresh.”

 

The next item to consider is that traditional shamanic use of tobacco required quite a bit different processing than is done commercially for today’s cigars. I will outline the process below.

 

Harvest – The plant is divided into three sections divided by sun exposure from bottom to top these leaves are called volado, seco, and ligero. Harvest is still done by hand. Once the plant has been harvested it will be separated according to grade and appearance.

Curing – This is the first step of aging cigar tobacco. The tobacco is air dried in a barn until the chlorophyll breaks down and the leaf turns brown. The curing process also removes the majority of the ammonia from the leaf as well. Many of the big tobacco companies will cure for anywhere from 2-6 months and most are trying to cut that time down. Some companies are inventing processes that speed this. For other types of consumption such as cigarettes and hookah tobacco this is the only aging the tobacco goes through. Also, many pipe and hookah tobaccos are smoke or sun cured which creates a different flavor profile. The nicotine in the curing process is collected for use as an additive in cigarettes later. Traditionally the curing process should take approximately 18 months.

Fermentation – The second and arguably most important part of the aging process. In fermentation the tobacco is kept in a large warehouse or barn that is hot and humid. Some will lightly spray the tobacco with water or “solution.” More traditional operations will typically have a large wooden building with no windows and very little air flow. There are companies using newer methods such as heating the building, humidifiers, and thermal blankets to ferment their tobacco. Some companies are now using “maduro makers” to cook the tobacco so the leaf is much darker, unfortunately this does not usually impart the same quality of flavor as a true maduro. Fermentation is now typically about 6 months which is perhaps 1 rotation of the pilon (tobacco bunch). The bunch is only rotated once the tobacco in the center reaches a certain temperature. Traditionally each bunch of tobacco should be rotated a minimum of 3 times and typically that takes about 18 months.

Aging – This is the number that can be elusive. Aging is typically marked from the time the tobacco was harvested in the commercial market. A typical “high quality” cigar on the market will be aged for approximately 3-5 years, even in Cuba. Before the 1970s the minimum amount of age a cigar could have before being sold would be 8 years. Once the tobacco is 8 years old it is almost guaranteed to be smooth and flavorful without damaging the mouth badly. The cigar masters will not typically smoke any cigar unless it is at least 30 years old. I have had the privilege to smoke cigars that are more than 50 years old and even got a few puffs off a stick that was made over 100 years ago by my friend’s grandfather. Any tobacco over 20 years old has a qualitatively different mouth feel and flavor.

 

Wrapper leaves are the outside leaf visible on the body of the cigar and they are where cigar companies lose the most money. The companies changed their blending paradigms so they could market this leaf as the main driver of flavor. The wrapper is typically older than the rest of the construction so the companies can market a 3 year old filled cigar as a 15 year old wrapped cigar. The wrapper leaf was not used until the Spanish came. Perhaps the venous and irregular appearance of the cigar was too penile for an already phallic shape. A traditionally made cigar is not pretty and the traditional blending paradigm focuses on the filler leaves as the driver of flavor. Below is a review of an “ugly stick” made by my friend, contrast the pictures to what is normally seen in a cigar store. The cigar did have a wrapper leaf but it was not chosen for appearance.

 

http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/non-habanos-reviews/120035-habanos-torres-40-year-aged-ugly-stick.html

 

Tobacco is freely available to almost anyone now. The price is not prohibitive to most. In Mayan culture only nobility or someone with special status could smoke. The number of years in the production alone made this something available only for the elite. The cigars were blended to each person individually dependent on their temperament and purpose. I have experienced the medicinal side of these cigars myself. The most striking example I have ever seen of this is another friend of mine who is a Vietnam veteran with PTSD. His blend is very strong and is designed for his needs so he can be sociable. One should only smoke socially with his closest friends, smoking a cigar with an enemy or in an uncomfortable environment does not give it the respect it deserves.

 

A Mayan shaman will typically smoke alone to relax and evaluate himself. Mayans are very much about thought before action and the ritual of smoking alone provides one with much peace and reflective time. A traditionally made cigar is typically 8-9” long and an inch or slightly larger in diameter. Dependent on the wind, the strength of the cigar, and one’s smoking rate a cigar of this size can last almost 3 hours. Many times the shaman would be smoking while being carried in a litter. Typically the elders weren’t carried unless they were mid-vision and could not walk.

 

It’s late at night here so if you all have any further questions I hope I can answer them and that my post is understandable.

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Thanks for that very informative post MithStrike, i wonder can holding the smoke in the mouth like that increase the risk of cancers?

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I guess...there's a reason why tobacco was treasured by the Native Americans (and others) in their ceremonies...but they also didn't abuse it. Tobacco's power is said to weaken the more you do it...like you get too used to it and it becomes less sacred. Then besides being useless for spiritual purposes, it creates addiction...and destroys your health and takes your life. There is so much scientific literature on how bad cigarettes are for you.

 

Yes in Shamanism Tobacco is a very powerful plant which is used for protection and many other things, in Ayahuasca ceremonies for example Tobacco is used to protect the drinker and remove any harmful energies to purify a place. But the Tobacco they are using is pure jungle Tobacco Mapacho made straight from the dried leaves of the plant, the commercial cigarettes you buy will not do the same thing at all and are mixed with all sorts of stuff, nullifying any Shamanic benefits.

 

I don't think smoking is meditation but it can provide a shock to break patterns of thought or stress you may be in, like a mini break, so in that sense it could share some similarities with meditation, but you will get much more by actually meditating but I guess at work it looks worse to stop what you are doing close you eyes and stay silent for a few minutes than it does to go smoke.

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the egregore of smoking gives you some energy thats why you feel good while smoking

 

but he always takes his energy back with interest so there is a down period after smoking, drinking etc where you feel as depressed as you were happy during smokin

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*snip*

 

I cant stand tobacco, but that was an interesting read.

 

 

 

OP - Contemplation is not meditation...what are you primarily doing, smoking, or meditating?

Edited by joeblast

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I am a smoker too.When I began to smoke the cause was a social one.However after months of "practice" I began to smoke even when I'm alone.It's an interesting subject anyway

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PM me for a useful stop-smoking movement should you wish to give up.

No judgement intended. I smoked cigarettes when younger but anything that might lead to addictive attachment hinders effective cultivation.

Plus you'll have more money once you stop.

As for that Jamaican dancing tobacco that some of the young people favour.

That rubbish is for puny weak-willed-losers.

Cigars in the UK are damn expensive but in my country are way cheaper :) You cannot even compare 15 pounds to almost 3 pounds here.

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Preface: My qualifications for posting in this topic = Haven't smoked in decades ... but I have 'quit' before

 

Tobacco is a very powerful ‘medicine’

Collectively, it is a much abused ‘ritual drug’

 

It is a very powerful medicine for a ‘broken heart’

It is a much abused, very powerful medicine for a ‘broken heart’ - much abused, in large part,because its active substances are among the most addictive in the world.

If you look carefully, you can find the ‘broken heart’ part in close time proximity to when you first started smoking – even if, ostensibly, it started as a ‘social’ smoking…

 

re: the breath ‘form’ aspect of smoking (and meditation), there’s something to that – but not much …

the breathing alterations are mostly to optimize ‘dosing’ of the medicine to the brains. :)

 

fwiw: ‘medicinally’ / to not be ‘abusing’ the drug / and to prep for breaking the addiction (if that’s what you want) – it’s best to confine your smoking to btwn noon and ~ 6PM…

 

re health and smoking… to ameliorate the cancer risks, RollingThunder, a now deceased Cherokee intertribal medicine man who deeply 'understood' tobacco as medicine aspects, (and others) counseled that ppl who smoke should consume NO dairy products.

 

All the best

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Anything that one does mindfully can be a meditation. So why smoke?

 

Its not a rhetorical question.. I'm interested in anyone's answer that isn't "because i'm addicted".

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Anything that one does mindfully can be a meditation. So why smoke?

 

Its not a rhetorical question.. I'm interested in anyone's answer that isn't "because i'm addicted".

 

I enjoy the act of smoking. Pulling the smoke in and watching it blow out is fun. It's a form of playing, almost a game.

 

But it makes me feel bad, so that's why I'm working on stopping.

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Thanks for that very informative post MithStrike, i wonder can holding the smoke in the mouth like that increase the risk of cancers?

 

Anything that is burned creates carcinogens. The mouth has extremely sensitive membranes and excess smoking can cause cancer. Typically pipe and cigar smokers do not have to worry about mouth cancer unless the cigar smoker is one to chew the head of the cigar. Mouth cancer is typically associated with people who chew tobacco due to direct contact and length of exposure. A puff of smoke held in the mouth is not something to worry about so long as one does not take tobacco use to excess.

 

Drinking green tea or yerba mate and then holding it in your mouth for a little while should help counter carcinogenic activity. Although I will warn you that holding caffeinated beverages in one's mouth will cause the caffeine to absorb through the membranes which may be too much for someone who is sensitive to caffeine.

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Here's some billion dollar information....Back when I studying David Hawkins - I came across something in one of his books about smoking. Using applied Kiniesiology - he calibrated as "True" that 1000 milligrams of organic vitamin C a day - reverses all the damage from smoking. I also read or heard him say that the cancer causing chemicals in cigarettes weren't added untill around the 1940's.

 

One time I was watching a youtube video - and a taxi driver was singing the praises of American Spirit cigarettes...He said when he switched to this brand - that all of his coughing and lung problems went away. He then lit an American Spirit cigarette - and also lit a name brand cigarette - but the name brand was a "100" so it was longer. He let both of them burn and when the 100 burned out - the American Spirit till had half of it's life still left.

 

So my conclusion is if you smoke - load up on organic Vitamin C - and try and smoke cigarettes without added chemicals to them....And if you do smoke cigareettes with chemicals - just load up on more organic vitamin C.

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