Zen & the Art of the Vape

[Ryle]

for what it's worth...

Seeing as I'm not a believer in any structured religion, I would happily join any religion that made the PV's legal (assuming I'm not required to speak with invisible people or do something that I would consider morally wrong or completely insane)

[Thulium]

Originally Posted by Ryle

for what it's worth...

Seeing as I'm not a believer in any structured religion, I would happily join any religion that made the PV's legal (assuming I'm not required to speak with invisible people or do something that I would consider morally wrong or completely insane)

It would make me so happy if we could get e-deathsticks added as a sacrament for the Jedi faith. Either way, I fully intend to get myself a matte black 510 with a purple LED and the letters "BMF" etched on the side.

[McWhat]

Originally Posted by Dredbull

Mcwhat that is why I brought it up.
Zen is a state of balance and enlightenment.

I do not know which path of Buddhism I follow nor have I devoted a huge chunk of time on it.
I tend to follow the basic precepts of yep there will be pain and yep it can be overcome.

As I said I follow a few basics not devoted even tho it interests me greatly. I always chat up the monks that come into my store, it trips me out to see em in the robes in a cell phone store.

Since you solicited the opinion of a Buddhist in your earlier post I thought I would help out. I missed the part in Thulium's post where he equated vaping be "promoting peace and tranquility". I was taught "No drugs, not even Alcohol". Cigarettes/Nicotine is included in that precept, but generally not Caffeine. Addiction is not really compatible with leading a healthy and happy life. I have no idea what Thulium is referring to about Zen Buddhism being compatible with e-cigs, but as mentioned, I'm not a Zen Buddhist. As I said, there is a tenet about smoking and drug use, but you can break it and still be a Buddhist. Admittedly, vaping zero nic would be in line with the teachings as I know them, but still not an integral practice of a Buddhism.

BTW, the head of the Shao Lin temple in China has a pocket inside his sleeve for his cellphone, it's pretty amusing.

[Thulium]

I found this regarding Zen Buddhism and smoking: Buddhist Channel | Buddhism News, Headlines | Japan | Japan's Buddhist temples target smoking

Buddhist Incense-Sonae-ko

[McWhat]

That first link is interesting, it seems to imply that Japanese Buddhists follow the strict original teachings. I don't think it makes the argument that vaping is integral to the faith. One could make an argument that it does promote vaping from followers who smoke. You would just have to prove that e-cigs are safer than smoking, and more effective than an approved existing smoking cessation product. Which the FDA is currently arguing otherwise. I'm also not sure how how effective it would be since it appears that Japanese (Zen?) Buddhism doesn't disallow cigarettes. That second link is a bit of a stretch, as incense isn't that difficult to come across, and vaping is mostly odorless. At least the juice I've been vaping is mostly odorless, and disperses very quickly. Maybe we should just start our own sect of Buddhism.

[Dredbull]

I am all for the Techno Buddha, I cannot fathom a monk chilling in meditation and getting a cellphone call.
It brings several not good ideas into play on that.

[JustMeAgain]

Well, it's not exactly a religion based approach, but I've always wondered about the type of authority the FDA has on Indian Reservations.

[Mac]

This idea has been discussed on this forum before actually. I asked Sun what he thought and his answer was basically yeah it would have worked 2 years ago but with the pending court case it's too late. Although I am not sure he is right and still think it's worth a try. It doesn't seem likely. If the government is willing to lie on national television to support their facist agenda regarding e-cigs I doubt they have any interest in honoring our constitutional rights.

[sevryn999]

Monks can smoke, right?

[Smoking Guns]

Brand new Vaper here (as of last night).

My wife, while watching me vape for the first time, told me it looked very meditative and relaxing. It got me thinking very much along the lines of your post. I used to allocate 10-15 minutes every day for quite "contemplation", whereby I'd sit in a darkened room and stare into a candle and quite my mind. More often than not I ended up reflecting on spritual stuff, rather than actually meditate (thus the term contemplation, rather than meditation). Anyway, I think vaping go great with it-- I'm starting tonight.

Originally Posted by Thulium

In order to keep the use of personal vaporizers legal, what is to stop us from claiming protection under the First Amendment as a religious sacrament? The Church of Scientology managed to get their use of the Hubbard Electrometer past the FDA by establishing it for religious purposes and including a label.



Compatible with the tenets of Zen Buddhism promoting peace and tranquility, Wicca (It harm less, so mote it vape?), smoking is Haraam in Islam, using smoke from incense is integral to many Christian sects but holiness doctrines based on the body as a temple should encourage people to replace smoking with harm-reducing vapor.

Personally, I really find there is something deeply spiritual about the use of vapor. The ritualistic nature of smoking as a habit is almost religious naturally, but when you switch to vaping instead there is a potential for the connection to the user to run even deeper. When e-smoking/vaping, a spiritually minded person can feel an additional sense of connection to their environment, a clear focus on improving their life by reducing pollutants to their own body as well as to their family and environment.

Religion has impacted technology and technology has carried religion into the modern era: The harp and sitar have been replaced by the guitar and amp, the hymnal is replaced by the projector, incense has been replaced by Febreze, etc. Priests, rabbis, prophets, native chieftains, witches and wizards have long used pipes and burners to invoke spiritual experiences, should not the right to replace these practices with ones that are safer be protected as a freedom of religion?

I'm curious if anyone here has personal examples of how they have used personal vaporizers with religious intent or effect?