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Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics Hardcover – April 1, 2002

by Allan Hunt Badiner (Editor), Alex Grey (Editor), Huston Smith (Preface),

16 customer reviews

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Buddhism and psychedelic experimentation share a common concern: the liberation of the mind. Zig Zag Zen launches the first serious inquiry into the moral, ethical, doctrinal, and transcendental considerations created by the intersection of Buddhism and psychedelics. With a foreword by renowned Buddhist scholar Stephen Batchelor and a preface by historian of religion Huston Smith, along with numerous essays and interviews, Zig Zag Zen is a provocative and thoughtful exploration of altered states of consciousness and the potential for transformation. Accompanying each essay is a work of visionary art selected by artist Alex Grey, such as a vividly graphic work by Robert Venosa, a contemporary thangka painting by Robert Beer, and an exercise in emptiness in the form of an enso by a 17th-century Zen abbot. Packed with enlightening entries and art that lie outside the scope of mainstream anthologies, Zig Zag Zen offers eye-opening insights into alternate methods of inner exploration.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The use of psychedelic drugs is that dark little secret behind the popular origins of Eastern spirituality in America, but if they really open the mind in the same ways meditative experiences do, why shouldn't they be legitimated and brought out into the open? In Allan Hunt Badiner and Alex Grey's Zig Zag Zen authors, artists, priests, and scientists are brought together to discuss this question. Opinions fall on all sides. Ram Dass, for instance, discusses the benefits as well as the limitations. Rick Strassman outlines his work in the first federally funded psychedelic study in two-and-a-half decades. Rick Fields sets the historical scene. China Galland offers a wrenching personal experience. Robert Jesse introduces the varieties of entheogens, drugs that engender mystical states. Lama Surya Das tells of his early drug years. And a roundtable discussion with Ram Dass, Robert Aitken, Richard Baker, and Joan Halifax caps it all.

Interspersed throughout are stunning full-page, full-color images of spiritual art by the likes of Robert Beer, Bernard Maisner, and, of course, Alex Gray. A fascinating look at a complex topic, Zig Zag Zen is worth appreciating and pondering. --Brian Bruya

Review

"Zig Zag Zen challenges Buddhists to acknowledge their psychedelic legacies, while confronting the duality undermining any chemically dependent spiritual path." -- Douglas Rushkoff, author, Ecstasy Club, Exit Strategy, Playing the Future, and Coercion

"Zig Zag Zen is a must read for anyone who is concerned about the future of Buddhist practice." -- Bob Thurman, Chair of Indo-Tibetan studies at Columbia Univ.

"Zig Zag Zen is a treasure trove... inspiring, frightening, powerful, funny, and eye-opening." -- Mark Epstein, M.D., author of Thoughts without a Thinker

"Zig Zag Zen shines by its fairness: it faces the Zig and the Zag. That's Zen at its best." -- David Steindl-Rast, OSB, author of

"Zig Zag Zen touches all the high points... it is an important book." -- Laura Huxley, Founder of Children Our Ultimate Investment

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Product details

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811832864
ISBN-13: 978-0811832861
Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 16 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,017,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #43706 in Christian Literature & Fiction
- #8511 in Buddhism (Books)
- #22861 in Short Stories Anthologies

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James Kenney

Many of today's aging Zen students came to Zen through the use of psychedelics

March 5, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Many of today's aging Zen students came to Zen through the use of psychedelics. I am one of them. The peak experience often offered by various psychoactive drugs is similar to those rare moments in Zen, when kensho occurs and Oneness sets in. This book allows many authors who were swept into Zen by the 60s/70s wave of psychedelics, to express their views and feelings about both the relationship between the two paths of spiritual exploration, and the meaning of psychedelics in their lives.

In my case, it led to a radical transformation, which then led me straight to Zen. Fifty years later, looking back, I can only say how lucky I was to find the way out of the cul-de-sac of despair and depression. It is a real treat to find a book that deals seriously with this subject. If you enjoy Zig Zag Zen, you may also want to read Altered States.

4 people found this helpful

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Jesse Gros

Puts The Pieces Together!

January 14, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is delicious. It really filled a gap in my experience. I know many people are taking medicine journeys these days, and sometimes it just feels like we are playing with magic. It's not always easy to articulate how, or why the experience matters in the larger narrative. People feel the shift, but often have questions about how it all integrates into everyday life. This book builds a bridge between experience and the larger "why." It weaves a great story bringing in art, history and relevant, cutting edge Buddhist philosophy.

Thank you Allan. It's profoundly informative. It's a must read for anyone who is seriously looking to understand the role of entheogens, spiritual practice and integration of these experiences into the larger picture. -Jesse

7 people found this helpful

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Bud Valley

Lucid and insightful

July 21, 2010

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is one of the most comprehensive and lucid treatments of the topic of Buddhism and psychedelics. I came away from it with a much better understanding of how the two might be reconciled in the context of a "serious" spiritual practice. What struck me most was the extreme lucidity and potency of each of the essays. There were a few I skipped over, but for the most part I was very impressed with the eloquence and insight offered by each contributor. If you are at all interested in Buddhism, psychedelics, or both, this book is great food for thought. Highly recommended.

15 people found this helpful

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B. Conover

very enlightening book, well worth buying.

June 25, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent book - series of fascinating essays written by people who have experimented with psychedelics
and turned to meditation and Buddhism. Beautiful art work by various artists and Alex Grey was the art director.
Well worth reading and having in your library.

3 people found this helpful

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Jane

Beautiful art and digestable

June 25, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Well written and designed.

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R. Jeffrey Goldsmith

a most unusual book with a variety of authors. ...

June 8, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

a most unusual book with a variety of authors. You have to be interested in the details of meditation practice to find this interesting.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

July 25, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great book-arrived quickly

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John

Fantastic

October 29, 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is amazing, it has really opened my eyes to the world of entheogens and buddhism. There is a whole other world out there waiting to be explored, get on it.

2 people found this helpful

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Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics Hardcover – April 1, 2002

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