Buddah & Cannabis ?

[Rev.B.S.Whitaker]

cant give you a lot of links but here is some "hard copy" sources that I should have cited in my original text.
Sadhus : India's Mystic Holy Men. Hartsuiker Dolf, 1993 Inner Traditions International


The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion. Otto-Wilhelm-Barth Verlag, 1989 Random House publishing

Buddhist Religions A Historical Introduction fifth edition. Robinson/Johnson/Thanissaro, 2005 Thomson/Wadsworth

I also can cite some personal notes taken from a lecture by Dr. Paul Donly

You can tell if a sadhu follows a shiva sect or vishnu sect by the marking on the forehead these are called "tilaks". sadhus who are primarily devoted to Shiva often carry a trident as well.

The Sadhu pics you refer to as "sitting and puffing" sounds like a picture I have seen widely circulated online, it is ofNaga Baba Hari Giri. Naga Baba is a term that describes sadhus who wear little or nothing. Sadhus translate it as meaning "sky clad".


Sadhu Narayana Das is a type of Sadhu known as a "Milk Drinker" who has lived on two glasses of milk a day for over forty years now.

"tatambari" is the term used to describe a sadhu who wears only burlap sackcloth and often sleep on a bed made of it. Most sadhus wear a shear finely woven cloth of hemp, linen or in some cases deer hide. they also sleep on deer hides and use them for seated meditation.

"chabi" is a pose in which the genitals are twisted around a stick to "force sexual energy back and up". hanging weights from the penis is also a performance, mainly done for tourists, that shows the sadhu has transcended sexuality.

"Kahareshwaris" are sadhus who practice "standing" they take a vow to stand for a minimum of twelve years. they must not squat sit or lie down. they are allowed to lean on a stick or a hanging swing.

"dhuni-walas" translates to fellows with fire, these are the sadhu who must tend a sacred fire

"aghori's" are a sect that live in or near burial and cremation grounds. they often use a human skull as an alms bowl. they are greatly influenced by the Bhairavacharya cult who were the precurser of the sadhu lifestyle.
they often seek to reach a "divine madness".


Sorry if used the terms "yogi" and "asana" out of context with their strict definitions. I was merely trying to point out that sadhu's see a strong seperation between themselves and those who practice yoga poses as part of a daily routine. I shall try and clarify further by suggesting that sadhu start with physical yoga poses and as they progress on with the lifestyle they either give up physical poses alltogether or they do them in a manner that begins to cause deformities and physical pain.

[Spin~ello]

Aloha B.S.Whitaker
Mahalo/domo/thank you 4 the references.(I might have read some of them)
I can not currently reference them now as I do not buy books & rarely visit libraries currently.(& sadly I doubt they would have them @ my local ones)I am sure your sources(book writers) have pleasant intent.But must state that IMO If one wants knowledge ,unadulterated &/or unbiased on a topic ,the most informative source is the subject itself.I am always skeptical of distant sources in relation to a subject & most often take them as personal insights & opinions.What I mean by this is Hartsuiker Dolf ,Otto-Wilhelm-Barth Verlag ,Robinson/Johnson/Thanissaro ,&Dr. Paul Donly are all names that are not even Indian or eastern 4 that matter.I do not know any of them to have been a sudhu & at most might have met & interviewed some that IMO would be poor examples as subject matter ,in that IMO a sudhu does not talk with the public nor do things 4 tourists ,as to do so is to give something in return for alms ,which IMO = work.IMO they are too be looked upon to show & thus remind the "well to do public"(alms givers) to poverty & suffering & nothing more.

I am reminded of a story I read(cannot remember the book & give my weak second hand account here) & in it a blond blue eyed German sadhu is found by the author in India & he makes great claims to his abilities & does demonstrations of them.The so called sadhu is known to be seen with a female acquaintance by the author & others.When asked about this the German states they do some sort of sexless & non~enjoyed tantra type stuff together to yoke mana/energy without enjoying it.The author returns the next year to find that this girl is pregnant & asks the German "what up with that" the German states it could not be mine(or something of that sort).A few months later she gives birth to a blond blue eyed baby & then the German avoids the writer.(I know my version is not exactly true to source & is likely false on some exact details)

I only wished to see a link to the not ever sitting or lying down part.(I simply had not ever heard of it ,that I remeber.)
I did google "Kahareshwaris" & search on 3 different India search engines & found no results/hits.

I have seen many many many pictures in books & if one does a google image search today on "sadhu" one finds many pictures of those that call themself or are called sadhu by others.I must state that if the person here : http://www.adolphus.nl/sadhus/stories/extremists.html
is the person you refer to as Baba Hari Giri then I do not find him to be a sadhu in my eyes ,as it states "the pilgrims give generous donations, up to a 100 rupees (a few dollars)[alot of money in rural India 4 a days "work"]," This & "a large crowd has gathered around him, listening attentively to his stories" I do not consider those that teach to be sadhu & IMO having the title Baba/father goes against asceticism @ its core.I add that many of the google image results for "sadhu" show people smiling 4 the camera & posing 4 it as well.IMO a sadhu would avoid pictures of them self & look angry or in contempt @ the camera holder 4 attempting to capture their mana.
*** notice @ the bottom of the link I provided where one(Bhagwan Das) "claims" to have stood(sleeping leaning on a swing) for 28 years & answers with "Doctor's orders," "as to why he is sitting down now".
IMO a true sadhu does not see doctors nor make interviews nor pose @ close range 4 photos.(I would think he was greatly rewarded)

[Rev.B.S.Whitaker]

Try this alternative spelling "Khareshwari" it may actualy be the primary spelling, I doubt you wil find much online, you will have to dig a little deeper than keyword searches. I also forgot to citenotes collected from Dr.Zsuzsanna Gulacsi

[Nachtschattenreich]

I am not an expert on India, but obviously the culture which invented the wheel of mathematics deserves a closer look.

India, in my eyes, seems to be a fierce instance of capitalism under the spiritual leadership of its dropouts (quoted from the "Holy Extremists" link above):

[Nachtschattenreich]

Where do the Sadhus get their Cannabis from, do they grow their own (I would guess they do not own land), or do they depend on donations?

[Rev.B.S.Whitaker]

most sadhu get their Charas (this is a term for hashish, that is most often mixed with tobacco) from those seeking to improve their karma, to donate anything to a sadhu is believed to improve one's karma. tourists also like to give them charas in hopes of witnessing them perform austerities. while sadhu do not own land some are appointed to be the "guardian" of a sacred place and may remain their for life while other constantly travel. Most sadhu freely choose the way of life and every year a large festival is held on the ganges river where new sadhus take a ritual cleansing and then are given a new name by their guru, and well as having their head shaved to signify reberth, it is from this point on that they let the hair grow into "jatta" or "dread locks". becoming a sadhu is like joining a budhist sect.

[MelT]

The discussion's turned to other things, but: I'm a Buddhist of the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. Ascetism is not considered necessary (even as a temporary measure) in any Buddhist form as a means to reaching enlightenment. I haven't met anyone (user or otherwise) who feels that the cannabis seeds the Buddha ate contributed to his enlightenment, it's simply high protein food that kept him going.



MelT