Psychedelics and Zen: Teach Your Children Well

Allan Hunt Badiner, the editor of "Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics"; his artistic collaborator Alex Gray -- who brought 15 wonderful artists with works ranging from high Zen art to "very trippy" to the book; and Nion McEvoy, the publisher of Chronicle Books, all deserve much appreciation for creating a book that deals with a complex and charged topic in such a gentle and creative way.

It's nice to know that people who can make things happen are invested in exploring issues that, while fascinating, are certainly not at the top of the popularity totem pole, during these dark days of ignorance and repression in the world of drugs.

Badiner and Grey's effort brings together the thinking of a wide array of masters, gurus and wise men and women, weaving together two topics that seem to be headed in opposite directions in terms of public interest and engagement. Zen Buddhism continues to grow and attract new adherents as the one religious/spiritual quest that fits well into the progressive and cultural creative experience and mindset.

Psychedelics, on the other hand, seem to have faded deep into the background of a culture preoccupied with all things commercial and monetary, not to mention the dominance of designer drugs like Ecstasy. (The disappearance of LSD turns out to be an illusion, but we'll get to that in a second.)

Zen and psychedelics may seem like an odd juxtaposition, but Badiner says he's actually surprised that no one has done a book like this one before, given that people like Allen Ginsberg and Alan Watts were steeped in both worlds. He could have added Ram Dass, who is a star of this book, and who in earlier times (as Richard Alpert) was, with Timothy Leary, a psychedelic pioneer in the experiments in Millbrook, New York and then quasi outlaws -- more Leary than Alpert -- as the earlier version of the drug war raised hysterical fears about psychedelics.

What makes Badiner's book so grounding is that he recognizes two of the fundamental wisdoms of our time, one negative and one positive. He instinctively understands the profound implications of our society's inability to discern differences, to make choices, particularly its depressing tendency to lump all drugs into one bad heap.

On the other hand Badiner also grasps that the search for truth requires the consideration of many voices, not one rigid vision. Out of the mix evolves wisdom, and that is the accomplishment of the book. It's no surprise, as a practitioner of Zen, that Badiner doesn't finish his book with an answer. In fact the book ends with a somewhat heated exchange among some of the all-stars of American Zen Buddhism.

There are many gems in this book; much to learn about Zen practice and a wide range of drug experiences. Rick Fields, a former editor of Yoga Journal, provides an entertaining and intelligent "high" history of Buddhism in America. Charles Tart tells of the positive impact of early psychedelics on a group of committed Zen practitioners. Badiner describes a harrowing yet lighthearted ending journey on ayahuasca, while China Garland explains why, in the end, she decided not to take the trip at all.

The aspect of the book I found disappointing is that so many authoritative and wise people dismissed the wisdom of psychedelics, despite having had generally positive experiences themselves. While many of the authors give the sage nod toward the psychedelic trips of their youth, they then minimize their own experiences and discourage others.

That smacks of the double standard that is rampant among parents who grew up in the '60s, who survived and even thrived, yet don't trust their kids to be able to navigate the same developmental shoals that they did. And make no mistake, their kids are going to take the journey.