Beers and alcohol

[MatthewAngby]

I figured the nyingma section was the best to place this.
So how is the nyingma view of alcohol ? Is it impure , vile and dangerous ? Is it something we must all avoid?

Personally for me, I realised if I drink a little wine ( red ) , I can still maintain awareness and not completely lose it... so yea. I was just curious what are your views.

[Simon E.]

You are going to get a whole spectrum of replies Matthew. This does not mean that the question is a bad one.
But it does mean that the answers will have to be reflected on in a balanced way.


My own view is that if you can a glass of wine or beer without it increasing heedlessness..(an appropriate word but one that one Buddhist forums only seems to be used in this context) then go right ahead.
But be honest with yourself. Some can and some definitely cant.
Some people are very sensitive to alcohol. Others have a self-destructive streak that they need to manage.
For many of us in the Vajrayana it's not that big a deal. If you do drink then drink the best you can easily afford.
Not only because they taste better on the whole, but also because they are healthier..on the whole.

[florin]

I figured the nyingma section was the best to place this.
So how is the nyingma view of alcohol ? Is it impure , vile and dangerous ? Is it something we must all avoid?

Personally for me, I realised if I drink a little wine ( red ) , I can still maintain awareness and not completely lose it... so yea. I was just curious what are your views.

I dont know if it is useful to think about the use of alcohol in terms of this school or that school's view .I dont even know if schools have official points of view regarding this subject.
But maybe more helpful would be to think in terms of lay vs monastic or practices you do vs the rest of practices or your teachers view vs the rest of teachers ...and so on.
So, say you are a lay person doing such and such practices following such and such teacher you would follow the views according to these factors and circumstances.

[MatthewAngby]

I figured the nyingma section was the best to place this.
So how is the nyingma view of alcohol ? Is it impure , vile and dangerous ? Is it something we must all avoid?

Personally for me, I realised if I drink a little wine ( red ) , I can still maintain awareness and not completely lose it... so yea. I was just curious what are your views.

I dont know if it is useful to think about the use of alcohol in terms of this school or that school's view .I dont even know if schools have official points of view regarding this subject.
But maybe more helpful would be to think in terms of lay vs monastic or practices you do vs the rest of practices or your teachers view vs the rest of teachers ...and so on.
So, say you are a lay person doing such and such practices following such and such teacher you would follow the views according to these factors and circumstances.

I see. So it is all about what the teacher says then I suppose?

[Könchok Thrinley]

Like Florin said, if you follow lower tantras then I think alcohol is a no-no, in HYT it is not, but depends on teacher. Also what is important is you. Are you capable of having a glass and not desiring another and getting drunk?

I slowly found out that I am not capable of that and that life is better for me sober and also my practice benefits from it. So no alcohol for me. You must discover your situation and act accordingly. Then it depends on your teacher.

[Soma999]

I met teachers who say don't take one single drop of alcool. Others are quiet relaxed with it. Others are moderate.

So, it varies a lot. Know also Chang is not very strong compared to our alcool.

And a pure common sense, the less you drink, the better of you'll feel.

Try to do a sadhana stoned or drunk. Then you'll see how helpful it is.

What do YOU feel about it ? A teacher is not always there to tell what what to eat, what to drink and all that. You have to use common sense and know what is good for you or not.

One time in my life i drank quiet a lot for 6 month. I nearly became addicted. When i realised it i throw ALL bottles away and never touched a drop for a long time. It was difficult first, then it came back as normal.

Beware, you never know yourself. You think you control... until you realise you don't. Everyone is different. Some have strong resistance, others no.

There is also a proverb : "some drink to perform the ritual ; others perform the ritual to drink". The first one drink. The others are being drunk (and possesed by the alcool).

[MatthewAngby]

Actually i don’t really like to drink. I just drink very very very little ... that’s why I thought , hey actually if I drink so little and only drink in some social events , then actually why is it bad? That was just my own thinking. Perhaps I’m also very defiant, even to some Buddhist things , so therefore I always try to use it to my experience and see for myself. After experiencing myself , I realised I can drink a little without getting drunk ... but if I drink more and more , I will get very tired. But in the case of red wine, I think for me, I still can cope quite well. So perhaps in my own experience , drinking little red wine is fine, but I might be wrong ( at least to others ).