Avainsana: indigenous rituals
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Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction — Part 44
This post explores the relationship between mystical experiences, altered states of consciousness, psychedelic experiences, and Zen Buddhism through anthropology, philosophy, psychology, and personal reflection. The post examines how extraordinary states of mind have accompanied humanity throughout history, shaping religions, rituals, and spiritual traditions. Drawing from examples such as persistence hunting, ultramarathon hallucinations, Indigenous trance rituals,…
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Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – 40
Altered States of Consciousness in Indigenous Cultures Altered states of consciousness have played an important role in many human cultures throughout history. While modern societies often associate such experiences with psychoactive substances, numerous Indigenous traditions achieve similar states through meditation, movement, rhythm, and collective ritual practices. Anthropological research has documented how these altered states can…
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Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 39
The Disrupted Way of Shamanic Life Imagine living in the desert with twenty-five to fifty of your closest relatives. The social pressures of such intimate, constant coexistence would, for most of us, be overwhelming. For the San people of the Kalahari Desert, the primary method of releasing this tension was not therapy, nor alcohol, nor…