Teotzlcoatl said:

Does anybody find it strange that the Buddha died of mushroom "poisoning"?

---

Quote:

Do you think it's possible he was given psilocybin mushrooms and didn't die but instead moved onto another state of existience?

---

I think it is equally possible that Abraham Lincoln travelled back in time and shot him. Ultimately, you are speculating on an event that could never even be confirmed to happen in the first place, the death of Buddha, and the nature of that speculation goes even further into completely unknown territory. It seems to be very idle.

Jackenobi said:

In a book of buddhist scriptures i read there is a story about the buddha's iron constitution. it talks about his state of total enlightenment as being an overruling mitigation in such matters as food poisoning, ie. he could not suffer such a fate.

---

Quote:

so is the idea he died from food/mushroom poisoning a popular one?

---

Its an idea popularized by Buddhist scriptures...

SampaJasli said:

first of all, one of the buddhist precepts is not to consume any intoxicants.

---

Unfortunately for the Buddha, "Buddhist precepts" didn't exist then. I'm sure when he realized he had consumed a poisonous mushroom, if that is indeed what happened, he exclaimed "Oh no, I'm violating the precepts that my followers later decided to create!"

Quote:

second of all, i think the states that the buddha reached before dying would far surpass any mushroom trip.

---

Quote:

finally, I do believe it was some kind of meat the buddha ate before he died, I'm not sure if the buddha ate meat or not, he probably didn't but I just remember reading somewhere that he ate spoiled pork which lead to his death.

---

How could you believe something that you don't remember where you read it, and you aren't sure if he did actually consume meat or not?

Teotzlcoatl said:

Can you imagine what an enlightened individual would experience while on psychedelics....I think if the Buddha was around today he would be happy to use aya', shrooms and cacti and i believe he would advocate any spiritual experience in such a nonspiritual world.

---

SampaJasli said:

well the precepts are not added to the buddha's teachings but taken from them.

---

So why do they have any relevance to the Buddha's death? I'm not sure what consuming a poisonous mushroom has to do with these precepts anyways, why are they even being discussed in relation to his death?

Quote:

and I'm not sure why I said that the buddha's awakened state would surpass a mushroom trip. does having a mushroom trip release you from the wheel of rebirth? I don't think so.

---

Quote:

I admit that trips are enjoyable, learning experience which help you to comprehend all kinds of beautiful things, but these fade away in time and mushrooms don't leave you any closer to nibbana. maybe its like glimpsing a flash of the sun over the huge mountain your climbing.

---

But, really, all that you can speculate on regarding experiences on mushrooms are your own trips. None of this speaks any truth for the experiences of others.

Quote:

and i can believe whatever i want.

---

Quote:

I wasnt stating it as fact, merely relating what I remember about the buddhas death.

---

You stated that you believe he died from poisoned pork, then went on to state that you don't know if he actually ate pork or not, and then went on to state that you had no source for this notion. Seems like an unnecessary contribution to the discussion to me.

SampaJasli said:

I'm not so sure
comprehending enlightenment itself is basically impossible for any of us.

---

So, ultimately, it is an empty and useless concept that refers to absolutely nothing, isn't it? It is interesting how many people will speak for a concept that is impossible to comprehend...

Teotzlcoatl said:

The precept to not consume intoxicants is debated (Read zig-zag zen)
What the word "intoxicants" really mean is debated, no doubt its talking about alcohol...but 'shrooms, who knows...? I would not consider shrooms an intoxicant but a psychedelic, alcohol is an intoxicant.

---

Quote:

I wouldn't find it strange at all to heard a modern account of mushroom poisoning, but this is a ancient text, not a modern account...

---

So it is more strange to hear about accounts of mushroom poisonings in the modern age, as compared to the ancient age, despite the fact that information regarding the nature of various mushroom species is much more prolific and accessible in this day and age, and most individuals who consume mushrooms do not personally retrieve them from the wild on their own?

Quote:

what if it said "the Buddha died after eating mushrooms" would you not find that strange...

---

Quote:

It reminds me of how Aldous Huxley died...he took LSD and had somebody read him the Tibetan book of the dead... the symbolism is there, i just think there is more to this story than we know...

---

Teotzlcoatl said:

Dude, I said modern accounts are MORE reliable, not the other way around, read what i said again...

---

Teotzlcoatl said:

I wouldn't find it strange at all to heard a modern account of mushroom poisoning, but this is a ancient text, not a modern account... 

---

If you wanted to express that you felt that modern accounts were more reliable, then you might have considered actually typing that in your response.

I fail to comprehend how an ancient text depicting mushroom poisoning is strange and not reliable....

Quote:

I'm offering speculation into something i find extremely strange, the text are not clear at all about what he ate only that it was a mushroom (from the ones I've read)

---

What are you expecting from an ancient text, a scientific ID? Clearly the identity of the mushroom was not well-known, or else he wouldn't have consumed a poisonous mushroom.

You have failed to demonstrate how a poisonous mushroom has anything at all to do with a psychadelic mushroom.

Quote:

If you find this thread boring, idle or stupid then please go away and comment on something you find interesting....

---

Quote:

When it was first translated to English it seems easy to speculate that the word hallucinogenic or something of the sort was translated into poisonous...

---

Sure, it always seems easy enough to engage in unsubstansial speculation, but clearly it doesn't sem that easy to translate hallucinogenic to poisonous, considering that this is an account of the man's death. Seeing colors doesn't equate into physical death, as far as I can tell...

Teotzlcoatl said:

I think this subject requires studying the original text in it's original form, in its original language... I'm only offering speculation into what i find to be an interesting topic.

---

Speculation that is not based upon the original text, in its original form, in its original language, upon which study is required to be based?

Quote:

You fail to comprehend how an ancient text about mushroom poisoning is unreliable?! You said we can't even be sure the Buddha even existed! but now your saying a very minor detail could not possibly be inaccurate? what the fuck?

Fire said and i quote" Ultimately, you are speculating on an event that could never even be confirmed to happen in the first place, the death of Buddha"

---

I am given to understand that dictionary.com has a wonderful article on the definition of the word "ultimately".

Quote:

And i thinks it very possible for the word for hallucinogenic or the word for intoxicating or the word for poisonous could get lose in translation...

---

You may very well think that, but you haven't demonstrated precisely how it is possible. Do you have an understanding of the language from which it is being translated, or those who have translated the text? Unless you do, you have no reasonable grounds from which to speculate as to which words are possible to get lost.