Arguments about drugs are important to religion because they concern the possible harming or ending of life by human hands rather than by God’s will. Each religion points out the physical, mental and social dangers of drug abuse, this leads some religions to forbid the use of ALL intoxicant’s (Buddhism and Islam), whilst other religions teach that drugs should be used in moderation.
BUDDHISTS
Buddhists emphasize the need to be alert in body, speech and mind in order to live mindfully. Alcohol, smoking and drugs are totally discouraged because they cloud the mind and are seen as a retreat from the truth.
A person with a clouded mind cannot make a wise decision or meditate effectively.
Having said that Buddhists do allow appropriate drugs to
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To many, anyone who has dreads, smokes ganja, and plays Reggae music is a Rasta. There are much more than those three elements to being a Rasta. Rastafari is more than just a religion. It is a movement and a way of life.
Many Rastafari believe cannabis, which they call "ganja," "the herb," or "Kaya," is a sacred gift of Jah.
Jah is the Rastafarian name for God.
It may be used for spiritual purposes to connect with God but should not be used profanely. The use of other drugs, however, including alcohol, is frowned upon. Many believe that the wine Jesus drank was not an alcoholic beverage, but simply the juice of grapes or other fruits
One of the first things associated with Rastafari that comes to mind when people hear of Rastafari is their use of marijuana. The smoking Ganja for a Rasta is a special experience. They use the Ganja to help enlighten their mind, so they can correctly reason the ways of the
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Before smoking the plant, the Rasta will say a prayer to Jah (God) or to Haile Selassie I. The Rasta call them reasoning sessions when they use Ganja for Nyabinghi.
A Nyabinghi session is much different from a casual marijuana smoking session that western people take part in. People in the west smoke marijuana for social and entertainment reasons. In the west smoking the weed may lead to a silly time of laughing and horse play.
This differs greatly from what takes place during a Nyabinghi. A Nyabinghi is a taken very seriously. Acting silly would be considered disrespectful to a Rasta.
The Rasta’s use of Ganja stems back to the beginning of Rastafari in Jamaica. In 1941 one of the early teachers of Rastafari, Leonard P. Howell, set up a Rasta community of sixteen hundred Rasta’s. This community was named Pinnacle. At Pinnacle, Howell grew Ganja as a cash crop. It was during this time that Rasta discovered the properties of Ganja that helped their reasoning process. The Rasta soon turned to the Bible and found reverence to the use of this holy plant. From this Ganja was born into the Rastafari culture.
Although the Rasta’s used the Hebrew Bible to connect the smoking of Ganja to a religious experience
The above is from: Rastafari Culture by William