There are many stories about Ganja echoing down the slopes and cairns in the Himalayan mountain ranges. These stories have graced the Asian continent for centuries. Some claim they are as ancient as the 10,000 year old stone temples that grace these mountains. Travel to this area will connect the curious seeker with locals who will reveal some of these old tales in local “tea-shop” conversations.
According to some of these stories, Marijuana was first introduced to spiritual seekers as an offering to help relax the body and mind in order to better practice yoga. Yoga, in India and Tibet refers to the spiritual practice of attaining union with the consciousness of “God” or a “conscious creative power” greater than the “self”. Most associate yoga with physical body postures that promote good health, however, in the Himalaya, yoga is used more as a “sadhana.” Sadhana is a Sanscrit word local Indians use to describe a meditation practice designed to generate internal experiences of bliss and ecstasy.
History
According to these local stories, the term “Ganja” comes from the local Himalayan mountain language. The most sacred river in India is called the Ganges. There are many stories of this famous river. The most common story is that the river Ganges flows directly out of the sleeping head of Lord Shiva, a God-like being who is lying across and literally makes up the mountain ranges with his great sleeping body. His hair is strewn across the range in long dreaded mats that form wavy, long canyons of water. Each line of hair is said to be a major Indian river. The main river, is where all the other sections come together to become the Ganges. It is thought that this canyon where the rivers join, are where Lord Shiva has tied his long locks together into one pony-tail, creating one major river-- the Ganges.
These feeder-rivers are called the Saraswati, the Alakanand and the Mandakini. Each mat or “dreaded” rope of hair is believed to become one of the flowing rivers that ultimately become the one main outlet of the great Ganges that flows through much of India. Many serious spiritual ascetics in this Indian culture allow the hair to become matted and dreaded in this same fashion in order to be more like this great God-legend, Lord Shiva. Many popular contemporary musicians who have promoted use of marijuana, such as Bob Marley, have also copied this hair style.
Imagery
Another picture from Indian spiritual culture displays Shakti, known in India to be the feminine principal of “consciousness” in our universe. She is the consort to Lord Shiva, who is known as the “male principal” of “consciousness”. She is usually depicted as the small head of a woman emerging from the top-knot of hair on Lord Shiva’s head. In this commonly displayed picture, she is blowing a smoke-like essence from her mouth in an arch that falls directly into the head-waters of the Ganges River. Shiva is seen seated in meditation at the edge of the head-waters. His wife, Shakti, sprays mist from her mouth into the headwaters of the Ganges River while in her nestled seat within his top-knot. The belief is that the mist of Shakti-- is also the smoke of Ganja and, when it is sprayed from her mouth, it becomes the flowing water.
In these temple areas, “Yogi’s” or “Indian monks”, still walk from high mountain-town along ridges that take them into other towns and villages. In the Himalaya, many Yogis travel with a small pipe known as a “Chillum.” A “Chillum” is a glass tube shaped like a cigar that has a bowl at one end. Many of these travelling Yogi’s also carry herb pouches, offering a friendly muscle-relaxing smoke-break to any weary travelers they encounter along the path. In the high altitudes of the Himalaya, the most common use for Marijuana is to prevent nausea from height-sickness. Pilgrims travel regularly to these high mountain temples to pay homage to the deities of Shiva and Shakti. They use Marijuana to relax sore muscles from climbing and to ward off altitude sickness, a common problem.
Spiritual Applications
Spiritual practitioners of the region also use this medicine to augment their meditation practices. One local “Sadu,” another local term for Yogi or wandering Indian saint, describes his spiritual use of the plant; “I use it to accomplish Jyoti Mudra” he reports. When pressed he offered that, “Jyoti Mudra” is also called the “Star Gate” and is practiced to accomplish the task of allowing the human soul to pass through an inner star-gate. To do this, he explains, one needs to succeed at retaining the breath for more than three full minutes. “Ganja use helps us practice breath retention” he continues, “causing our lungs to expand.” “The high helps us remain still when the body wants to breathe. The resulting relaxation helps lengthen the session.”
There are many kinds of experts when it comes to using and growing Ganja. Learning how to cultivate this herb for spiritual realization has definitely seemed to be a goal for many regular users. Exploring spiritual potential is one way to expand the horizons of expertise, especially if the goal is to know absolutely everything about this plant.
Another common Himalayan spiritual practice is to see only the good in every moment and situation. Again, Sadus and yoga teachers in the Himalayan regions frequently organize teachings to assist people in recognizing the inherent value of positive thought. They work to show us the drop in vital life-energy when engaging negative thoughts or feelings. In the west people are taught to discern, critically assess and evaluate. According to Indian spiritual traditions this can be viewed as engaging forms of doubt or “negative mind”. Some point to this as the “ego”. This means any thought causing one person to feel less-than or not loved by the other is an “egoistic” or “negative” thought.
Liberation
To the Yogi, any form of judgment is negative. The work of every qualified spiritual practitioner in these areas is to help liberate people from the stress and tension created by using and allowing negative thought. “We can entertain good energy and happy thoughts while still accomplishing detailed work and solving important problems” came the comment from our wandering Sadu. The truth is that problems become solved much more quickly when stress is not present. Stress, is generated by the negative thinking process. Ganja relieves and reduces stress. This means use of this herb can make our thinking and feeling more spiritually productive.
For many, the best medicine for stress and tension is the good old-fashioned “dooby”. This is fast becoming recognized as a stress-reducing medicine that can help enhance the healing process. According to the Himalayan Yogi’s, it also enhances your “enlightenment” process.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice
Johanna Parry Cougar - Johanna researches, writes and educates. For 25 years she has taught adobe construction, natural spiritual development and practice.
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