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Do Drugs Have Religious Import? A-. ,'Smith,:L: H., Jesse, R., Grob, C., Agar, A., Walsh, R. The Oral History of Psychedelics ~esearch $project, \I: Do drugs . -- - - - x - - i:~svcholoev.44 (2), 120- 140,2003. Huston Smith ef al. 121 ... ~ .~ .. ~ - . -- .- .. .. ,- . - . .. ROBERT JESSE serves as the p~sidentof the Coun- DO DRUGS HAVE RELIGIOUS IMPORT? cil on Spiritual Practices, a collaboration among spir- A 40-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE itualguides,experta in the behavioral and biomedical sdences,andscholars ofreligion. CSPsponsors scien- tific research and encourages dialogue about J. approaches to primary religious experience and con- HUSMN SMITH is the Thomas Watson Professor ditions that helpchannel such experiences into favor- of Religion and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of able long-term outcomes. He led the drafting of CSPs Code of Ethics for Philosophy, Emeritus, Syracuse University. For 15 Spiritual Guides, intended to foster wholesomeness in practices intended years, he was a professor of philosophy at M.I.T., and or likely to be transfornative. An engineer by training, he formerly for a decade before that he taught at Washington Uni- worked in software development. versity in St. Louis. hlost recently, he has aerved as a visiting professor of religious studies, University of Califomia, Berkeley. Holder of 12 honorary degrees, GARY BRAVO graduated from Harvard University his 14 books include The World's Religio~,which has with a degree in biology and did his medical and psy- sold more than 2 ?4 million copies, and Why Religion chiatric training at the University of California, bfatfers, which won the Wilbur Award for the best book on religion pub Irvine, College of hledicine. While serving there on lished in 2001.In 1996,Bill Moyers devoted a five-part PBS special to his the clinical faculty, he did research with Drs. IValsh life and work. His film documentaries on Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Grob on the subjective effects of MDhlA and Sufism have all won international awards, and The Journal of (Eeatasy) and helped develop the first government- Ethnomusicology lauded his discovery ofTibetan multiphonic chantingas approved research protccol on the clinical effecta of MDhZA. He has pub- 'an importllnt landmark in the study of music." lished papers and lectured internationally on psychedelics and is a public psychiatrist practicing in Sank Rosa, California. I CHARLES GROB, M.D.. is the director of the Dixi- aion of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Harbor- ALISE AGAR launched and coordinated numerous UCLA hledical Center and a professor of psychiatry conferences on new scientific paradigms, psychedel- at the UCLA Schwl of Medicine. He did his under- ies, the neardeath experience, and nonordinary states graduate work at Oberlin College and Columbia Uni- ofwnsciousness for Esalen Inntitute, the Fetzer Insti- versity and obtnined a B.S. from Columbia in 1976. tute, Arupa, and the Institute for the Study of Human He received his M.D. from the State University of Consciousness. She was the director of operations for New York. Downsta~te hfedical Centerin 1979.Priortohis ~ - ~ ao~ointmentat~rr~~-~ the Institute of Noetic Sciences, director of public UCW, heheld teaching and clinical positions at the University ofcalifor- relations for two health care organizations, and executive director for the nia, Irvine, College of Medicine and The Johm Hopkins University School Study of Human Consciousness at Berkeley, California. An extraordinary of Medicine, Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics. He conducted the networker who brought together leading figures from science, reli~on. first govemment-approved psychobiological research study ofMDMA and psychology, and the ah,she died after a long illness in June 2001. was the principal investigator of an international research project in the Brazilian Amazon studying the plant hallucinogen. Ayahuasca. He has ROGER WALSH. M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of psy- published numerous articles on psychedelics in medical and psychiatric chiatxy, philosophy, anthropology, and religious stud- journals and collected volumes. He is the editor of Hallucinogerrp: A ies at the University of California at Inine. His publi- Reader. He is a founding board member of the Hefir Research Institute, cstions includePathsBeyond Ego: The ~n.spersoml which is devoted to fostering and funding research on psychedelics. Viion and Essential Spirituality: The Seuen Cenfml Practices. JouddHvmonLtic -, Vol. U No. 2. Spring 2004 120-110 > DO]: 10.1177PiU221S78M2632W Om- Publicatim :: :: . 122 Do Drugs Have Religious Import? Huton Smith et al. 123 . Summary tory and clinical scientista (Harrier, 1973; Roberts, 2001; Smith, 2000;Tart, 1991; Walsh,in press). In the short span of a decade and Four decades ego, Huston Smith published one of the most influen- a half, they produced thousands of research articles and dozens of tial articles ever written on psychedelics, titled 'Do Drugs Have books. Yet, when the government clamp-down occurred, even Religious Import?" As part of 'The Oral History of Pqchedelic clinical research was banned. Research Roject," he wan interviewed and invited to revisit this Paradoxically. this makes the surviving early researchers a topic. The interview covers his personal experiences. an well as the uniquely valuable group. They had an opportunity, perhaps never influences of psychedelic experiences on religious treditiona and to be reneated, to witness firsthand the powerful and mysterious contemplative practices. ELamples of such influences that are dia- cussed include the ancient Vedic tradition and Eleuainian myster- effects, both positive and negative, of these drugs. These surviving ies, and the contemporary Native American Church. At the social researchers therefore make up a unique resource and reservoir of level, he reflects on factors that limited the effectivenessof the psy- experience and knowledge and, because of their advancing age, are chedelic movement of the 1960s in pmducing significant social clearly an endangered resource. Recognizing this, in the late change, the state of,conternporaryculture, society, and drug policy, 1990s, a gmup of researchers, funded by the Institute of Noetic Sci- and the role of elders in society. ences and Fetzer Institute, began interviewing surviving pioneer researchers (Fadiman, Grob, Bravo, Agar, & Walsh, in press; Walsh Keywords: psychedelics; entheogen; religion; mysticism; spirituality; & Gmb, in preaa). elder; Huston Smith One of the most eminent of these researchers is Huston Smith, an internationally recognized philosopher and theologian and When psychedelics exploded on an unsuspecting world in the author of the popular book, The World's Religions (Smith, 1991). 1960s, they generated enormous social, cultural, political, and psy- Huston Smith has had a long-standing interest in the implications chological change. They also generated enormous controversy and of these substances, dating back to his 1963 landmark article, "Do polarization. A media feeding frenzy, largely driven by superficial Drues~ ~~ - Have Relicious-~~-~~~~ Im~ort?". That ~ ~ article is one of the most sensationalism, soon obscured deeper reflections on the many famous of all publications on psychedelics and the most reprinted questions that these curious chemicals raise (Duke & Gross, 1994; in the history ofthe American Journal ofPhilosophy.The following Grob, 2002; Lee & Shlain, 1985). This obscwation represents a interview therefore represents a 40-year retrospective to that great loss because psychedelics clearly hold crucial implications article. for areas as diverse as religion, philosophy, neuroscience, psychol- ogy,andsociety (Roberts,ZOOl;Smith, 2000; Stolaroff, 1993;Walsh, in press; Walsh & Vaughan, 1993). INTERVIEW However, considerable research was done and experts turned their attention to understanding the implications of psychedelics Huston, you have devoted your life to a study of thegreat religions. by synoptic (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1997; Grob, 2002; Grof, 1988). In fact, the Could you begin giving a overview of how you currently range of researchers was remarkable and included psychologists view them? and psychiatrists, biologists and pharmacologists, sociologists and anthropologists, philosophers and theologians, as well as labora- I regard the world's great religions as the winnowed wisdom of the human race--with a lot of dross, of course. One of the things that first attracted me to studying them was the tremendous exu- AUTHORS NOTE: The pmj& and the meeting fmm which it stemmed were berance of the vision that they hold out for human life. In my own funded and supported by the Institute of Noetic Sdenoes and the Fetzer Institute. spiritual sadhana practice, I always begin the day-along with \Slink Franklin and Frances Vaughan supported the project in multiple wanJon meditation and a little yoga-by reading a couple ofpages of sacred Ha~apmvided editorial amislance, and Bonnie L'AUier pmvided administrative and secretarial support. scripture. 124 Do Drugs Have ~eligiousImport? Huston Smith et al. 125 At the moment, Tm working my way thmugh the New Testa- cobbler, it was when he was looking in a pewter dish. In all these ment. In doing so, I came upon a phrase in Peter-a little letter cases there's not just news ofa different world, but the experience of towards the end-the phrase in which he refers to'those things on a different world--one is in that world. which angels themselves long to gaze." Wow! I mean that will do it I fully believed the master accounts in these traditions; I took for the day. Talk about exuberance! And this is what they are aspir- them on faith. So when the news came that there were techniques ing for-a vision that even the angels would give their eye teeth to for achieving transcendence, well, I was whoring after the Abso- have. So that is the dominant mood of these traditions. lute.Nothing could hold me back. And so I broke in my legs in medi- The mood is not one of denial-in the psychological sense of tation-10 years faithfully. I went to Japan and entered a Zen mon- denial-f the difficulties and evils of life. I just this week came astery. But I discovered that experientially I was pretty flatfooted. across a definition of denial.
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