Vipassana Meditation and Ayahuasca: Skillful Means for Transcending the Ego and Opening to Spiritual Growth

Spiritual renewal and return through ayahuasca and meditation

• Reveals how the author, a long-time Buddhist practitioner, found ayahuasca to be a remarkable catalyst on his spiritual path, ultimately reinvigorating his own practice

• Explores the ayahuasca ceremony process in depth, detailing the author’s multi-session experience in Peru and “best practices” when taking ayahuasca

• Offers an introduction to Tibetan Buddhist practice, including a guided instruction to four progressive techniques of Shamata Vipassana meditation

Over the last several decades, serious study of Tibetan Buddhism and the use of ayahuasca as an agent for spiritual growth have both become widespread in the West. Though the two traditions originate in widely different parts of the world, both are effective in working with the ego and creating a genuine spiritual opening.

Uniting the two paths, C. Clinton Sidle takes readers through his own journey as a long-time but sometimes-struggling Buddhist practitioner whose sojourn to Peru for a series of ayahuasca ceremonies provided an invaluable shift in his own spiritual approach. Sidle reveals how ayahuasca was a remarkable catalyst in pointing out self-deception in his spiritual path, providing insight into psychoemotional obstacles to spiritual growth and ultimately reinvigorating his practice and authentic presence in daily life. But, as the author points out, although a skillful means and a useful aid, ayahuasca is not a complete path on its own.

Introducing Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and the calm mindfulness of Shamata Vipassana meditation, as a sustainable developmental path to support and integrate the awakenings catalyzed by ayahuasca, Sidle emphasizes the complementary nature of both his work in Peru and his longer-term studies in Buddhism. He describes his own challenges with spiritual self-deception and stagnation—not uncommon on the Buddhist path—and explains the structure of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. Finally, the author shares how he integrated the lessons of his ayahuasca experiences into his Buddhist practice, offering readers a methodical and guided introduction to four progressive techniques of Shamata Vipassana meditation.

Whether readers are long-term seekers or novices, this book can provide a singular means of aligning and re-invigorating the spiritual path.