Vipassana Meditation and Ayahuasca

Vipassana Meditation and Ayahuasca offers a journey of spiritual renewal and return through the synergistic use of ayahuasca and meditation.

Spiritual renewal and return through ayahuasca and meditation:

Revealing how the author, a long-time Buddhist practitioner, found ayahuasca to be a remarkable catalyst on his spiritual path, this book ultimately reinvigorates his own practice. It explores the ayahuasca ceremony process in depth, detailing the author’s multi-session experience in Peru and the "best practices" when taking ayahuasca. Furthermore, it provides an introduction to Tibetan Buddhist practice, including guided instruction to four progressive techniques of Shamata Vipassana meditation.

Over the last several decades, the serious study of Tibetan Buddhism and the use of ayahuasca as an agent for spiritual growth have both become widespread in the West. Although these 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 these two paths, C. Clinton Sidle shares his personal journey as a long-time but sometimes-struggling Buddhist practitioner. His sojourn to Peru for a series of ayahuasca ceremonies provided an invaluable shift in his spiritual approach. Sidle reveals how ayahuasca served as a remarkable catalyst in exposing his self-deception and psycho-emotional obstacles, ultimately revitalising his practice and authentic presence in daily life. However, as the author notes, while ayahuasca is a skillful means and a useful aid, it is not a complete path on its own.

Introducing the calm mindfulness of Shamata Vipassana meditation as a sustainable developmental path to support and integrate awakenings catalysed by ayahuasca, Sidle emphasises 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—common obstacles on the Buddhist path. He shares how he integrated the lessons of his ayahuasca experiences into his Buddhist practice and offers readers a methodical and guided introduction to four progressive techniques of Shamata Vipassana meditation.

Whether readers are long-term seekers or novices, Vipassana Meditation and Ayahuasca provides a singular means of aligning and reinvigorating the spiritual path toward an awakened life.