ATDTDA (33) - p. 924-6 peyote

[kelber at mindspring.com]

Due to an unfortunate mishandling of some psych medications once, I was launched into a hallucinatory episode which involved more of the traditional Buddhist (I think?) imagery of the Wheel turning on itself, reducing me first to the molecular level, then down to pure energy where I could meld with the Universe.  I'm guessing this is more in keeping with an acid trip.  Anyway, this is very different from Frank's soaring-over-the-city vision.  

Someone recently posted a link to a comic-strip about the history of LSD from a group that links hallucinogens with religion.  Just think it's interesting that different hallucinogens can lead to different types of hallucinations and, therefore, different types of religions.  Does anyone have any sense of how similar/different the beliefs of the peyote using Native Americans are to/from Buddhism?  I think TRP finds them the same. Aztlan and Shambhala  are one mystical city accessible only via spirituality/hallucinogens.

Laura



-----Original Message-----
>From: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
>Sent: May 21, 2008 8:08 AM
>To: Pynchon Liste <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: Re: ATDTDA (33) - p. 924-6 peyote
>
> laura asked:
>
>>
>>  For those who have indulged, a question:  in the first very long sentence ("Before too long >... view the sky."), is Pynchon perhaps describing a peyote vision he himself had, or are we >meant to parse the literal meaning of Frank's vision?
>
>well, I only had them the once, from a friend with a lot more experience
>and really have nothing substantive (or superstantive)
>to offer on that...I told somebody the story of it once and they were
>underwhelmed:
>"well, most people throw up behind them.  I didn't.  But of all the nasty
>tastes in the world, they must be pretty close to the top...what did I see?
>well I'm always seein' weird shit..."
>
>but the Vision of the City - I would think most of us gringos have had it:
>in dreams or after a school lesson on the native americans -
>where you are living in a pre-Columbian city? as one of them?
>and you wake to a feeling of only-just-bearable loss?
>doesn't it sound familiar?