Between the 8th and 14th centuries CE, the rDzogs chen (Great Perfection) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism developed a distinctive philosophy of mind centered on a crucial distinction between dualistic mind (sems) and primordial knowing (ye shes). This distinction allowed adepts to precisely describe, based on careful first-personal observation, what occurs when a human being becomes a buddha, and to articulate a disclosive model of goal-realization. The article traces the evolution of this distinction within its historical and doctrinal contexts, examines its subsequent clarifications as a soteriological model, and summarizes the tradition's reinterpretations of 'mind' and 'primordial knowing', concluding with an assessment of contemporary relevance to consciousness studies.
Since the 1980s, scholarship on psychedelics and religion has grown, reflecting shifting political, legal, and sociocultural attitudes. This article traces the historiography of psychedelic religion from the 1980s to recent work, showing how the association of psychoactive substances with religiosity has evolved. The analysis highlights how psychedelic churches have expanded and how researchers and users routinely describe psychedelic experiences as religious, spiritual, or mystical. The study underscores the changing capital—political, legal, and sociocultural—attached to these substances and their religious uses.
The article examines the historiography of how psychoactive substances have been linked to religiosity in the United States from the 1800s through the 1980s. It contextualizes the current Psychedelic Renaissance, where psychedelic churches are growing and substances are often said to induce religious or mystical experiences. The author traces scholarly discussions across multiple fields that have addressed this association over two centuries, showing that the connection between drugs and religion is not new but has a long history of academic attention.