Lama Mike Crowley

Lama Mike Crowley
Crowley in 2022.
Born
Michael Lionel Crowley

1948 (age 77–78)
Cardiff, Wales
OccupationAuthor
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
Years active1966–present

Lama Mike Lionel Crowley (born 1948; spiritually named: Lama Karma Tenzin Dorje,[1] Tibetan: ཀརྨ་བསྟན་འཛིན་རྡོ་རྗེ, Wylie: karma bstan 'dzin rdo rje) is a Welsh author and teacher of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.[2] He is known for his writings on the use of psychedelic drugs in Vajrayana, particularly for his book Secret Drugs of Buddhism.[3][4][5]

Having taken refuge in Buddhism in 1970 and having been ordained a lama in 1988,[4] Crowley founded the American Buddhist community Amrita Dzong, a branch of his teacher Lama Chime Rinpoche's organisation. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Psychadelic Sangha.[3][4]

Early life

Crowley was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 26 February 1948.[6] His father was a psychopath.[7] He first tried psychedelics at 15 years old.[8]

In 1966, when he was 18 years old, Crowley met Tibetan Lama Chime Rinpoche in London and became his first Western student. He formally took refuge and the five precepts on 1 May 1970,[4] entering the Kagyu lineage as a lay disciple. He studied Buddhist scriptures and learned Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mandarin.[7][9]

Views on psychedelics

Crowley advocates the integration of psychedelics into Vajrayāna Buddhist practice, describing them as a form of amrita (nectar of immortality).[10][11] He states that the Buddhist prohibition on intoxicants is a modern interpretation,[12][13] and that entheogenic substances historically played a role in certain tantric rituals.[5][14][15]

Crowley has proposed a staged approach according to the three vehicles (yana) of Buddhism:[4]

  • Hīnayāna practitioners should abstain from all psychoactive substances.
  • Mahāyāna practitioners may use empathogenic substances sparingly.
  • Vajrayāna practitioners may employ entheogens during ritual initiations and monthly ceremonies.

Crowley interprets traditional Vajrayāna iconography - particularly the skull cup (kapala) filled with amrita - as symbolic evidence of an ancient psychedelic sacrament.[16]

Personal life

Crowley has lived in California since 1988.[11][17]

He worked as a software consultant.[18]

From 1995 to 2009, he ran etymology webzine Take Our Word For It.[18][19]

Bibliography

Books

  • Crowley, Mike (2016). Secret Drugs of Buddhism: Psychedelic Sacraments and the Origins of the Vajrayāna. Amrita Press. ISBN 978-0692652817.
  • Crowley, Mike (2023). Psychedelic Buddhism: A User’s Guide to Traditions, Symbols, and Ceremonies. Amrita Press / Inner Traditions. ISBN 978-1644116692.

Later editions

  • Crowley, Mike (2019). Secret Drugs of Buddhism: Psychedelic Sacraments and the Origins of the Vajrayāna (2nd ed.). Synergetic Press. ISBN 978-0907791744.

References

  1. ↑ "Lama Mike Crowley Explores Psychedelics and Buddhism". Normalize Psychedelics. 2024-11-26. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  2. ↑ "Psychedelic Buddhism 2025". Psychedelic Buddhism 2025. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  3. 1 2 Simonds, Colin H. (2025-01-17). "Intersections with Indigeneity in Psychedelic Buddhism". Psychedelic Intersections. 1 (1). doi:10.70423/0001.19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Yee, Kate Madden (2023-02-28). "On Psychedelic Buddhism With Lama Mike Crowley". Spirituality+Health. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  5. 1 2 "Review: Secret Drugs of Buddhism by Mike Crowley". Psychedelic Press. 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  6. ↑ "Lama Michael Crowley". TIBET HOUSE US NYC. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  7. 1 2 Guru Viking (2021-09-03). Ep111: Secret Drugs of Buddhism - Mike Crowley. Retrieved 2026-05-31 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ "5 Questions for MIKE L. CROWLEY". Psychedelic Sangha & Dharma Art Productions. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  9. ↑ Miller, Richard L. (2026-05-29). "Confessions of a Psychedelic Polymath with Mike Crowley". www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  10. ↑ Crowley, Mike (2016). Secret drugs of Buddhism: psychedelic sacraments and the origins of the Vajrayāna (First ed.). Hayfork, California: Amrita Press. ISBN 978-0-692-65281-7.
  11. 1 2 "Psychedelic Society UK Presents A Talk with Lama Mike Crowley". Synergetic Press. 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  12. ↑ Brand, Danielle Simone (2020-03-06). "Did Ancient Buddhists Use Psychedelics?". DoubleBlind Mag. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  13. ↑ "Psychedelics, Meditation & Enlightenment - Part 2". The Psychedelic Society. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  14. ↑ "Secret Drugs of Buddhism". Buddhismus Aktuell. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  15. ↑ Crowley, Mike (2015). "Umbrellas, Wheels and Bumps on the Head: A Proposed Solution to the Uṣṇīṣa Mystery". Time and Mind. 8 (2): 191–218. doi:10.1080/1751696X.2015.1026028. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  16. ↑ Crowley, Mike (2023). Psychedelic Buddhism: a user's guide to traditions, symbols, and ceremonies. Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press. ISBN 978-1-64411-670-8.
  17. ↑ "Lama Mike Crowley". www.innertraditions.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  18. 1 2 "The Net result of Cymru, a love of words: Marriage". Chicago Tribune. 2004-04-13. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  19. ↑ "About Take Our Word For It". www.takeourword.com. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.