Coffee and the 5th sila

The Watercooler
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Since trying to quit drinking coffee, I became aware of its powerful stimulating and addictive qualities.

If you think there’s nothing to this, try quitting yourself.

I am also unfortunately a smoker and I would judge quitting coffee a worse experience than quitting smoking.

So in short, I wonder why coffee is not forbidden under the drug (is it the 5th?) sila.

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I interpret the 5th of the pancāsilā to refer to anything that leads to heedlessness. If you’ve become aware that coffee is distractingly stimulating (racing thoughts and the like, inability to settle into samadhi etc.) than I would stay away from it. But don’t forget to middle path things… Don’t be so adverse to caffeine that you fear coming into contact with it. Make right choices to the best of your ability with right resolve. White-knuckled caffeine abstinence should be used to get you to understand where the craving lies. Once the craving is uprooted, one could still have a preference for coffee but not let it control their volitional activities. One should be able to go without coffee and no harm done. Going without and thinking “Ah, I’m so virtuous!” is the other side of this and I think possibly just as harmful. One is not made more virtuous simply by following arbitrary dogma. The goal should be in the middle, I think. If abstinence is required to get there… by all means cut it out.

I think it’s great that you are able to overcome this craving for coffee. Don’t let it put the “fear” into you. The 5th precept is more about making a rational choice that allows you to keep mindful so you don’t cause harm through the breaking of other precepts.

While I wouldn’t agree caffeine is as difficult as smoking to stop (degrees of difficulty are impossible to judge as it’s all subjective) it is more insidious due to the social acceptability and normalization of it. Living a life for a time where it’s not acceptable or normal can help to rewire your perception, but I would suggest instead of thinking of this as a monstrous addiction to think of it as a preference for. Addiction can seem insurmountable at times. Whereas halting a preference is a matter of recognizing that it’s merely a preference and you can do without as long as you don’t give into that ego that says you deserve it, should have it, in fact need it.

How lucky are we to be human with all these lessons that teach us and the capability of learning them!

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This rule forbids intoxicants which cloud the mind and lead to headlessness.
Coffee doesn’t really do that.

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Smoking cigarettes is also not forbidden by the fifth precept (though, I’d still advise against it!)

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It’s certainly addictive. Even thinking of the possibility of going without my daily cup of coffee makes me feel defensive and anguished. However I don’t do or say regrettable things under it’s influence, unlike alcohol.

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I recently quit coffee myself. Less attachment to caffeine now, that can’t be a bad thing.

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My comment is obviously from the lay person’s experience & not informed by monastic guidance.

I know that caffeine, at a certain amount, will speed up my thinking and speaking. When that’s happening, if I am with other people, I’m aware I need to take extra pauses before I speak. Otherwise, I tend to over-speak and say more than I would normally (or sometimes with greater intensity). It doesn’t seem to hinder my mindfulness otherwise. (It also makes my heart beat faster.)

This is the effect I enjoy when I am in the morning hours. It’s what I try to limit and I don’t think I want to give it up yet. In this respect, for my own practice I consider it a toxin that I’ve not yet fully renounced.

So it doesn’t create a clouding effect like alcohol. But it seems to create more opportunity for heedlessness when I’m with other people. I seem to be very sensitive to it.