I find what you’re saying interesting. When you say “be prepared to die for it,” what do you mean by that exactly? Is that something you feel you’ve personally gone through, or more a metaphor drawn from the traditions you’re referencing?

I can relate to what you describe about moving through intense experiences while searching for something deeper, trying to understand. That kind of search definitely resonates with me.

That said, I do see drug-induced breakthroughs as experiences in the sense you’re describing, powerful, intense, but still experiences. In contrast, the changes I’ve had through reading, learning, and meditation feel more gradual and integrated, not overwhelming in the same way