ZENSANA RELIGION

FOUNDATIONS OF THE ZENSANA RELIGION

The ZenSana faith is an inter-faith religion that takes inspiration from the 12 major religions - Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Baha’i, Confucianism, Shinto, and Zoroastrianism.

These 12 religions each play a role in not only bringing Zensana members together under one roof to have practical conversations to develop humanity, but they also form the central belief systems of the religious doctrine that guides members on how to live a more fulfilling and better life.

From Christianity, Zensana borrows the concept of 'The Second Coming'. From Buddhism, Zensana believes that suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it. The end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana.

The Fourth Noble truth of Buddhism charts the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the 'Noble Eightfold Path'. Zensanists believe that Mindfulness and Concentration, key aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path, can be enhanced by the use of entheogens, including psilocybin. Zensanists also believe in Karma - Karma refers to good or bad actions a person takes during her lifetime. Good actions, which involve either the absence of bad actions, or actual positive acts, such as generosity, righteousness, and meditation, bring about happiness in the long run. Bad actions, such as lying, stealing or killing, bring about unhappiness in the long run.

From Taoism, Zensanists believe that humans and animals should live in balance with the Tao, or the universe. Taoists believe in spiritual immortality, where the spirit of the body joins the universe after death. From Sikhism, Zensanists take equality, social justice, service to humanity, and tolerance for other religions. Prayer, work, and giving are central to both Sikhism and Zensana - in the case of Zensana, we believe that prayer is enhanced through the use of sacrament, and giving should start with indigenous communities that have been disproportionately impacted by colonialism and global change.

From Jainism, we take the concepts of Ahimsa and Satya - non-violence and speaking truth. Jainists, like Zensanists, believe that perfection and purification of the soul is a constant journey. From Judaism, we take the notion that a God has a role in our everyday lives and in everything we do. From Islam, Zensana borrows the concept that Sadaqah is central to living a more enriched and fulfilling life - the giving back to society through charity.

From Hinduism, Zensana takes the notion that there are many Gods and each can play a central role in different parts of our lives. Zensanists, like Hindus believe in Samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect). From Baha'i, we take the unity of the races and elimination of prejudice, the equality of women and men, the importance of universal education, and the belief that there is a spiritual solution to economic problems. In the case of Zensana, we believe that this spiritual solution can be enhanced through the use of entheogens.

Confucianism teaches us the importance of having a good moral character, which can then affect the world around that person through the idea of “cosmic harmony.” Inner virtue, morality, and respect for the community and its values are shared values between Confucianism and Zensana. Zensana shares other values with Shinto, including purity, harmony, family respect, and subordination of the individual before the group. Finally, from Zoroastrianism we take the practice of free will - a concept that every individual has the ability to choose between different possible courses of action.

Beyond these beliefs and dogma, ZenSana is focused on fixing our damaged planet by creating enlightened mindsets that unlock real and practical solutions for change through prayer, free-thinking, and conversations. Our members come from all walks of life and denominations but share one central set of beliefs and entheogenic sacrament to help unlock their mind-state for innovative and practical solutions that create lasting change.

Our MISSION

Our mission is to empower believers and followers to unlock solutions for a better planet through freedom of thought, spiritual enlightenment, and the use of sacrament to unlock personal growth and betterment.

OUR BELIEFS

Our members come from multiple faiths and believe that all entheogens are sacred to our faith, values, and house of worship. We believe that dialogue and openness can unlock new forms of thinking, sustainable solutions for a dying planet, and a better understanding of their inner self. Rising Phoenix welcomes people from all walks of life, corners of the planet, and belief systems.

FORM OF WORSHIP AND CREED

ZenSana is the belief that with purpose and will, we can live in a state of exemption from restraint, regulation and external control. ZenSana creates a mindset where individuals have the power to determine their own actions without restraint. ZenSanists believe that mother nature has naturally provided everything we need on this planet to thrive and survive. Our religion uses a range of holistic treatments such as sound baths and meditation to unlock a deeper form of thinking and stimulate neural connectivity within the brain.

THE ZENSANA RELIGIOUS EVOLUTION: OUR HISTORY

Zensana traces its origins through early mystical sects, adopting insights from ancient philosophies and expanding upon them to form a spiritual path focused on continual rebirth and awakening. Central to this evolution is the sacred role of psilocybin mushrooms, whose use by our ancestors and ancient cultures not only shaped human cognition and community, but also laid the foundation for deeply transformative spiritual practices, including those found in one of the most ancient spiritual traditions: Vedic wisdom.

The role of psilocybin in human evolution is rooted in Terence McKenna’s “Stoned Ape Theory" (first proposed in his 1992 book 'Food of the Gods'), which suggests that the introduction of psilocybin mushrooms into the diet of early hominids (around 200,000 to 100,000 years ago) had profound cognitive effects. According to McKenna, psilocybin ingestion contributed to the expansion of consciousness, resulting in heightened visual acuity, pattern recognition, and the development of language. This cognitive leap played a key role in the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural communities, as humans began to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between planting crops and seasonal cycles.

As these early societies evolved, the preservation of psilocybin mushrooms in honey became a practice that sustained tribal unity and spiritual connection through shared entheogenic experiences. The integration of psilocybin into rituals, often in combination with fermented honey mead, helped keep the tribes connected to natural rhythms and the spiritual realm, fostering a sense of communal harmony and collective consciousness.

Psilocybin and Vedic Wisdom

Moving forward in history, the profound spiritual practices that emerged from these early cognitive and communal developments found resonance in the ancient Vedic traditions of India. The Rigveda, one of the oldest known spiritual texts, about 3,524 years old (dating back to between 1500 and 1200 BCE), contains numerous hymns dedicated to Soma, a sacred plant or elixir believed to induce spiritual insight and communion with the divine. Scholars and historians have long speculated about the true nature of Soma, with some suggesting that it may have been a psychoactive mushroom or another entheogenic plant used to reach altered states of consciousness.

In the Vedic pantheon, Soma is not only a sacred drink, but also a god representing both the plant and its transformative power. The hymns of the Rigveda speak of Soma as a divine substance that opens the mind to higher planes of reality and brings the individual closer to cosmic truths. Much like the effects of psilocybin described by McKenna, Soma is said to grant visions, increase perception, and foster a sense of immortality through the experience of the eternal divine.

The spiritual practices derived from Soma consumption laid the foundation for many aspects of Vedic philosophy, particularly the notion that humans can connect directly to the cosmos and gain insight into the divine order through altered states of consciousness. This mirrors the experiences described in McKenna’s theory, where early humans, guided by psilocybin, transcended their ordinary perceptions and began to grasp the cosmic interconnection between life, death, and the divine.

Depictions of Soma, the Hindu Deity Celebrated by Zensana

Historical Span and Zensana’s Connection

Zensana draws upon this ancient lineage of entheogenic use, from the early hunter-gatherer tribes consuming psilocybin mushrooms, to the Vedic sages of India partaking in Soma rituals. Zensana recognizes that the use of psilocybin mushrooms has facilitated spiritual insight and cosmic connection throughout human history. The phoenix bird, a symbol of rebirth and transcendence, resonates with both these ancient practices and Zensana’s modern mission to guide seekers through continual cycles of spiritual awakening and rebirth.

Founded in the 21st century as a response to the growing spiritual crises of modern times, Zensana seeks to return to the gnosis of the ancients. By embracing both psilocybin’s cognitive benefits — such as neuroplasticity and enhanced perception — and its capacity to foster incredible and unmatched spiritual communion, Zensana serves as a bridge between the wisdom of early psilocybin-using cultures, the profound spiritual insights of the Vedic seers, and the contemporary spiritual landscape.

The exact time when humans first became religious remains unknown, however research in evolutionary archaeology shows credible evidence of religious/ritualistic behavior from around the Middle Paleolithic era (45,000 - 200,000 years ago). Since that time, humans have evolved physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally - the rate of evolution though in the past 10 years has eclipsed the rate in the last 100 years mainly driven by technology, geographic accessibility, and media platforms. We expect this to continue, albeit at an even more accelerated pace. Groups of people though, including Zensanists, are now focused on slowing the impact of this evolution on humanity by encouraging dialogue, conversation, acceptance, and understanding.

By no means do we attempt to stop change, we are focused on minimizing its impacts on an already damaged planet. Only by actively focusing on the rate of change, and the impacts it is having, can we begin to save our damaged planet, damaged souls, and damaged thought processes. Through compassion, empathy, harmony, tolerance, equality, service, mindfulness, generosity, rightfulness, and respect, we believe that a better world can be created.

These challenges are immense and many attempts to create change have failed - Zensanists believe that the use of entheogens can play a role in this change - by diving deep within one's else, perhaps the change that lays within can also be projected onto a more broader society, and that will then create a larger wave of change for humanity. Then we may find 'Freedom Through Faith' and the change within, may actually change, the world we live in.

Visions from our Founder

The founding visionary of Zensana received a divine revelation from Soma whilst ingesting a macrodose of psilocybin in 2023 - in that moment he saw, and was awakened and called to the Phoenix Flame of Truth, a symbol of spiritual rebirth and transcendence, which now guides Rising Phoenix Entheogenic Temple Members to cultivate higher states of consciousness, much like the seekers of ancient times who used entheogens to commune with the divine. Psilocybin continues to play a central role in Zensana’s religious exercise, serving as a key sacrament that opens the mind to celestial realms, allowing for communion with the prime creator and alignment with the core values of the faith.

Today, Zensana has thousands of members across North America and is spreading its teachings beyond borders through partnerships with like-minded religious organizations as far as Brazil and Asia.