Hello!

I'll give some background, as I am looking for some assistance, if you have some time, I would appreciate any wisdom. Preface: most of the vocabulary I am using comes from Daniel Ingram's MCTB. I am working to understand more literature, and am even enrolled in a Buddhist Mediation course offered by a really incredible teacher who runs a Chan center in town. 

In high school, I came accross practices of Buddhism via my mom. Read some Thich Nhat Hanh. Found the information presented as deeply intruging, but found no great interest in the pursuit of higher stages. Got to university, friend gave me some acid, and I just layed and stared at the sky for six hours. Lol. This is honestly the first time I have collected all of my experience into one place, but believe this to be my A&P event. Dark night followed. The way I was living prior to my a&p event was so far away from the way I realized I wanted to be. Spent the next months heavily confused, abusing substances, feeling lost.

Met some friends at a yoga class on campus who brought me to this music festival Hulaween. Met dharma bums who blew my mind. I saw examples of people who conducted their lives exactly how they wanted to. This cleared a lot of my confusion. 

Came back with more drive to pursue what it is that felt right. Relationships, academic and professional pursuit, etc. 

Over my winter break, had time to run away to the mountains. Did 800ug of LSD. Spent a day of silence. At one point, sitting on a rock, looking out over a lake, I experienced strongly what I would describe as the eigth jhana. 

From MCTB- "This state is contrasted with the first seven jhanas in that it is not possible to investigate this state, because it is too incomprehensible. Thus, as this state ends, the meditator may return to lower states or turn to insight practice in the afterglow of this state."
and...
"I am tempted to say that in it we are simultaneously focused so narrowly that we notice nothing and yet so broadly focused that we don’t notice even that,but such a description doesn’t do this state justice"

Since the start of my spring semester, have been able to protect myself even more. As of recent, been trying to spread my impermenance or peace or whatever. Guided my first meditation for someone very close to me and reached a wonderful state. She even cried.

I have not talked to anyone more experienced than I, and wish to. This is wonderful, but I really don't have anyone to share this with. I would sound insane haha. Looking for some guidance from those more wise. 

Lots of love and thank you all. Please be tough on me if you would like. I can handle it.

Edit: I would love to answer any questions! I'm new here and not entirely sure how this all works.

Edit again: I would like to note following my a&p I started twice daily meditation! Have and continue to practice daily. Usually around an hour a day. Some more some less.

Sounds like you're in a good place both in terms of meditation practice and life and are trying to make the most of it. I've got nothing much to say except welcome and best wishes!

Good morning and thank you!

Guess I'm looking for advice on how to find community. I have found that even those in my school's Buddhist student association aren't really receptive to some of this mysticism...

What kind of technique(s) to do practice when you sit down to meditate? And what happens when you sit down to meditate? What happens with the body sensations, with how attention moves (narrow/wide/difuse, etc.), with how agitated or calm things get? How does the space behind your closed eyes appear, if at all? Something going on in the visual field that is noteworthy? Is there an arc, some sort of progression to how things usually unfold during a session?  After that event on the mountain, did that change anything about how the bodymind system seems to function in that regard?

Hello Wandering All,
Welcome to the site! I look forward to reading your posts.  

Thank you so much for the great questions! I will do my best to answer.

I practice a variety of technicques! I think I would also consider most of my walking time meditation. I do a lot of it as a university student. I have found a lot of success noting. Easy to realize the three marks of existance, espcially when the body is in motion. Lots of things to note making it pretty smooth... quick and powerful. My concentration skill is admittedly not the best, I find success with body scans... a practice I enjoy is bringing full attention to breath to cultivate a baseline,  then shifting it to a certain part of the body, and starting a body scan. Sometimes the energy moves fast, sometimes slow, I have found I can let it control me. At the start of sits I find focus more narrow, though it usually doesn't take long to get into a space of detachment, observing myself and everything around me as passing impermenent etc. I would describe the space behind my closed as as extremely vast, like looking out on the neverending ocean from a high vantage point. I believe I can call on this vastness at any time, too. Lots of things going on! Multicolored moving somethings often. Shapeless and changing most of the time, though have also had them be stable. Absolutely there is a progression. I can not dive deeply into the jhanas at a moments notice, it takes a little bit of time to develop the concentration and stillness to be greeted with these encompassing feelings. After the event on the mountain, I find it increasingly easy to understand the marks of existance in everything, and smile as they pass. I find (dis)satistaction in everything. Hehe. 

Again I appreciate the questions! If you have any more I would be overjoyed to answer. Have an incredible Friday! Love you.

Nice! Sounds like you're doing great. You seem to have an intuitive practice, love it.

Everyone has buddha nature these days, dont worry about where you are via label, just try to cultivate more wisdom and compassion. Youre already doing a great job, keep going, and may you be free from suffering <3

Thank you Geoffrey! I probably needed to hear this. <3