I’ll start with the backstory. A couple of years ago, I started getting interested in meditation. In Ukraine, unfortunately, there are few places where they can really teach this. It is very common to get scammed. That’s why I tried to meditate alone, at home. I came to this because of a lot of stress in my life. I wanted to find peace. Naturally, nothing worked out for me and I just stopped doing it.

hBut after some time I met at work with one girl, Anastasia. As it turned out, she practiced meditation and shared her experience. But she practiced more than just meditation. She used mushrooms. From her words, it helped her understand herself from the outside. Nastya said that 5 minutes after taking the Mushrooms, she cried, then laughed, then she saw herself as a little girl from the side and spoke. She described her vision as something incredible. Thoughts and feelings were also indescribable. We were talking about it and then she put on an unusual tune. We were at her house. We lay down on the floor and she told me to just listen to the melody, try not to think about anything and relax. I won’t say that I managed to completely relax, since her story seemed to me too strange. She was too insistent that I should try it too. I am quite apprehensive about such substances, so I refused.

And now, a year and a half later, I met Katharina, who is not the first year in Buddhism. I’ve always been interested in hearing about the things she has to say. Even our meeting is unusual in itself. As if someone told her that she needed to approach me. Otherwise, I do not understand how she could approach two drunken girls who were singing songs in a dark park without fear. We discussed this for a long time.

At some point, we decided to act. I really wanted to know and see what it was like. I was lucky with Katharina, she does a lot for me. And this time she also decided to help me. She contacted Suriyel. She described him as a very intelligent and experienced person in Buddhism. And he agreed to help. In fact, I am very grateful to Katarina, Suriyel and Uriel for how much they helped me and shared their experience.

My introduction to Buddhism took place in an unusual place at the end of the world. I have been to different places. But there is no such nature, energy and air anywhere. I don’t know how to describe it. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I was looking forward to getting started.

Morning came and Suriyel began to equip the table with offerings. Uriel and Katharina were with us. I only watched and read the text, but the others started to chant the mantra. To say that it was unusual is to say nothing. My thoughts were clear, I didn’t think about my problems for the first time in a long time. I was very surprised.

But what radically convinced me is our evening mantra. We were three. Katarina, Suriyel and myself. This time I closed my eyes and tried to visualize. I felt above my body and it was so easy and unusual. As if I felt the energy that comes from me and from everyone around. I also felt someone behind me. At some point, it frightened me, because I had never experienced such a feeling before.

For some reason, when I tried to visualize, a picture popped up where I saw a small child, myself and a man whom I know. It looked like a real family. I immediately opened my eyes. I have never experienced this. We finished the mantra and I was in a state of shock. My dreams were just as unusual. It was an incredible experience, and it convinced and interested me so much that I would love to study it and delve into it. I still have a lot of thoughts about how this is even possible? But apparently this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.