Im very new to meditation and also to Buddhism. Ive gravitated towards it because certain pieces of accepted buddhist wisdom seem deeply, intuitively true to me.

I met a man who had spent over half his life travelling, and who emanated an incredible calm and compassion. From him I first heard a description of a holistic reality. Ive personally glimpsed a freedom from desire and fear, albeit in the presence of an overwhelming and infinite natural beauty- a newborn volcano in the congolese jungle. I understand that such a state can ultimately exist separately from such rare experiences. Ive also been greatly influenced by Peter Mathiesen's excellent book "The Snow Leopard" (highly recommended). Because of it I turned my interest towards Zen buddhism.

Ive only meditated regularly for a few weeks, usually 15 minutes each morning. During these meditations I practice mindfulness of breath. My most profound meditation experience occurred on a beach under the influence of shrooms, but I know that hallucinogens provide at best a temporary solution.

I am very curious to hear your experiences and learn from them. At the moment, it seems like I am more aware of negative feelings and thoughts both in myself and others, often leading to less compassion, less patience, and more judgement than before. Perhaps this is just an early stage of noticing these things.

Thank you for reading all that about myself.