I had been practicing Samatha-Vipassana for two months before deciding to try magic mushrooms. By that time, I had already experienced Jhana, and I was following the Theravāda way of practice in the Thai Forest tradition: Sīla, Samādhi, and Paññā, under the supervision of my teacher in Thailand, Kru Ba.
My main kammatthāna is Ānāpānasati. In the Thai Forest tradition, I also use the mantra “Buddho” together with the breath: breathing in “Bud,” breathing out “dho.” This mantra helps anchor the mind when it starts to wander. If you only observe the breath, the mind can easily get lost in thought. But when the mind becomes still, the mantra naturally disappears, and you are left observing only the breath. At that point, a bright golden light appears — the sign of reaching a deeper state: Upacāra-samādhi, then first Jhana, and so on.
I have also practiced the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna) using Ānāpānasati. Following Luang Por Pramote Pamojjo’s teaching of Cittānupassanā (mind observation), my Sati improved significantly. This allowed me to enter first Jhana and higher states very quickly. The essence of what Kru Ba taught me in Vipassana practice is simply to Observe, Acknowledge, and maintain Upekkhā.
Before trying mushrooms, I also experimented with edibles (20 mg THC). I found that they helped deepen Samatha quickly once they took effect. From my experience, edibles supported entering deeper meditation, but my perception usually disappeared around Jhana 4. I could not tell if I had simply drifted into a deep Jhana 4 state or if I had fallen asleep. This often happened when the breath became so light it seemed to vanish — a known sign of Jhana 4, when the breath is no longer felt. My assumption is that my Sati was not strong enough, and so I lost awareness of what was happening in my mind.
I also need to mention what many monks have taught about Upacāra-samādhi. It can be dangerous because the mind may drift “outside.” In this state, people can see ghosts, angels, or even visions of heaven and hell. According to the teachings, when the mind reaches Upacāra and lights appear — golden or white — if you do not direct your attention inward, the mind will “send outside” and follow these lights, producing visions or nimitta.
As Luang Pu Dune Atulo once said: “You see nimitta is true, but nimitta may not be true.” Nimitta are created by avijjā and kilesa. Unless one is an arahant, free from kilesa and avijjā, nimitta cannot be trusted. They are distractions, not worth clinging to. The focus should remain on Vipassana — observing body and mind.
From my own experience, I often see things in Upacāra-samādhi before entering Appanā-samādhi (Jhana). They are usually strange saṅkhāras — not from memory (saññā) — but weird, wild, dreamlike stories. With eyes closed, I have seen creatures as if from hell. Edibles seemed to amplify this, making these visions stronger. At that time, however, I only had two months of meditation experience, so my Sati was too weak to handle it. Both mushrooms and edibles tended to send my mind outside.
I asked my monk if I could use edibles or mushrooms. It is controversial whether they break the fifth precept, but he said I could try. He also explained that psychedelics cannot lead to sammā-samādhi. If I want to do Vipassana, I should practice without them. He compared their effect to intoxication, making one dizzy and causing the loss of sammā-sati, like someone drunk or inhaling glue.
My intention with magic mushrooms was simply to experience what they were like, inspired by my monk friend, Birdy. He had experimented with both marijuana and mushrooms, describing the “Matrix effect” of entering other dimensions, which is a typical psychedelic experience. He also mentioned that marijuana has been used in India by yogis for thousands of years for spiritual purposes. That encouraged me to try. Still, Birdy warned that mushrooms and edibles send the mind outside the body.
This, of course, goes against sammā-samādhi, which emphasizes observing the body and mind inwardly, not outwardly. As Luang Pu Dune (Ajahn Dune Atulo) taught: “The mind sent outside is the origination of suffering, and its result is suffering. The mind seeing the mind is the path to cessation.”
My first few mushroom trips (about 2.5g) were actually good. With eyes closed, I saw colored lights, heard high frequencies in my ears, and experienced bizarre saṅkhāras — lunatic stories, like seeing myself as a snake baby among hundreds of snakes, or being shot in the head and watching my own body die. I looked in the mirror and did not recognize myself. The flood of thoughts was overwhelming at times, but shifting back to Vipassana — watching my thoughts or breath — helped stabilize me. Twice, the mushrooms pulled me into a deep meditative state similar to a dream, with a setting like Nirvana — bright and peaceful. But I knew it was not the real Nirvana, as explained by Thai Forest teachers.
Later, I tried higher doses (around 5g, though possibly more due to an inaccurate scale). These trips were bad. I was overwhelmed by saṅkhāras, felt sick, wanted to vomit, and wished it would end quickly. After that, I threw away the leftovers and decided never again.
Two years later, when my Sati was stronger, I tried 20mg THC gummies. This time, I could observe saṅkhāras with an Upekkhā mind. I finally understood why my teacher and Birdy had warned me: psychedelics truly send the mind outside. I could clearly see the “knower” being pulled outward, following saṅkhāras. Whenever that happened, it became extremely difficult to observe inwardly. Wherever I directed focus — anywhere in the body — the knower would follow outward instead of turning inside.
Through these experiences, I learned that psychedelics are not helpful for Vipassana. They train the mind to go outside, and the mind sent outside is the cause of suffering. I fear that if I continued using them, my mind would become conditioned to always move outward, making it harder to observe within. Psychedelics do make the knower extremely sharp and sensitive, but that sensitivity is outward, not inward — and thus not the path of Vipassana.
It might be a coincidence that I felt all my seven chakras open and pulsate the day after I tried magic mushrooms. I don’t believe that mushrooms themselves open chakras. I believe it comes from reaching certain stages of jhāna and developing the Knower. With stronger samādhi, you can observe your body more clearly and see all seven chakras working.
I especially noticed my heart chakra acting as the central perception point for any saṅkhāra and vedanā. I could feel my heart chakra pulsing all day and all night. The pulse became even stronger whenever I experienced intense vedanā such as restlessness, greed, or anger. This might align with what Goenka mentions about feeling vibrations in the body once practice becomes more advanced.
I may share more about my experiences with chakras and Vipassana in a future post.