What if everything really is connected? -- a #UU talk on #Buddhism #amreading
- Janet Mason
- Dec 7
- 3 min read
This morning, I participated in a Unitarian Universalist service on Buddhism and contributed a short reflection and meditation. My talk is below on YouTube, and the text is pasted underneath.
As a practicing Buddhist and a Unitarian, I’ve come to the conclusion that religion is like breath: it belongs to everyone. As I’ve said in print about my novel, THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders, “the evangelicals don’t own religion—even if they think they do.”
Hope is associated with religion. For me, it is definitely part of Buddhism. Every breath I take is an act of hope. Hope also belongs to everyone. It may be hard to find at times, but hope is the breath of fresh air located at the core of all of us.
After much breathing and meditation, I have developed hope again in people. I have hope that people can change. Having this hope has required some effort, which has become part of my daily practice. I’ve had to interrupt judgment and reactivity in my human mind, which, like all human minds, is wired to be negative. An example of this is when I see a person whom I know has opposing political views, I remind myself that the person has grandchildren and might conclude sooner rather than later that those children are going to have to live on a habitable planet. In ancient days, negativity was equated with survival. But the ancient ways no longer serve us. In fact, most often, acting on impulse harms us.
Recently, I have gone deeper in my writing and have had the truly amazing experience of learning more about the universe, quantum physics, and the origins of life. Deep in meditation, I find myself wondering—What if everything really is connected? What if I am in everything?
If I act with this in mind, it means that I am more in touch with the love inside of me. It also means that I feel better and that my life is easier. I had this insight after reciting a new mantra that I recently learned. My partner Barbara and I say these three simple lines before sleeping every night.
It is my hope that you will take a breath with me and place a hand on your heart if you would like, and repeat these words:
Every cell in my body is happy.
……….
Every cell in my body is healthy.
……….
Every cell in my body is filled with love.
……….
May our intention and imagination help it to be so. Namaste
CINNAMON, my most recent novel, is available on amazon.com: Cinnamon: A dairy cow’s (and her farmer’s) path to freedom: Mason, Janet: 9781958419786: Amazon.com: Books
CINNAMON is also available through your local bookstore and library
(just ask them to order it if they don’t have it).
For more information on my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders published by Adelaide Books click here.
To learn more about The Unicorn, The Mystery, click here:
For more information on my novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage, click here.
You can get copies of Tea Leaves, a memoir of mothers and daughters, at your local library, your local bookstore, or wherever books are sold online.
To order your copy, click here: Tea Leaves: Mason, Janet: 9781594932786: Amazon.com: Books
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