With a huge debt of gratitude to Lama Surya Das, I’ve been so intrigued by a term he used in a recent video that I’m renaming my blog Melting-Pot Dharma. Just as you don’t have to be Jewish to like Levy’s Rye Bread (old commercial), you don’t have to be Buddhist or Hindu or a follower of any particular religion to read my blog. But the new title describes what I’m aiming to promote — a universal spiritual oneness for all of us, welcoming to those who may be seeking refuge from a narrow sense of religion.
I’ve been called a religious omnivore, but I call myself a Jewish Buddhist Unitarian Universalist Contrarian — Jewish by birth and early culture, Buddhist by calling, Unitarian Universalist by spiritual community, and Contrarian by temperament. I am a lay preacher in UU churches, a leader of Buddhist meditation groups, and a storyteller my Jewish ancestors would be proud of. Hence the first blog name, Mel’s Mouth.
But the more I write, the more I feel that my mission is to help the many who seek spiritual wholeness but don’t feel at home with an imposed dogma. So expect an eclectic mix here that I hope you will find interesting and helpful on whatever path you are taking. May the words I need to say be those you need to hear.
Copyright 2015 © Mel Harkrader Pine
Melting-Pot Dharma 
I wondered what this Melting-Pot Dharma was that was suddenly in my feed. 🙂 I like it! Gutsy move, changing your blog name. I was just earlier today considering changing my blog name and tagline, but right now I don’t have anything better. Anyway, good for you for making the move. I’ll still be reading.
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Glad you’ll still be reading, and melsmouth.com will still get you here. The idea hasn’t changed, but I was beginning t think Mel’s Mouth, although easy to remember, was too flippant.
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Perhaps.
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Naming a blog is a hard thing. I always planned I would change my blog’s name when I thought of something better, but I still haven’t.
I’m not sure how I feel about your name change. I agree it’s gutsy. I like that it still starts with “Mel” 😉 The new name is serious and it’s intriguing, and it gives a good sense of what the blog is about, once you go through the explanation. But I will say that “Mel’s Mouth” sounded a little more approachable to someone like me who is intrigued by Buddhism but is not a Buddhist. For example, I just had to look up what “Dharma” means on wikipedia just now.
“In Buddhism dharma means “cosmic law and order”, but is also applied to the teachings of the Buddha. In Buddhist philosophy, dhamma/dharma is also the term for “phenomena”.”
In any case, I’m still reading too!
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Glad, Karen, that you’re still reading. Interesting reaction. Maybe I should have focus-grouped the new name. (Don’t have emoticons on this keyboard so imagine a smile.) Or as a UU I could have make it Melting-Pot Whatever. (Another smile.) Doesn’t have the same ring, though. I did set my all-time record this morning for Follows, so maybe the new name has some appeal.
I didn’t try to define dharma because it means so many things.Maybe you’ve given me the idea for my next post: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dharma.
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