Buddhist beliefs go well with Animism, which is why Shinto and Buddhism have gone hand in hand for so long in Japan. Where does "I" end and where does the tree begin? My skin? The tree bark? Maybe.

Yeah, maybe our mind will go that way after we die. They say that the highest level of meditation is 無. When the Buddha meditated at that level, he forgot himself and forgot the world and he was one with the universe. But eventually it ended and he came back to himself, and that is what led him to pursue the middle way.

Glad you enjoyed the story 😃 That movie was creepy!