“I have always been intrigued by the relationship between life, death and practice that is offered in Buddhism. When I was young, I would meditate at a Soto Zen temple in San Francisco at 5:30 in the morning. On the wooden block used to call one to practice was written: “Great is the matter of Birth and Death. Life passes swiftly and is quickly lost. Awaken! Awaken! Do not waste your life!” Many of us live with the illusion that we won’t die. We know it, but only as a conceptual reality. Or we believe that it will happen later... or to someone else! I almost died a few years ago...”