As long as we are living, we eat cabbage and rice, bread and wine. Our bodies are collections of such stuff. Superficially, it seems that our bodies are separate from the rest of the world. But as a matter of fact, our bodies continuously radiate heat and moisture and absorb nutrients and light. Everything is coming and going with remarkable freedom. We really are universal. Where are we going after death? Back to universal life. That’s why the Japanese refer to the recently deceased as shin ki gen (“one who has returned to the origin”). This universal life is the original self.
