Sho-ji: a zero degree separation between life and death.

A Japanese term which translates as “birth-death.” There is no separation between life and death and they are interconnected to each other. Death is always with us. With each passing moment, we are getting closer to the end of our life. Some of the great spiritual teachers say that death is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight; that she helps us to discover what matters most.

It takes practice to begin to open our eyes, minds, and hearts in how to reframe death as a teacher and not as the feared grim reaper. One practice that is available to all of us is to start talking about it. There are online forums and community groups sprouting up focused on death and dying. Some of these are death cafes, the DeathLab, Death Over Dinner and the death positivity movement to name a few.