"Since childhood, I sensed that there was something deeper, hidden and beyond the surface of the everyday world. This deep feeling of wonder and curiosity early on energized my search for “what lies beyond the veil”. This led to a degree in Cultural Anthropology and eventually to Indian Yoga. My search of world religious and spiritual traditions provided answers, yet more questions. Despite moments of ecstatic bliss, I still felt a deep lack. Then came a life-threatening illness. A Vedanta Swami’s words came back to me: “You can tell the legitimacy of a true religion by its capacity to address crisis.”  And the words of my first Zen teacher boldly popped into my consciousness: “Just keep practicing no matter what!” He was spot on! My search, coupled with my own suffering, launched an immersion in psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism. Together they have become the life-saving “two wings” of my personal flight. Reality unfolds, fresh, moment-by-moment. As the old masters say, “Practice begins with realization and that realization is endless.” The continued practice of both disciplines is my expression of gratitude for, and acknowledgement of, our capacity for freedom from suffering."