Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again.
Yet, do not suppose that the ash is future and the firewood past.
You should understand that firewood abides in the phenomenal
expression of firewood, which fully includes past and future and is
independent of past and future. Ash abides in the phenomenal
expression of ash, which fully includes future and past. Just as
firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, you do not
return to birth after death.
This being so, it is an established way in buddha-dharma to deny
that birth turns into death. Accordingly, birth is understood as
no-birth. It is an unshakable teaching in Buddha's discourse that
death does not turn into birth. Accordingly, death is understood as
no-death.
Birth is an expression complete this moment. Death is an
expression complete this moment. They are like winter and spring.
You do not call winter the beginning of spring, nor summer the end
of spring.
~ Zen Master Dogen Zenji