Neil Theise, MD, is a physician-scientist practicing diagnostic liver pathology in New York City. His research interests include liver and adult stem cells, complexity theory applications to cell and molecular biology, integrative medicine, science-religion dialogue, and consciousness studies. With Menas Kafatos, Neil has proposed a framework for understanding Fundamental Awareness, the conscious ground of being of the universe. He is a senior student of Enkyo Roshi O’Hara at the Village Zendo of New York for more than 25 years.