
Inspired by our friend and teacher, our beloved Great Dane Satori, these stories are born, full of paradoxes and lessons. Below you can find some of the stories from the book we're creating in tribute to his loving, canine presence.

The Hogan Roof
In Bosque Satori, the Zen monastery run by a curious Great Dane, there was a very special meditation hall. On the roof rose a seven-story Hogan roof, constructed of wood and decorated with beautiful designs.
One day, a disciple named Maya approached Satori and asked him about the meaning of the roof. Satori, with her calm gaze, answered with a smile:
—Each floor represents a level of consciousness that you can achieve through meditation and self-knowledge.
"The first level represents sensory awareness, where you learn to be present in the moment and perceive the world through your senses. The second level is emotional awareness, where you explore your emotions and learn to free yourself from their influence," Satori explained.
"The third level is mental awareness, where you become aware of your thoughts and learn to free yourself from the conditioned mind. The fourth level is intuitive awareness, where you connect with your inner wisdom and the guidance of the universe," Satori continued.
"The fifth floor represents spiritual consciousness, where you realize your true nature and your connection to all that exists. The sixth floor is cosmic consciousness, where you become one with the universe and experience the unity of all creation," Satori said.
Maya was amazed by Satori's words and asked, "And what is the seventh floor, Master?" Satori smiled even wider and replied, "The seventh floor is a transparent dome that represents the realization that all floors are illusions, simply steps that take you to the top of the mountain, where you realize that you have always been at the top."
Hearing these words, Maya had an epiphany.

The lick
In a Zen monastery surrounded by lush nature, Master Satori, an imposing and wise Great Dane, guided his disciples toward a deeper understanding of existence. A young man named Kenji, filled with enthusiasm and fervor, tirelessly sought enlightenment.
One day, during an intense meditation session, Kenji, tormented by his thoughts, approached Satori in search of answers.
Satori, with a calm but firm gaze, unexpectedly bit his hand. The sudden pain made him flinch, but before he could say a word, Satori surprised him with a friendly lick on his cheek.
"Why do you bite me and then lick me?" Kenji asked, puzzled.
Satori replied enigmatically: "Such is the nature of existence. In an instant, life can show you its stern and compassionate sides. Pain and sweetness coexist in the dance of being."
The lesson resonated deeply in Kenji's heart. He understood that life embraced the duality of bitter and sweet, light and darkness. Through that experience, Satori reminded him of the paradox of existence and the importance of embracing all its facets without resistance or judgment.
The gift
One day, while Ryu was walking along the nature trails, he came across something unexpected: a pile of excrement. Surprised, he stopped. He knew it had come from his master, Satori. Confused, Ryu thought, "How could such a wise master leave something so disgusting?" At that moment, Satori appeared silently behind him, with a serene smile.
"Ryu," said Satori, "what do you see?"
Ryu, still perplexed, answered honestly:
—Teacher, I see poop. I don't understand what teaching there can be here.
Satori approached and, without losing his smile, spoke:
—Poop is the perfect reminder that everything in life is transient. What was once a part of you is no longer. That's life, Ryu: what we consider essential today, we let go of tomorrow. True wisdom lies not in the spectacular, but in accepting the mundane and ephemeral.
Ryu fell silent, still processing the words. Then Satori, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, added:
—And besides, Ryu... even poop, when you leave it behind, makes flowers grow.
Ryu couldn't help but laugh. At that moment, he understood that, in what most people see as waste, there's always something that flourishes. From then on, whenever he encountered something seemingly insignificant, Ryu smiled, knowing that, with the right perspective, even the most unlovable can give life to the most beautiful things.


The banquet
In the monastery of Satori, the Great Dane master, there was an ancient library filled with sacred books. Disciples came to it in search of knowledge and wisdom. One day, Satori surprised everyone by entering the library and beginning to devour the books one by one.
The disciples, puzzled, asked him why he did this. Satori replied, "True knowledge is not found in printed words, but in the heart that understands them." The disciples did not understand, but Satori continued devouring books.
When he finished, he sat in silence. The intrigued disciples asked what he had accomplished. Satori smiled and said, "The paradox is that now the books are within me, and I am within the books." The disciples reflected on this teaching. They understood that true wisdom is found in direct life experience, not in printed words.

A dark light
En una noche misteriosa, el Bosque Satori se sumió en una profunda oscuridad, iluminada solo por la tenue luz de la luna y las estrellas. Satori, el gran danés maestro zen, guió a sus discípulos hacia el corazón del bosque para una meditación nocturna especial.Los discípulos se sentaron en círculo alrededor de Satori, esperando sus palabras con anticipación. El silencio llenaba el aire, solo interrumpido por el suave murmullo del viento entre los árboles.
«Esta noche, vamos a explorar una paradoja que revela la esencia misma de la existencia», comenzó Satori con una voz profunda y calmada. «La paradoja es que, para encontrar la iluminación, primero debemos perdernos en la oscuridad».Los discípulos intercambiaron miradas de sorpresa y curiosidad. ¿Cómo podía la iluminación surgir de la oscuridad? Satori sonrió enigmáticamente y continuó: «La oscuridad representa nuestras sombras, nuestras dudas, nuestros miedos y nuestras limitaciones. Es en esos lugares de profunda oscuridad interna donde se esconde el verdadero tesoro de la iluminación».
Luego, Satori se levantó y caminó hacia un antiguo árbol, donde tomó un puñado de tierra. Con un gesto inesperado, esparció la tierra en el aire, creando una nube de polvo que flotó como un manto iluminado por la luz de la luna.«La vida es como este polvo en el aire», dijo Satori mientras el polvo danzaba a su alrededor. «Estamos atrapados en el juego de las formas, de las apariencias, creyendo que somos entidades separadas y distintas».Los discípulos lo observaban hipnotizados, asimilando la profunda enseñanza de su maestro.«Solo cuando nos sumergimos en la oscuridad, cuando nos enfrentamos a nuestras sombras y abrazamos nuestras imperfecciones, podemos comenzar a disolver la ilusión del ego separado», explicó Satori. «Es en el silencio y la quietud de la meditación donde podemos ver a través de la niebla de la mente y despertar a nuestra verdadera naturaleza».
En ese momento, una ráfaga de viento sopló por el bosque, moviendo las hojas de los árboles y llevándose el polvo que había creado Satori.«La paradoja es que, cuando dejamos de buscar, cuando nos perdemos en la oscuridad de la rendición, encontramos la luz que siempre ha estado dentro de nosotros», concluyó Satori.Los discípulos quedaron asombrados ante la profundidad de la enseñanza. Se dieron cuenta de que la iluminación no era una meta que alcanzar, sino un estado natural del ser que se revelaba al dejar ir todas las ideas preconcebidas y aceptar la plenitud de la existencia. Esa noche, bajo la luna y las estrellas, los discípulos meditaron en silencio, permitiendo que la paradoja de Satori los guiara hacia la comprensión y la paz interior. En ese instante mágico, se dieron cuenta de que la oscuridad y la luz, la pérdida y el encuentro, eran aspectos intrínsecos de la misma danza de la vida. Y en el núcleo de esa danza se encontraba la verdadera iluminación, en medio de una aparente profunda oscuridad.

Ephemeral games
One day, while the disciples were meditating in the garden, a stray dog entered the grounds. Satori, unexpectedly, ran after it, full of enthusiasm.
The disciples, puzzled, asked: "Why would Satori, such a wise master, chase a dog?"
Returning with his tongue hanging out, tired but happy, Satori responded with enigmatic words: "Surrendering to the ephemeral is a celebration of impermanence. By chasing the dog, I found the freedom of not clinging."
The disciples, bewildered, did not understand the teaching.


The dream
of the butterfly
Satori San, the temple's abbot, used to watch and enjoy the butterflies dancing in the Satori Forest. One day, while meditating, he fell into a deep sleep.
In her dream, Satori transformed into a light, multicolored butterfly. She flew freely among the flowers and felt the gentle breeze caressing her wings. In that dreamlike state, Satori forgot her canine form and became completely immersed in the experience of being a butterfly.
Upon awakening, Satori looked around and realized the wonder of duality: he had been a butterfly in his dream, but he was still a Great Dane. He understood that, like the butterfly and the dog, all forms are fleeting illusions in the dream of existence.

Torn to pieces
One bright morning, a Satori disciple burst into the meditation hall, exalted and with a big smile on his face. "Master, I have attained enlightenment! I have transcended my ego and freed myself from all illusions," the disciple exclaimed enthusiastically.
Satori, with his serene gaze, listened attentively to the disciple's words and nodded calmly. "It is wonderful that you feel this way, but allow me to teach you a lesson," he replied. With a mysterious gesture, Satori invited the disciple to follow him to a corner of the room where a mirror stood. "Look deeply into this mirror," Satori instructed. The disciple looked into the mirror, hoping to find confirmation of his enlightenment.
Satori grabbed the mirror with a swift, precise motion and threw it hard to the ground. The mirror shattered into a thousand pieces, scattering the distorted image of the disciple. The disciple was surprised and stunned by Satori's unusual action.
"Why did you break the mirror, Master?" he asked, puzzled.
Satori smiled sympathetically.
—The mirror represents the illusion of the ego, and by breaking it, I invite you to free yourself from false identifications. Enlightenment is not a reflection in a mirror, but the loss of all the images the world has engraved in your mind. Who you are is formless and unimaginable.
The disciple fell silent, and a lightning-like energy swept over him. He realized that his belief in enlightenment was just another layer of ego he had built to feel special and superior. "Thank you, Master. I have realized my mistake," the disciple said humbly. Satori nodded gratefully and went off to enjoy a bone and pellet soup. The disciple sank into meditation, sitting on a zafu, contemplating the scattered fragments of the mirror, which, like his mind, had shattered into a thousand pieces, revealing the scent of silence.
The thief
One of the temple disciples, named Akira, lost his favorite bone, which he used to carefully bury after each meal. Desperate, he searched the entire temple, but the bone was nowhere to be found.
Convinced that his companion, Kenji, had stolen it, he began to eye him suspiciously. Every time Kenji walked, spoke, or moved his paws, everything seemed suspicious. He was sure: Kenji had stolen the bone.
Throughout the day, suspicions grew. However, at dusk, while digging in his usual corner of the temple garden, Akira found the bone buried in the same place where he himself had left it and forgotten.
The next day, when she looked at Kenji again, he no longer seemed like a thief at all. Satori, the Great Dane, watched the situation silently and, with a smile, commented:
—It is not what we see, but what we think, that deceives us.


The distractor
In the BS temple, the disciples were deep in their daily meditation. All was calm and quiet until a small mouse burst into the room, running between the meditators' feet. The disciples' concentration was disturbed, and although they tried not to react, some couldn't help but open one eye and follow the mischievous rodent.
Satori, the Zen-like Great Dane, watched from his zafu, unperturbed. Finally, with his characteristic calm, he stood up. Unhurried, he began to follow the mouse with gentle but sure steps. The mouse ran frantically, trying to escape, but Satori followed at such a leisurely pace it was almost comical.
The disciples, hoping to see a display of the master's wisdom, watched curiously. Finally, the mouse stopped in a corner, and Satori, with a calm gesture, placed his paw on it... and, instead of catching it, simply let it go.
The disciples could not contain themselves any longer and asked:
—Teacher, why didn't you catch the mouse?
Satori, with an enigmatic smile, replied:
—The mouse is not the problem, it's our mind that chases it.
Over time, the mouse became a regular visitor to the temple. He ran among the disciples during their meditations, but no longer disturbed them. The disciples saw each visit from the mouse as an opportunity to practice non-distraction. The rodent, seeing that the meditators remained calm, indifferent to his presence, began to lose interest. He realized that he could no longer provoke reactions, and one day, bored with no one chasing him, the mouse decided not to return.

