Hello dear Satori friends …

Satori time is coming closer once again ... December 10-16th once again at Sangsurya - in case you feel inspired to join or feel to encourage a friend to participate the details can be found on my webpage:
http://www.kirakay.com/calendar/kira-kay-s-events/eventdetail/1/-/satori-retreat-with-kira-kay

Some of you have already confirmed you are coming, great! If you are planning to join but have not yet let us know in reality, then please be in touch directly by emailing Josie at bookings@kirakay.com – it helps with the planning and organizing, making it easier and smoother for everyone.

I have noticed for many people this year has been a powerful time upheavals and changes - Satori retreat can be a nourishing place to explore and integrate truth and understanding into your everyday life. Personally I find us coming together in "Satori space" is a time of diving deeply into clarity and opening into wisdom of who we really are as we share this communal time together. I find it accelerates our process when we come together to consciously experience truth and can support integration.

There has also been big changes at Sangsurya with Tony's death earlier this year - thankfully Tony's intention for Sangsurya to continue to be a place for people to gather and explore truth is unfolding under the guidance of Shirsha and the rest of the team who have supported Tony the past years. This upcoming weekend (Sept30th & Oct 1st) there is a Working Bee at Sansurya if anyone feels inspired to give their time and contribution to help this beautiful place continue being a gift to all of us. Details of the Working Bee can be found here: https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f5badc23470ef590c32713627/images/2c4efeec-fc3c-4178-bd68-db98cb4e7f0c.jpg

This year after Satori I will be once again facilitating a five day Intuition intensive, which is a nice compliment to the Satori retreat, and I am thankful that again this year the Sangsurya Team has allowed me to host the event at Sangsurya people can stay on after Satori for the Intuition group (which is a non-residential seminar) which can be a supportive integration post Satori, to continue to be together and exploring what arises:
http://www.kirakay.com/calendar/kira-kay-s-events/eventdetail/164/-/intuition-5-day-intensive-with-kira-kay

I am almost on my way to beloved Nepal to once again immerse in rebuilding after the earthquake and time with the women and children I support. I am deeply touched by this experience and it most certainly gives me a lot to continue exploring of myself and others - if you would like to know a bit more please have a read here: http://www.handswithhands.com/news.html

I hope to see some of you soon in Australia (either at Satori or after gatherings), if our paths do not physically cross, I wish you opening and grace as your path in life unfolds 💕
Warm hugs & heartfelt love, Kira

I leave you with a few favourite Zen stories:

Transient
A famous spiritual teacher came to the front door of the King's palace. None of the guards tried to stop him as he entered and made his way to where the
King himself was sitting on his throne.
"What do you want?" asked the King, immediately recognizing the visitor.
"I would like a place to sleep in this inn," replied the teacher.
"But this is not an inn," said the King, "It is my palace."
"May I ask who owned this palace before you?"
"My father. He is dead."
"And who owned it before him?"
"My grandfather. He too is dead."
"And this place where people live for a short time and then move on - did I hear you say that it is NOT an inn?"

Bell Teacher
A new student approached the Zen master and asked how he should prepare himself for his training. "Think of me a bell," the master explained. "Give me a soft tap, and you will get a tiny ping. Strike hard, and you'll receive a loud, resounding peal."

Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku. Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received." Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry. "If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"

A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"