Chan/Bodhidharma/Baizhung
Fall - Fortnight 18 (Earth+Fire)
3rd Fortnight of Winter: Spiritual Awakening (Stages 7–9, Days
31–45)
3. Coming from within the Universal:
The inconceivable mind comes compellingly
to the forefront introducing, the new world of unity of the Personal and
Universal. The Universal is reflected within the Personal.
Introduction: The third cycle, days 31–45, crystallizes shen and dissolves
ego, aligning with the Adept degree and the chambers of Endurance, Illumination,
and Rebirth. Drawing from Po’s advanced stages (Greater and Greatest Kan
and Li, emotional balancing), it integrates Shugendo’s waterfall meditations
and cave visualizations to foster profound insight.
Goal: Awaken spiritual clarity, forming a stable immortal fetus and
releasing attachments, preparing for cosmic integration.
How It Is Achieved: Over 15 days, three stages pair Po’s meditations
(e.g., Greater Kan and Li) with Shugendo exercises (e.g., cave visualization).
Stage 7 (Days 31–35) nurtures the fetus, Stage 8 (Days 36–40) dissolves
ego into the void, and Stage 9 (Days 41–45) clears emotions, mirroring
the cave’s trialtoenlightenment arc. Daily practice builds spiritual depth.
How It Is Measured: Progress is evaluated by vivid meditative experiences
(e.g., fetus visions), reduced egodriven thoughts, and emotional lightness.
Reflections over each fiveday stage note nonattachment, with the milestone
confirmed by inner stillness and insight after 45 days.
Fortnight 3: Spiritual Awakening (Stages 7–9)
Focus: Crystallize shen, nurture the immortal fetus, and approach emptiness.
Fire (Days 31–45)
Theme: Transformation, passion, and refining
Shen (Neidan Stage 3: Refining Shen, Forming the Elixir). Fire aligns with
Zen’s intensity and Shugendo’s ascetic fire rituals.
Minor Feast (Day 31): Prepare a Shojin Ryori meal with grilled vegetables, honoring fire’s transformative power.
Feast/Dec
4: China, Chan's transition to "Agricultural
Chan" under Baizhang (720-814). Bodhidharma, and Baizhang who began the
tradition of self sustaining farming in Buddhist communities. "Agricultural
Chan" in China with self sustaining monasteries. Patience sitting, facing
walls. Farming as meditation.
First 5 Day Ko
Day 1-5 of 1st Fortnight
Mind: Intro:
Stage 7: Greater Kan and Li (Po Stage 6 – Substage: Greater Kan and Li)
Meditation: Greater Kan and Li Meditation
Visualize the middle dantian as a cauldron, with
heart fire and kidney water merging to form a golden embryo. Inhale, feeding
it with cosmic qi (starlight from above); exhale, stabilizing it. Focus
on the upper dantian to radiate shen. Practice for 35–40 minutes.
Purpose: Crystallizes shen into the immortal fetus.
Connection to Po: Aligns with Po’s nurturing of the energy
body.
Body: Fire
related practices. (daily 20" exercise)
Truths: Tanabata
Star Festival Shugendo/Shingon goma fire ceremony
History: Bodhidharma
(c. 5th–6th century CE), the semilegendary founder of Chan Buddhism, introduced
wallfacing meditation from India to China. Shugendo/Shingon goma fire ceremonies
ignited inner fire, reflecting Pangu’s creation. His unique emphasis on
direct mindtomind transmission shaped Chan’s simplicity.
Mythos: Pangu
creates heavens, Susanoo or Nuwa kills dragon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Feast/Fast | Tanabata Star Festival Shugendo/Shingon goma fire ceremony | - | - | - | - |
| Practice | . |
7. Killing the Three Corpses (Purifying Internal Evils)
Posture: Sit in lotus position, spine straight, hands in lap, or lie down for relaxation.
Time of Day: Evening (7–9 PM) for purification.
Breathing: Slow, rhythmic breathing (6 seconds inhale, 6 seconds exhale), focusing on cleansing.
Dietary Changes: Fast from grains 1–2 days weekly (fruit/vegetable fast). Hydrate with water.
Substances: Qinghao (artemisia) tea (1 cup daily) for purification.
Exercises:
Physical: Stretching (15 minutes):
1. Perform torso twists, neck rolls on nonfasting days.
Energetic: Purification breathing (15 minutes, evening):
1. Sit in lotus position, hands on abdomen.
2. Inhale, visualizing pure Qi; exhale, expelling dark energy.
3. Focus on head, chest, abdomen.
Spiritual: Three Corpses visualization (15 minutes):
1. Visualize three dark worms in head (craving), chest (anger), abdomen (ignorance).
2. Imagine bright light dissolving them, replaced by radiant Qi.
3. Affirm, “My body and spirit are purified.”
Phenomena and Visions: Lightness in body, reduced heaviness, mild sweating during fasting. Energetically, release or “emptying” in head, chest, abdomen. Mentally, clarity and reduced negative emotions. Spiritually, vivid visions of dark forms dissolving into white or golden light. Baopuzi: “When the three worms perish, the body becomes light as a feather, the spirit soars free, and the heart sees a radiant light that banishes all darkness, as if the heavens open within.”
nergetically, Qi flows to heart, radiating to arms. Mentally, emotional stability, compassion. Spiritually, red or white light in heart, inner radiance. Chen Pu: “The spirit awakens, like a lamp lit in the heart, its light spreading warmth and clarity, illuminating the inner self as if a star shines within the chest.”
Part 1: Jing (Essence) – Physical Practices
Focus: Physical actions embodying fire’s energy.
31. Learning from Bamboo
Basis: Zen’s metaphor of bamboo’s
resilience; Neidan’s inner strength.
Exercise: Sit near bamboo
(or visualize it), moving your body gently like its sway. Contemplate its
flexibility as a model for your essence.
32. Mindful Fire-Gazing
Basis: Shugendo’s fire contemplation;
Zen’s focus on the present.
Exercise: Light a candle and
gaze at the flame, letting its dance anchor your attention. Visualize your
essence burning away impurities.
33. Sweeping Ashes
Basis: Zen’s respect for remnants;
Dogen’s Tenzo Kyokun on using all resources.
Exercise: Sweep a small pile
of ash (or dust), contemplating Dogen’s words: “Even ashes are the Buddha’s
body.”
34. Raku Pottery Contemplation
Basis: Zen’s raku pottery
as a metaphor for transformation by fire.
Exercise: Hold a piece of
pottery (or visualize raku’s cracked glaze). Contemplate your inner fire
shaping your spirit.
35. Walking in Sunlight
Basis: Shugendo’s reverence
for natural elements; Neidan’s solar energy.
Exercise: Walk slowly in sunlight,
feeling its warmth. Visualize it igniting your inner fire, fueling transformation.
Second 5 Day Ko
Day 6-10 of 1st Fortnight
Mind: Intro:
Stage 8: Greatest Kan and Li (Po Stage 7 – Substage: Greatest Kan and Li)
Meditation: Greatest Kan and Li Meditation
Visualize the entire body as a cauldron, with all
energies (jing, qi, shen) merging in the upper dantian. Inhale, drawing
cosmic light; exhale, dissolving into a formless void. Rest in nondual
awareness. Practice for 40–50 minutes.
Purpose: Dissolves shen into wuji, approaching emptiness.
Connection to Po: Reflects Po’s void cultivation.
Body: Fire
related practices. (daily 20" exercise)
Truths: Shinto
lamp ceremony
History: Baizhang
- Baizhang Huaihai (720–814 CE) pioneered Agricultural Chan, establishing
selfsustaining monasteries with his Baizhang Rules. Shinto lamp ceremonies
sustained enlightenment through farming, echoing P’anKu’s transformation.
His distinctive “day without work is a day without food” mantra fused labor
and meditation.
Mythos: P'an-Ku's
bones turned to rock, flesh to earth, etc.
Fire related practices. (daily 20" exercise)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Feast/Fast | -Shinto lamp ceremony | - | - | - | - |
| Practice |
8. Circulating Qi (Microcosmic Orbit)
Posture: Sit in lotus position, spine straight, hands in lap (thumbs touching), or stand.
Time of Day: Midnight (11 PM–1 AM, Zi hour) for Yang energy.
Breathing: Deep, continuous breathing (5 seconds inhale, 5 seconds exhale), synchronized with Qi.
Dietary Changes: Qiboosting foods (red dates, goji berries). Avoid cold foods.
Substances: Goji berries (1 tbsp daily).
Exercises:
Physical: Eight Brocades (20 minutes, morning):
1. Perform eight Qigong movements.
2. Coordinate with breathing.
Energetic: Microcosmic orbit meditation (15 minutes, midnight):
1. Sit in lotus position, tongue on roof of mouth.
2. Inhale, guide Qi up spine (Du meridian) to head.
3. Exhale, guide Qi down front (Ren meridian) to lower Dantian.
Spiritual: Visualization (10 minutes):
1. Visualize Qi as flowing river through spine and abdomen.
2. Imagine it cleansing body.
Phenomena and Visions: Warmth along spine, tingling in hands or feet. Energetically, clear Qi movement in circuit, with vibrations. Mentally, deep focus, inner rhythm. Spiritually, silver or blue stream flowing through body. Chen Pu: “The true breath circulates like a wheel, unobstructed, its flow like a river of stars moving through the body, connecting heaven and earth in a seamless cycle.”
Part 2: Qi (Energy) – Mental Focus and Koans
Focus: Cultivating energy through fire-related
contemplation.
36. Koan: Dogen’s Fire in the Hearth
Basis: Dogen’s Shobogenzo:
“Fire is not hidden; it is always burning.”
Exercise: Sit in Zazen, contemplating:
“Where is the fire of my true self?” Let the question burn through distractions.
37. Breathing the Inner Flame
Basis: Neidan’s use of fire
to refine Qi.
Exercise: Sit, inhaling as
if fanning a flame in your heart, exhaling to spread its warmth. Visualize
Qi as a radiant fire.
38. Chanting Fudo Myo-o’s Mantra
Basis: Shingon’s Fudo Myo-o,
associated with fire and determination.
Exercise: Chant Fudo’s mantra
(as above), visualizing his fiery rope binding delusions.
39. Koan: The Moon in Fire
Basis: Zen’s use of paradoxical
imagery; Neidan’s alchemical fire.
Exercise: Contemplate the
moon burning in a fire. Ask: “How does the moon burn without being consumed?”
40. Contemplating Raku’s Imperfection
Basis: Zen’s wabi-sabi; Neidan’s
embrace of transformation.
Exercise: Visualize a raku
pot emerging from fire, its cracks glowing. Contemplate: “My imperfections
are my perfection.”
Third 4/5 Day Ko
Day 11-15 of 1st Fortnight
5 day Neidan Meditation: Six Healing Sounds Meditation
Sit quietly. Perform the six healing sounds (e.g., “ssss” for lungs, “haaa” for heart), coordinating each with an exhale and visualizing colored light cleansing the organ. Focus on emotional release. Practice for 20 minutes.
Purpose: Clears residual emotions to support spiritual clarity.
Connection to Po: Reinforces Po’s emotional purification for spiritual work.
Milestone (Spiritual Awakening): The practitioner forms a stable immortal fetus, dissolves ego into emptiness, and clears emotional obstacles, awakening profound spiritual insight.
Body: Fire related practices. (daily 20" exercise)
Truths: Shinto sacred ash, Buddhist confessions
History: Xuyun - Xuyun (1840–1959 CE), a modern Chan master, revitalized monasteries over his 119year life, blending tradition with resilience. Shinto sacred ash and confessions united universal and personal, as with Amaterasu’s retreat. His unique longevity and adaptability preserved Chan’s agricultural spirit.
Mythos: Amaterasu (Sun Goddess) retreates to cave
Part 3: Shen (Spirit) – Visualization and
Altar Work
Focus: Spiritual transformation through fire.
Fire related practices. (daily 20" exercise)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Feast/Fast | Shinto sacred ash, Buddhist confessions | - | - | Nika Danjiki* Fast | Nika Danjiki* Fast |
| Practice |
9. Refining Qi into Shen (Spirit Awakening)
Posture: Sit in lotus position, spine straight, hands over heart (left over right).
Time of Day: Morning (5–7 AM) or evening (7–9 PM).
Breathing: Gentle, heartfocused breathing (4 seconds inhale, 4 seconds exhale), feeling warmth in chest.
Dietary Changes: Heartnourishing foods (red beans, spinach). Avoid fatty foods.
Substances: Hawthorn berry tea (1 cup daily).
Exercises:
Physical: Chestopening stretches (10 minutes):
1. Stand, clasp hands behind back, open chest.
Energetic: Heart Dantian meditation (15 minutes):
1. Sit in lotus position, hands over heart.
2. Inhale, direct Qi to middle Dantian; exhale, spread warmth.
Spiritual: Visualization (15 minutes):
1. Visualize red lotus in heart, blooming.
2. Imagine Shen as bright light within.
3. Affirm, “My spirit is vibrant.”
Phenomena and Visions: Warmth or pulsation in chest, relaxed breathing.
41. Fire Offering on Altar
Basis: Shugendo and Shingon fire rituals; Neidan’s alchemical fire.
Exercise: Light a candle on your altar, offering its flame to Fudo Myo-o. Meditate, visualizing your spirit as a purified flame.
42. Visualizing the Golden Elixir
Basis: Neidan’s formation
of the Golden Elixir.
Exercise: Sit, visualizing
a molten golden orb in your heart, radiating light. Each breath refines
it, preparing for immortality.
43. Moon-Gazing Meditation
Basis: Zen’s moon as enlightenment;
Neidan’s reflective fire.
Exercise: Gaze at the moon
directly, then in water, then churn the water to dissolve its reflection.
Contemplate impermanence.
44. Goma Fire Purification (Fast Day) Nika Danjiki*
Fast
Basis: Shingon’s Goma fire
ritual for purification.
Exercise: Light a small fire
(or candle) and burn a piece of paper with written distractions. Meditate
on your spirit ascending as smoke, preparing for bodhisattvahood.
45. Offering to Ancestors (Fast Day) Nika Danjiki*
Fast
Basis: Buddhist ancestor veneration;
Neidan’s transcendence.
Exercise: Place incense on
your altar, dedicating it to ancestors. Meditate on life after death, visualizing
yourself guiding souls as a bodhisattva.
