Shugendo, Shingon, Tendai,
Fall - Fortnight 19 (Earth+Wind)

4th Fortnight of Winter:  Cosmic Harmony (Stages 10–12, Days 46–60)
4. Arriving within the Personal:
Within this rank, the Universal and Personal beneficially interact, refining the attributes of the Personal. Each phenomenon’s unique expression of the Universal is intimately perceived.

Introduction: The fourth cycle, days 46–60, aligns the practitioner with the Tao and kami, embodying wuwei as a Master, progressing through the chambers of Unity, Purification, and Endurance. Po’s stages (cosmic orbit, bone marrow nei kung, zhenren living) are paired with Shugendo’s nature offerings and snow meditations to foster cosmic connection.

Goal: Embody effortless harmony with the cosmos, purifying the body and living as a zhenren, capable of guiding others.

How It Is Achieved: Across 15 days, three stages integrate Po’s meditations (e.g., Cosmic Orbit) with Shugendo exercises (e.g., mountain offerings). Stage 10 (Days 46–50) connects to cosmic qi, Stage 11 (Days 51–55) purifies the body, and Stage 12 (Days 56–60) embodies wuwei, reflecting the cave’s integration and resilience. Daily repetition strengthens cosmic alignment.

How It Is Measured: Success is marked by oneness with nature, physical strength (e.g., bone vitality), and spontaneous actions. Journaling over each fiveday stage tracks effortless meditation and leadership qualities, with the milestone confirmed by deep cosmic rhythm alignment after 60 days.

Minor Feast (Day 46): Prepare a Shojin Ryori meal with bamboo shoots and greens, honoring wood’s vitality.

Feast/Dec 19:  Japan. Shugendo, Tendai and Shingon Sects. The taming of nature in the farm and garden and orchard. One straw revolution. Korean natural farming. Swales, permaculture ponds. Mt Koyosan. To explore ultimate reality thru ritual, mantra and mandala. Appreciation of multi-culturalism and multi-religeous observance.  (Japanese Zen vs Chinese Chan.)
More evolved farming.  5 Food groups. Harvesting and storing food.  (Shugendo is a mix of Shinto, Tao, Buddhism) The forest as mystery and Fudo. Hiking, seeking, exploring, pushing ones limits. Food forests, foraging wild food vs cultivated farming. 75 Nabiki prayer stations.
 
 

   Meditation: Cosmic Orbit Meditation
    Sit quietly, visualizing qi flowing beyond the body, connecting to stars and the universe. Inhale, drawing cosmic qi into the dantians; exhale, radiating shen into the cosmos. Feel unity with the Tao. Practice for 40–50 minutes.
   Purpose: Aligns with cosmic rhythms, embodying the Tao.
   Connection to Po: Reflects Po’s cosmic integration.

46. Forest Walking
    Basis: Shugendo’s wandering in forests; Zen’s nature as teacher.
    Exercise: Walk slowly in a forest (or visualize one), feeling each step connect you to the earth’s pulse. Contemplate growth.

47. Tying Shinto Paper Rope
    Basis: Shinto’s shimenawa for sacred boundaries.
    Exercise: Tie a small paper rope (or string) around a tree or object, visualizing it as a boundary for your sacred essence.

48. Sweeping Leaves
    Basis: Zen’s mindful chores; Dogen’s respect for nature.
    Exercise: Sweep fallen leaves, contemplating Dogen’s words: “A leaf falling is the whole universe.”

49. Planting a Seed
    Basis: Chan/Zen farming; Neidan’s nurturing of Jing.
    Exercise: Plant a seed in soil, visualizing it as your spiritual embryo, to be nurtured over time.

50. Using a Prayer Mala
    Basis: Buddhist mala for mindfulness; Shugendo’s ascetic tools.
    Exercise: Run a mala through your fingers, focusing on each bead as a step toward growth, visualizing your essence expanding.
 

51. Koan: Dogen’s Cypress Tree
    Basis: Zen koan: “What is the sound of the cypress tree in the courtyard?”
    Exercise: Sit in Zazen, contemplating the cypress tree’s silence. Ask: “What is its voice?”

52. Breathing the Forest
    Basis: Neidan’s circulation of Qi; Shugendo’s forest energy.
    Exercise: Inhale as if drawing in forest air, exhale to release stagnation. Visualize Qi as green light flowing through your limbs.

53. Chanting the Heart Sutra
    Basis: Soto Zen’s use of the Heart Sutra for insight.
    Exercise: Chant “Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha” softly, letting its rhythm align your energy.

54. Koan: The Bamboo’s Bend
    Basis: Zen’s metaphor of bamboo’s flexibility.
    Exercise: Contemplate: “How does bamboo bend without breaking?” Let the question guide you to inner resilience.

55. Contemplating Growth
    Basis: Neidan’s nurturing of the Immortal Embryo; Zen’s organic metaphors.
    Exercise: Visualize a tree growing within you, its roots in your Dantian, branches reaching your heart. Contemplate: “I grow without effort.”
 

56. Wood Offering on Altar
    Basis: Shugendo’s offerings to forest spirits; Neidan’s symbolic growth.
    Exercise: Place a small branch or leaf on your altar. Meditate, visualizing your spirit as a tree reaching for the heavens.

57. Visualizing the Immortal Embryo
    Basis: Neidan’s nurturing of the spiritual embryo.
    Exercise: Sit, visualizing a radiant child in your Dantian, growing stronger with each breath, symbolizing your immortal self.

58. Forest Visualization
    Basis: Shugendo’s forest meditation; Zen’s nature as mirror.
    Exercise: Visualize walking through a forest, each tree a past life. At the center, find your true self, radiant and eternal.

59. Offering to Forest Spirits (Fast Day) Nika Danjiki* Fast
    Basis: Shugendo’s reverence for kami; Neidan’s transcendence.
    Exercise: Place a small offering (rice or fruit) under a tree, dedicating it to forest spirits. Meditate on life after death, visualizing yourself as a bodhisattva in nature.

60. Contemplating Impermanence (Fast Day) Nika Danjiki* Fast
    Basis: Zen’s focus on transience; Neidan’s preparation for immortality.
    Exercise: Sit before your altar, contemplating a fallen leaf. Visualize your body dissolving, yet your spirit ascending as a bodhisattva.
 
 

*Nika Danjiki (Two-Day Ascetic Fast): "Danjiki" (cutting food) is a Buddhist term for fasting, used in Shugendo’s ascetic practices like mountain pilgrimages or waterfall meditation (takigyo). "Nika" specifies the duration. This name reflects Shugendo’s blend of Buddhism, Shinto, and nature-based austerity.