Pure Land, Rinzai, Soto
Fall - Fortnight 20 (Earth+Zephyr)

5th Fortnight of Winter: Immortal Transcendence (Stages 13–15, Days 61–75)
5. Attainment in both the Personal and Universal:
Unity of the Personal and Universal is attained, so that they respond in unobstructed harmony to each other and with the world at large.

Introduction: The final cycle, days 61–75, achieves Taoist immortality and Shugendo’s sage state, aligning with the Sage degree and the chambers of Illumination, Rebirth, and Unity. Po’s culminating stages (consciousness transfer, embryonic breathing, ascension) are paired with Shugendo’s cosmic fire and kami meditations to transcend form.

Goal: Achieve immortality by transferring consciousness to the golden light body, merging with the Tao and kami as an eternal sage.

How It Is Achieved: Over 15 days, three stages combine Po’s meditations (e.g., Golden Light Body Visualization) with Shugendo exercises (e.g., Fudo’s Cosmic Flame). Stage 13 (Days 61–65) transfers consciousness, Stage 14 (Days 66–70) nurtures the reborn fetus, and Stage 15 (Days 71–75) ascends, completing the cave’s journey to unity. Daily practice finalizes transcendence.

How It Is Measured: Progress is assessed by profound meditative states (e.g., light body visions), timeless unity, and compassionate wisdom. Reflections over each fiveday stage note eternal presence, with the final completion confirmed by a stable, transcendent state after 75 days, ideally validated by a teacher.
 

Minor Feast (Day 61): Prepare a Shojin Ryori meal with mushrooms and tofu, honoring metal’s purity.

Feast/Jan 3 The Pure Land, Rinzai and Soto schools. Greenhouses and wapinis. Shojin Ryori cuisine. Respect for growers and cooks, 5 Oryoki bowls, food proportions, 5 tastes and colors and cooking methods. Dogen as lineage holder of Baizhang.

Honen (1133–1212 CE), founder of Pure Land (Jodo Shu), emphasized nembutsu chanting for rebirth in the Western Paradise. Shugendo Fudo statues judged the personal within universal harmony, like the Jade Emperor. His unique faithbased salvation democratized Buddhism.

Eisai (1141–1215 CE), founder of Rinzai Zen, introduced tea and koan practice from Song China, establishing Kenninji. Shugendo seed offerings (rice, barley) bridged personal to universal, as on the Queqiao. His distinctive koan inquiry sharpened direct realization.

Dogen (1200–1253 CE), founder of Soto Zen, brought Caodong Chan to Japan, authoring Shobogenzo and promoting shojin ryori. Soto feasts with oryoki bowls harmonized personal and universal, reflecting Baizhang’s lineage. His unique zazenonly approach unified self and cosmos.
 

62. Polishing a Metal Object
    Basis: Zen’s mindfulness in chores; Neidan’s refinement.
    Exercise: Polish a metal item (e.g., spoon), visualizing your essence becoming clear and reflective.

63. Sweeping Dust
    Basis: Zen’s sweeping as meditation; Dogen’s Shobogenzo: “Dust is the Buddha’s face.”
    Exercise: Sweep a dusty surface, contemplating each particle as a moment of eternity.

64. Striking a Wooden Fish
    Basis: Zen’s wooden fish drum for rhythm; Neidan’s disciplined focus.
    Exercise: Tap a wooden object rhythmically, synchronizing breath with each strike, visualizing your essence aligning with the universe.

65. Walking in Stillness
    Basis: Soto Zen’s Kinhin; Neidan’s inner stillness.
    Exercise: Walk slowly, feeling each step as a return to your true nature, as per the Oxherding Pictures’ “Returning to the Source.”
 

66. Koan: Dogen’s Being-Time
    Basis: Dogen’s Shobogenzo: “Time is not separate from you, and you are time.”
    Exercise: Sit in Zazen, contemplating: “What is time if I am time?” Let the question dissolve boundaries.

67. Breathing the Void
    Basis: Neidan’s merging with the void; Zen’s emptiness.
    Exercise: Inhale, visualizing clear light filling your body; exhale, merging with the void. Contemplate: “I am the void, the void is me.”

68. Chanting “Amitabha”
    Basis: Pure Land influence in Zen; Neidan’s connection to the divine.
    Exercise: Chant “Namo Amitabha” softly, visualizing a golden light enveloping you, preparing for immortality.

69. Koan: The Oxherding Search
    Basis: Zen’s Ten Oxherding Pictures (Picture 1: Searching for the Ox).
    Exercise: Contemplate: “Where is the ox of my true self?” Visualize footprints leading to your heart.

70. Contemplating Emptiness
    Basis: Zen’s Sunyata; Neidan’s transcendence of form.
    Exercise: Visualize a mirror reflecting nothing. Contemplate: “If all is empty, what am I?”
 

5 day Neidan Meditation: Ascension Meditation - Sit in profound stillness, visualizing the golden light body rising above the physical form, merging with the infinite Tao. Release all ties to the material world, resting in eternal unity. Practice for 60+ minutes.
   Purpose: Achieves immortality, ascending as a sage.
   Connection to Po: Completes Po’s transcendence to the golden light body.
   Milestone (Immortal Transcendence): The practitioner fully transfers consciousness to the golden light body, achieving immortality and merging with the Tao as an eternal sage.
   Final Completion: The 15stage journey culminates in the creation of an immortal energy body, fully integrated with the Tao, capable of existing beyond the physical form. The practitioner embodies the Taoist ideal of a zhenren, living in eternal harmony with the cosmos.

72. Aksobhya Buddha Meditation (Fast Day)
    Basis: Shingon’s Aksobhya; Oxherding Picture 9: Returning to the Source.
    Exercise: Visualize Aksobhya’s blue light in your heart, stabilizing your spirit. Contemplate: “My mind is unshakeable, eternal.”

73. Ratnasambhava Buddha Meditation (Fast Day)
    Basis: Shingon’s Ratnasambhava; Oxherding Picture 10: In the World.
    Exercise: Visualize Ratnasambhava’s golden light, offering abundance. Contemplate: “I give freely, transcending death.”

74. Amitabha Buddha Meditation (Fast Day)
    Basis: Shingon’s Amitabha; Zen’s principle of compassion.
    Exercise: Visualize Amitabha’s red light, guiding you to the Pure Land. Contemplate: “I am reborn in light, immortal.”

75. Amoghasiddhi Buddha Meditation (Fast Day)
    Basis: Shingon’s Amoghasiddhi; Zen’s principle of action without fear.
    Exercise: Visualize Amoghasiddhi’s green light, empowering your spirit. Contemplate: “I am one with all Buddhas, perfected beyond death.”
 

*Bigu, literally "avoiding grains," is a Daoist fasting practice aimed at achieving spiritual transcendence, longevity, or immortality (xian). It involves abstaining from staple grains (e.g., wheat, rice, barley) or, in stricter forms, all food, relying instead on minimal "superfoods" like herbs, seeds, nuts, or talisman water. Bigu is rooted in Chinese cultural beliefs, such as expelling the "Three Corpses" (sanshi=dead cells/autophagy), malevolent spirits believed to reside in the body. Unlike Western fasting, which often emphasizes hunger and willpower, bigu is a natural state where the body, through Qi cultivation, feels energized and free of hunger. It integrates Qigong, meditation, and breathing exercises to harmonize with nature, promoting detoxification, cellular regeneration, and spiritual elevation
** "Gokan Sesshin" (Five-Day Intensive Retreat). "Sesshin" denotes an intensive meditation period, often involving reduced food intake, fitting Zen’s focus on mindfulness and simplicity.
***"Godan Danjiki" (Five-Day Ascetic Fast). "Danjiki" refers to Buddhist fasting rituals, and "Godan" (five days) ties to Shugendo’s rigorous mountain practices.