Practice Period Talks
An ango (安居), or kessei (結制), is a Japanese term for a three-month period of intense training for students of Zen Buddhism, lasting anywhere from 90 to 100 days. The practice during ango consists of meditation (zazen), study, and work (samu (作務)).
Ango is typically held twice a year, the first period from spring to summer and the second period from fall to winter. The word ango literally translates as "dwelling in peace"; the summer ango is referred to as ge-ango and the winter period is u-ango. Additionally, some monasteries and Zen centers hold just one ango per year.
Concerning Zen practice in the United States, author Ellen Birx writes,
Many centers now allow members to attend retreats on a part-time basis. Many have ango, a three-month-long period of intensified practice, that members can participate in while continuing to go off to work during the day." Taigen Dan Leighton writes a more traditional definition, "These are ninety-day training periods of concentrated practice without leaving the monastic enclosure (except for monks going out for necessary temple business). They date back to the summer rainy season retreats of Shakyamuni's time. In Japan, they have been held twice a year, summer and winter."
Title | Speaker | |
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May 8th, 1995, Serial No. 00976, Side A Instruction, Practice Period, Obstacles, Bowing, Hindrances, Tassajara, Conversation... |
May 08 1995 |
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May 20th, 1995, Serial No. 00975, Side A Practice Period, Instruction, Birth-and-Death, Samsara, Silent Illumination, Book of... |
May 20 1995 |
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Sunday Lecture Triple Treasure, Greed, Practice Period, Delusion, Hate, Repentance, Sangha, Karma,... |
May 28 1995 Green Gulch |
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Sunday Lecture Practice Period, Ceremony, Religion, Suzuki Roshi, Commitment, Evil, Priest, Right... |
Jun 04 1995 Green Gulch |
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Hsin Hsin Ming IVSerial: BZ-00978A Sesshin Day 4 Hsin Hsin Ming, confusion, Oneness, Continuous, Duality, Subject-and-Object,... |
Jun 17 1995 Berkeley Zen Center |
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June 18th, 1995, Serial No. 00978, Side B Practice Period, Teacher-and-Student, Instruction, Emotions, Funeral, Obstacles,... |
Jun 18 1995 |
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June 24th, 1995, Serial No. 00830, Side A Family Practice, Culture, Building, Karma, Practice Period, Funeral, Separation,... |
Jun 24 1995 |
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Five Attributes of a TeacherSerial: SF-03218 One-day sitting Book of Serenity, Teacher-and-Student, Humility, Blue Cliff Record, Letting Go,... |
Jul 15 1995 Green Gulch |
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July 26th, 1995, Serial No. 00919 Emptiness, Suzuki Roshi, Echo, Tassajara, Zazen, Global Warming, Letting Go, Practice... |
Jul 26 1995 Unknown |
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Our Relationship with Form - Speech & FoodSerial: SF-00151 Wednesday dharma talk. Practice Period, Conversation, Happiness, Ceremony, Silence, Bodhisattva Vow, Funeral... |
Sep 06 1995 Green Gulch Farm |
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September 23rd, 1995, Serial No. 02744 Practice Period, Hsin Hsin Ming, Diversity, Dharma Transmission, Zendo, Hate, Suzuki... |
Sep 23 1995 Unknown |
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October 14th, 1995, Serial No. 02701 Faith, Vows, Hsin Hsin Ming, Continuous, Buddha Mind, Bodhisattva Vow, Bodhisattva... |
Oct 14 1995 Unknown |
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Hungry Ghosts - Seijiki CeremonySerial: SF-03093 Sunday Lecture Four Noble Truths, Ceremony, Letting Go, Peace, Vows, Commitment, resistance,... |
Oct 29 1995 Green Gulch |
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November 4th, 1995, Serial No. 00819, Side B Bodhisattva Ceremony, Repentance, Sangha, Lineage, Right Speech, Duality, Lotus Sutra... |
Nov 04 1995 |
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Sunday LectureSerial: SF-03626 Our practice and our efforts that we make towards peace within ourselves and within our lives Practice Period, Birth-and-Death, Karma, Emptiness, Giving-and-Taking, Zazen,... |
Nov 05 1995 Green Gulch |
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Title UnknownSerial: BZ-00816B Rohatsu Day 5 Repentance, Precepts, Evil, Buddha Nature, Anger, Practice Period, Ordination, Vinaya... |
Dec 07 1995 Berkeley Zen Center |
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January 3rd, 1996, Serial No. 02706 Practice Period, Tassajara, Hsin Hsin Ming, Non-duality, Non-attachment, Suzuki Roshi... |
Jan 03 1996 Unknown |
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January 4th, 1996, Serial No. 00781, Side B Religion, New Year, Tassajara, Teacher-and-Student, Aspects of Practice, Practice... |
Jan 04 1996 |
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Sunday Lecture Practice Period, Letting Go, Enthusiasm, Addiction, New Year, confusion, Patience,... |
Jan 06 1996 Green Gulch |
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Interview Dharma Transmission, Ceremony, Transmission, Practice Period, Soto Zen, Priest,... |
Jan 21 1996 Unknown |
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Practice of PatienceSerial: SF-03225 Sunday Lecture Global Warming, Patience, Practice Period, Ego, confusion, Emotions, Gratitude, Peace... |
Jan 21 1996 Green Gulch |
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Interview Suzuki Roshi, Peace, Practice Period, Intuition, Instruction, Emotions, Gratitude,... |
Jan 21 1996 Unknown |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #57Serial: BZ-00748 Lecture BCR-57, Attachment, resistance, Hsin Hsin Ming, Duality, Non-duality, Soto Zen,... |
Jan 27 1996 Tassajara |
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Sunday LectureSerial: SF-03636 Cassette side B is labeled for a Sunday talk by Tenshin Reb Anderson on the same date - incorrect Practice Period, Ordination, Perfect Wisdom, Zendo, Emptiness, Ceremony, Monastic... |
Mar 24 1996 Green Gulch |
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Work and PracticeSerial: BZ-00118 Lecture Practice, Work, Parinirvana, Samadhi, Tassajara, Continuous, Daily Life, Practice... |
Apr 24 1996 |
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Setting the Tone for Practice PeriodSerial: BZ-00805B Saturday Lecture Practice Period, Practice Period, Monastic Practice, Family Practice, Daily Life,... |
May 05 1996 Berkeley Zen Center |
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May 6th, 1996, Serial No. 00804, Side A Practice Period, War, Impermanence, Happiness, Bell, Conversation, Offering, Posture... |
May 06 1996 |
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Work Practice (Fushin Samu)Serial: BZ-00804B Saturday Lecture Work, Monastic Practice, Aspects of Practice, Daily Life, Samadhi, Concentration,... |
May 11 1996 Berkeley Zen Center |
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May 11th, 1996, Serial No. 02704 Repentance, Precepts, Zazen, Practice Period, Triple Treasure, Ceremony, Monastic... |
May 11 1996 Unknown |
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May 18th, 1996, Serial No. 00803, Side A Practice Period, Blue Cliff Record, soto, Lineage, Birth-and-Death, Offering, Rinzai... |
May 18 1996 |
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June 8th, 1996, Serial No. 00802, Side B Buddha Nature, Practice Period, Oneness, resistance, Discrimination, Bell, Nirvana,... |
Jun 08 1996 |
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June 21st, 1996, Serial No. 00801, Side B Practice Period, Platform Sutra, Intimacy, Attachment, Buddha Nature, Composure,... |
Jun 21 1996 |
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Hui Neng's Instruction on Dhyana and ImperturbabilitySerial: BZ-00800A Rohatsu Day 4 Hui Neng, Dhyana, Imperturbability, Big Mind, Dream World, Discrimination, Samadhi,... |
Jun 22 1996 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Shosan and Shuso Ceremony PreparationSerial: BZ-00800B Appropriate Question and Respons, Sesshin Day 5 Shosan, Shuso, Ceremony, Practice Period, Karma, Commitment, Conversation, Ego,... |
Jun 23 1996 Berkeley Zen Center |
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July 2nd, 1996, Serial No. 00119Serial: BZ-00119 Lecture First Principle, Aspects of Practice, Practice Period, Observe, Teacher-and-Student,... |
Jul 02 1996 |
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Wednesday Lecture Hsin Hsin Ming, Zazen, Ordination, Practice Period, Obstacles, Mahayana, Anger,... |
Aug 14 1996 Unknown |
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1996.09.DD-serial.00259 Practice Period, Dharma Transmission, Buddha Nature, Zendo, Building |
Sep 1996 |
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September 21st, 1996, Serial No. 00791, Side A Blue Cliff Record, Book of Serenity, Culture, Intuition, resistance, Practice Period... |
Sep 21 1996 |
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1996.09.28-serial.00089 Practice Period, Study Period, Bodhisattva Way, Vows, Bodhisattva Vow, Patience,... |
Sep 28 1996 |
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The Eight Stages of Monastic LifeSerial: SF-03132 Sunday Lecture - monastic way of wholeness, a sacred way, a sacred place, a clear pace that lives at the bottom of our hearts and is reflected back to us in a religious life.... Monastic Practice, Lineage, Commitment, Letting Go, Practice Period, Renunciation,... |
Sep 29 1996 Green Gulch |
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Including The UnincludedSerial: SF-03136 Sunday Lecture - life, the path as the neverending journey of inclusiom that starts with ourselves where we are now, where we have been and from there just goes deep and deeper... Forgiveness, Practice Period, Silence, Offering, Anger, Diversity, Ordination, Peace... |
Oct 13 1996 Green Gulch |
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Which is the Real Shin?Serial: SF-03135 Sunday Lecture - Seeing and understanding desire Ceremony, Forgiveness, Addiction, Practice Period, Demons, confusion, Hate,... |
Oct 27 1996 Green Gulch |
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Sandokai Class Oneness, Darkness and Light, Practice Period, Separation, Karma, Emptiness, Politics... |
Nov 13 1996 Green Gulch |
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OrdinationSerial: BZ-00787A Saturday Lecture Ordination, Priest, Ordination, Lay, Precepts, Practice Period, Family Practice,... |
Nov 16 1996 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Lessons From the Movie 'Secrets and Lies'Serial: SF-03215 One-day sitting Mindfulness, Commitment, Practice Period, Equanimity, Emotions, Letting Go, Posture,... |
Nov 16 1996 Green Gulch |
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Sandokai ClassSerial: SF-03177 Like forward and backwards steps - phenomenon exist like box and cover joining, principle accords like arrows points meeting Oneness, Suzuki Roshi, Absolute-and-Relative, Practice Period, Tassajara, Attachment... |
Nov 19 1996 Green Gulch |
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Sandokai Class Evil, Religion, Funeral, Tassajara, Discrimination, Suzuki Roshi, Emptiness, Oneness... |
Nov 25 1996 Green Gulch |
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Expounding the Dharma with This BodySerial: SF-02710A Rohatsu Sesshin Practice Period, Suzuki Roshi, Patience, Gratitude, Observe, Balance, Anger |
Dec 02 1996 Unknown |
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February 1997 talk, Serial No. 01505 Politics, Religion, War, Fasting, Practice Period, Building, Peace, Emotions,... |
1997 |
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Dogen's Life Suzuki Roshi, Buddha Nature, Family Practice, training, Monastic Practice, Rinzai,... |
Jan 25 1997 Unknown |