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."
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June 1st, 2002, Serial No. 00148, Side B Teacher-and-Student, Precepts, Bodhisattva Precepts, Berkeley Zen Center, Intimacy,... |
Jun 01 2002 |
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May 30th, 2002, Serial No. 00451 Offering, Practice Period, Lotus Sutra, War, Priest, Lay, Branching Streams,... |
May 30 2002 |
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May 30th, 2002, Serial No. 01012, Side B Offering, Practice Period, Lotus Sutra, War, Lay, Bodhisattva Way, true dharma,... |
May 30 2002 |
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May 23rd, 2002, Serial No. 00450 Discrimination, Practice Period, Sixth Patriarch, Posture, Instruction, Oneness,... |
May 23 2002 |
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May 23rd, 2002, Serial No. 01011, Side A Discrimination, Practice Period, Sixth Patriarch, Posture, Instruction, Bodhidharma,... |
May 23 2002 |
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Tenzo KyokunSerial: BZ-00147B Saturday Lecture Tenzo Kyokun, Buddha Nature, Monkey Mind, Practice Period, Vinaya, Practice Position... |
May 18 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Tenzo KyokunSerial: BZ-00147A One-Day Sitting Tenzo Kyokun, Practice Position, Practice Period, Tassajara, Instruction, Big Mind,... |
May 11 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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April 27th, 2002, Serial No. 00146, Side A Monastic Practice, American, Greed, Teacher-and-Student, Bell, Humility, Culture,... |
Apr 27 2002 |
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2002.03.15-serial.00174 training, Practice Period, Religion, Continuous, zen, Fundraising, Rinzai, Repentance... |
Mar 15 2002 |
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December 5th, 2001, Serial No. 00063, Side A Ego, Precepts, Posture, training, Sangha, Lay, Practice Period, Duality, Non-duality... |
Dec 05 2001 |
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November 18th, 2001, Serial No. 00095, Side A Precepts, resistance, Repentance, Soto Zen, Observe, Lay Ordination, Birth-and-Death... |
Nov 18 2001 |
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October 20th, 2001, Serial No. 00093, Side A Birth-and-Death, Attachment, Offering, Buddha Nature, Conversation, Rinzai, Aspects... |
Oct 20 2001 |
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September 30th, 2001, Serial No. 00092, Side B Bodhisattva Vow, Aspects of Practice, Vows, Blue Cliff Record, Practice Period,... |
Sep 30 2001 |
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The Events of September 11, 2001Serial: BZ-00091 What To Do, Saturday Lecture Current Events, Greed, Patience, Aspects of Practice, Karma, Practice Period,... |
Sep 22 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |
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2001.08.10-serial.00082 Repentance, Daily Life, Vows, Practice Period, Culture, lecture, difficulty, Precepts... |
Aug 10 2001 |
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2001.08.06-serial.00166 Ordinary Mind, Desire, Greed, Practice Period, Silence |
Aug 06 2001 |
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BreathSerial: BZ-00101A Saturday Lecture Breath, Maylie Scott, Daily Life, Liberation, Harmonizing, Practice Period, Don'... |
May 19 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |
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ial No. 00483 Bell, Tassajara, Practice Period, Hate, Offering, Forgiveness, Echo, Interview,... |
2001 |
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ial No. 00484 Tassajara, Practice Period, War, Culture, Instruction, American, training |
2001 |
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Hongzhi's Practice InstructionsSerial: BZ-00125B Rohatsu Day 2 Hongzhi, Practice, Birth-and-Death, Dependent Origination, Ordinary Mind, Instruction... |
Dec 05 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Preparing/Not Preparing for SesshinSerial: BZ-00124B Saturday Lecture Sesshin, Ego, Demons, Emotions, Posture, Equanimity, Buddha Nature, Obstacles,... |
Dec 02 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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November 25th, 2000, Serial No. 00124, Side A Practice Period, Giving-and-Taking, Four Noble Truths, Liberation, soto, Building,... |
Nov 25 2000 |
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Abhidharma, Six Factors, Two AspectsSerial: BZ-00121B Saturday Lecture Abhidharma, Intuition, Practice Period, Composure, Hate, Building, Anger, Samadhi,... |
Oct 28 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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The Whole World Is MedicineSerial: SF-00078 "The Four Nourishments" Practice Period, Teacher-and-Student, Samadhi, Continuous, Commitment, Passions,... |
Sep 30 2000 |
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Recommendations for Fall Practice PeriodSerial: BZ-00120A Saturday Lecture Practice Period, Practice Period, Birth-and-Death, Ego, Intimacy, Commitment,... |
Sep 30 2000 Berkeley Zen Center |
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July 6th, 2000, Serial No. 00854 Lotus Sutra, Blue Cliff Record, Lineage, Monastic Practice, Lay, Intimacy, Practice... |
Jul 06 2000 |
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April 15th, 2000, Serial No. 00163, Side A Daily Life, Separation, Precepts, true dharma, Buddha Nature, Posture, Commitment,... |
Apr 15 2000 |