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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January 28th, 1995, Serial No. 00946, Side B Practice Period, Tassajara, Study Period, Dependent Origination, Religion, Diversity... |
Jan 28 1995 |
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January 26th, 1995, Serial No. 00759 Building, Tassajara, Manjushri, Lineage, New Year, Buddha Ancestors, Gratitude,... |
Jan 26 1995 |
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To Be OneselfSerial: SF-00157 Sunday talk; what does that mean - what's that? Finding out what this means is a vast undertaking. Conversation, Practice Period, Dragons, Lay, New Year, training, Separation, Skandas... |
Jan 15 1995 Green Gulch Farm |
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January 14th, 1995, Serial No. 00947, Side A Big Mind, Branching Streams, Practice Period, Light-and-Darkness, Oneness, Ordinary... |
Jan 14 1995 |
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Happiness and LoveSerial: BZ-00948B Saturday Lecture Happiness, Love, New Year, Happiness, Liberation, Equanimity, Attachment, Buddha Mind... |
Jan 07 1995 Berkeley Zen Center |
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1995.01.04-serial.00065 Tassajara, Teacher-and-Student, Priest, Practice Period, Ceremony, Zazen,... |
Jan 04 1995 City Center |
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August 13th, 1994, Serial No. 01184 Renewal, resistance, Demons, Monkey Mind, Vows, Bowing, Precepts, Peace, Ordination,... |
Aug 13 1994 |
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Summer PracticeSerial: BZ-00739 Lecture Practice Period, Daily Life, Doubt, Don't Know Mind, Aspects of Practice, Non-... |
Jul 13 1994 |
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June 11th, 1994, Serial No. 00943, Side A Silent Illumination, Mindfulness, Concentration, Practice Period, Offering, Four... |
Jun 11 1994 |
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June 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00238 First Principle, Buddha Nature, War, Ordinary Mind, Duality, Practice Period,... |
Jun 02 1994 |
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May 28th, 1994, Serial No. 00945, Side A Practice Period, Mundane Life, Oneness, Building, Teacher-and-Student, Daily Life,... |
May 28 1994 |
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May 14th, 1994, Serial No. 00960, Side B Practice Period, Ordinary Mind, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Describe, Separation, Intimacy... |
May 14 1994 |
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Freedom, Commitment, Intention, SamadhiSerial: BZ-00960A Saturday Lecture Freedom, Commitment, Intention, Samadhi, Commitment, Practice Period, Samadhi,... |
May 07 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Samadhi and Losing OneselfSerial: BZ-00961B Saturday Lecture Samadhi, Pure Existence, Subject-and-Object, Practice Period, Samadhi, Bowing,... |
May 01 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Tozan's PoemSerial: BZ-00962B No Gap; Don't Objectify, Saturday Lecture Tozan Ryokai, Subject-and-Object, Separation, Practice Period, Subject-and-Object,... |
Apr 16 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
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April 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00962, Side A Ordinary Mind, First Principle, Blue Cliff Record, Practice Period, Bodhidharma,... |
Apr 02 1994 |
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March 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00227 Precepts, Practice Period, Priest, Culture, Dream World, Lay, Ordination, Interview,... |
Mar 02 1994 |
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February 23rd, 1994, Serial No. 00225 Religion, Four Noble Truths, Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Practice Period, War... |
Feb 23 1994 |
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February 23rd, 1994, Serial No. 00226 Buddha Mind, Birth-and-Death, Priest, Practice Period, Instruction, Lineage, Buddha... |
Feb 23 1994 |
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Mumonkan: Case #10Serial: BZ-00980A Essence of Mind "Alone and Poor", Saturday Lecture MM-10, Attachment, Greed, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Tassajara, Culture,... |
Feb 05 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
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September 25th, 1993, Serial No. 00657, Side B Culture, Bowing, American, confusion, Chanting, Practice Period, Precepts, training,... |
Sep 25 1993 |
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Tassajara Summer and PracticeSerial: BZ-00107 Lecture Tassajara, Practice, Practice Period, Tassajara, Daily Life, Mundane Life,... |
Jul 21 1993 |
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June 19th, 1993, Serial No. 00669, Side A Berkeley Zen Center, Constancy, confusion, Practice Period, Chanting, Passions,... |
Jun 19 1993 |
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June 15th, 1993, Serial No. 00671 Bodhidharma, Practice Period, Bell, Giving-and-Taking, Renunciation, Ordinary Mind,... |
Jun 15 1993 |
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June 10th, 1993, Serial No. 00653, Side B Birth-and-Death, Interdependence, Bodhidharma, Buddha Ancestors, Lay, Dragons,... |
Jun 10 1993 |
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May 29th, 1993, Serial No. 00667, Side A Bodhidharma, Eka, Buddha Mind, Blue Cliff Record, Book of Serenity, Practice Period,... |
May 29 1993 |
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Transmission of Light: The 38th Ancestor Seigen GyoshiSerial: BZ-00666B Not Getting Caught in Stages, Saturday Lecture Seigen Gyoshi, Liberation, Lineage, Buddha Nature, Bodhidharma, Current Events, Don... |
May 22 1993 Berkeley Zen Center |
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May 15th, 1993, Serial No. 00665, Side B Attachment, Discrimination, Lotus Sutra, War, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period,... |
May 15 1993 |
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1993.05.14-serial.00114 Thich Nhat Hanh, Practice Period, Don't Know Mind, Greed, Religion |
May 14 1993 |
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May 8th, 1993, Serial No. 00665, Side A Bodhidharma, Family Practice, Practice Period, Buddha Mind, Dharma Transmission,... |
May 08 1993 |
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Practice Period: Renewing One's Commitment to PracticeSerial: BZ-00664B One-Day Sitting Practice Period, Daily Life, Commitment, Big Mind, Practice Period, Zoom, Building... |
May 01 1993 Berkeley Zen Center |
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April 24th, 1993, Serial No. 00664, Side A Right Speech, American, confusion, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period, Precepts,... |
Apr 24 1993 |
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April 17th, 1993, Serial No. 00112Serial: BZ-00112 Lecture Practice Period, Commitment, Daily Life, Tassajara, Gratitude, resistance,... |
Apr 17 1993 Unknown Location |
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February 18th, 1993, Serial No. 00621 Precepts, Vows, Practice Period, Dharma Transmission, Renunciation, Repentance, Evil... |
Feb 18 1993 |
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December 19th, 1992, Serial No. 00646 Light-and-Darkness, Darkness and Light, Five Ranks, Discrimination, Samsara, Teacher-... |
Dec 19 1992 |
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November 21st, 1992, Serial No. 00643, Side B Practice Period, Non-violence, War, Interdependence, Vows, Doubt, Avalokiteshvara,... |
Nov 21 1992 |
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Hongzhi (Zen Master)Serial: BZ-00642A Saturday Lecture Hongzhi, Priest, Priest-and-Lay, Silent Illumination, Lay, Practice Period,... |
Oct 31 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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October 15th, 1992, Serial No. 00614 Concentration, Hindrances, Mindfulness, Instruction, Death-and-Dying, zen meditation... |
Oct 15 1992 |
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October 12th, 1992, Serial No. 00640 Vows, resistance, Priest, Bodhisattva Precepts, Right Speech, Lay, Mahayana, Evil,... |
Oct 12 1992 |
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October 8th, 1992, Serial No. 00613 Right Effort, Enemies, Attachment, Patience, Birth-and-Death, confusion, Practice... |
Oct 08 1992 |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #44Serial: BZ-00638A Hoshan's Knowing How to Beat the Drum, Saturday Lecture BCR-44, Daily Life, Attachment, Buddha Mind, Don't Know Mind, Teacher-and-... |
Sep 19 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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June 28th, 1992, Serial No. 00630 Giving-and-Taking, Bodhidharma, Absolute-and-Relative, Dragons, stubbornness,... |
Jun 28 1992 |