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 | |
---|---|---|
1993.05.14-serial.00114 Thich Nhat Hanh, Practice Period, Don't Know Mind, Greed, Religion |
May 14 1993 |
|
May 15th, 1993, Serial No. 00665, Side B Attachment, Discrimination, Lotus Sutra, War, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period,... |
May 15 1993 |
|
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 |
|
May 29th, 1993, Serial No. 00667, Side A Bodhidharma, Eka, Buddha Mind, Blue Cliff Record, Book of Serenity, Practice Period,... |
May 29 1993 |
|
June 10th, 1993, Serial No. 00653, Side B Birth-and-Death, Interdependence, Bodhidharma, Buddha Ancestors, Lay, Dragons,... |
Jun 10 1993 |
|
June 15th, 1993, Serial No. 00671 Bodhidharma, Practice Period, Bell, Giving-and-Taking, Renunciation, Ordinary Mind,... |
Jun 15 1993 |
|
June 19th, 1993, Serial No. 00669, Side A Berkeley Zen Center, Constancy, confusion, Practice Period, Chanting, Passions,... |
Jun 19 1993 |
|
Sunday Lecture Forgiveness, Peace, Emotions, Mill Valley, Gratitude, Enemies, Conversation, Daily... |
Jun 27 1993 Green Gulch |
|
Tassajara Summer and PracticeSerial: BZ-00107 Lecture Tassajara, Practice, Practice Period, Tassajara, Daily Life, Mundane Life,... |
Jul 21 1993 |
|
September 25th, 1993, Serial No. 00657, Side B Culture, Bowing, American, confusion, Chanting, Practice Period, Precepts, training,... |
Sep 25 1993 |
|
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 |
|
February 23rd, 1994, Serial No. 00225 Religion, Four Noble Truths, Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Practice Period, War... |
Feb 23 1994 |
|
February 23rd, 1994, Serial No. 00226 Buddha Mind, Birth-and-Death, Priest, Practice Period, Instruction, Lineage, Buddha... |
Feb 23 1994 |
|
March 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00227 Precepts, Practice Period, Priest, Culture, Dream World, Lay, Ordination, Interview,... |
Mar 02 1994 |
|
April 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00962, Side A Ordinary Mind, First Principle, Blue Cliff Record, Practice Period, Bodhidharma,... |
Apr 02 1994 |
|
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 |
|
Samadhi and Losing OneselfSerial: BZ-00961B Saturday Lecture Samadhi, Pure Existence, Subject-and-Object, Practice Period, Samadhi, Bowing,... |
May 01 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
Freedom, Commitment, Intention, SamadhiSerial: BZ-00960A Saturday Lecture Freedom, Commitment, Intention, Samadhi, Commitment, Practice Period, Samadhi,... |
May 07 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
May 14th, 1994, Serial No. 00960, Side B Practice Period, Ordinary Mind, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Describe, Separation, Intimacy... |
May 14 1994 |
|
May 28th, 1994, Serial No. 00945, Side A Practice Period, Mundane Life, Oneness, Building, Teacher-and-Student, Daily Life,... |
May 28 1994 |
|
June 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00238 First Principle, Buddha Nature, War, Ordinary Mind, Duality, Practice Period,... |
Jun 02 1994 |
|
June 11th, 1994, Serial No. 00943, Side A Silent Illumination, Mindfulness, Concentration, Practice Period, Offering, Four... |
Jun 11 1994 |
|
Summer PracticeSerial: BZ-00739 Lecture Practice Period, Daily Life, Doubt, Don't Know Mind, Aspects of Practice, Non-... |
Jul 13 1994 |
|
August 13th, 1994, Serial No. 01184 Renewal, resistance, Demons, Monkey Mind, Vows, Bowing, Precepts, Peace, Ordination,... |
Aug 13 1994 |
|
October 1st, 1994, Serial No. 04045 Triple Treasure, Perfect Wisdom, Sangha, Suzuki Roshi, Priest, Practice Period, Evil... |
Oct 01 1994 Unknown |
|
Sunday Lecture Ceremony, Practice Period, Four Noble Truths, Funeral, Fox, Bell, Six Realms, Demons... |
Oct 30 1994 Green Gulch |
|
Sunday Lecture Practice Period, Impermanence, Ceremony, Dragons, Manjushri, Delusion, Zendo, Posture... |
Nov 06 1994 Green Gulch |
|
Sunday Lecture Practice Period, Commitment, Letting Go, Suzuki Roshi, training, Greed, Emotions,... |
Nov 27 1994 Green Gulch |
|
Wednesday Lecture training, Practice Period, Heart Sutra, Subject-and-Object, Posture, Instruction,... |
Nov 30 1994 Green Gulch |
|
1995.01.04-serial.00065 Tassajara, Teacher-and-Student, Priest, Practice Period, Ceremony, Zazen,... |
Jan 04 1995 City Center |
|
Happiness and LoveSerial: BZ-00948B Saturday Lecture Happiness, Love, New Year, Happiness, Liberation, Equanimity, Attachment, Buddha Mind... |
Jan 07 1995 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
January 14th, 1995, Serial No. 00947, Side A Big Mind, Branching Streams, Practice Period, Light-and-Darkness, Oneness, Ordinary... |
Jan 14 1995 |
|
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 |
|
January 26th, 1995, Serial No. 00759 Building, Tassajara, Manjushri, Lineage, New Year, Buddha Ancestors, Gratitude,... |
Jan 26 1995 |
|
January 28th, 1995, Serial No. 00946, Side B Practice Period, Tassajara, Study Period, Dependent Origination, Religion, Diversity... |
Jan 28 1995 |
|
1995.02.22-serial.00076 Hate, Suzuki Roshi, Repentance, Constancy, Sangha, Practice Period, Tassajara, Karma... |
Feb 22 1995 |
|
March 1st, 1995, Serial No. 00741Serial: BZ-00741 Lecture Practice Period, Gratitude, Discrimination, Daily Life, Samadhi, Concentration,... |
Mar 01 1995 |
|
March 4th, 1995, Serial No. 00912, Side A Buddha Nature, Transmission, Buddha Mind, Echo, Patience, resistance, Tassajara,... |
Mar 04 1995 |
|
March 9th, 1995, Serial No. 00762 Discrimination, Absolute-and-Relative, Soto Zen, Practice Period, Buddha Nature,... |
Mar 09 1995 |
|
March 10th, 1995, Serial No. 00742Serial: BZ-00742 Lecture Monastic Practice, Tassajara, Culture, Practice Period, Enemies, Judgement, Building... |
Mar 10 1995 |
|
March 11th, 1995, Serial No. 00912, Side B Mindfulness, Four Foundations, Bodhidharma, Perfect Wisdom, Practice Period, Mahayana... |
Mar 11 1995 |
|
Importance of ShikantazaSerial: SF-03104 Description of Tokubetsu Sesshin Ceremony, Lotus Sutra, Priest, Letting Go, Buddha's Birthday, realization, Soto... |
Mar 19 1995 Green Gulch |
|
March 31st, 1995, Serial No. 00765 Culture, American, Monastic Practice, Transmission, Practice Period, Humility, Non-... |
Mar 31 1995 |
|
April 4th, 1995, Serial No. 02697 Daily Life, Practice Period, Happiness, Hate, Addiction, Posture, Delusion, Zendo... |
Apr 04 1995 Unknown |
|
1995.04.06-serial.00056 Precepts, Buddha Ancestors, Practice Period, Vinaya, Family Practice, Beginners,... |
Apr 06 1995 |
|
1995.04.08-serial.00021 Buddha Ancestors, Sangha, Dragons, Religion, Diversity, Practice Period, Compassion,... |
Apr 08 1995 |
|
Tassajara Practice PeriodSerial: BZ-00909B Saturday Lecture Tassajara, Dharma Transmission, American, Practice Period, Transmission, Family... |
Apr 15 1995 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
Hongzhi's Silent IlluminationSerial: BZ-00974A Saturday Lecture Hongzhi, Practice Period, Silent Illumination, Echo, Daily Life, Instruction,... |
Apr 22 1995 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
Six Taints of ZenSerial: BZ-00973A Saturday Lecture Aspects of Practice, Practice Period, Demons, Commitment, Ordination, Lay Practice,... |
Apr 29 1995 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
April 29th, 1995, Serial No. 00973, Side B Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Big Mind, Peace, Lay Practice, Buddha Mind, Subject-... |
Apr 29 1995 |