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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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Family TiesSerial: BZ-02445 Aspects of Practice
Absolute-and-Relative, Commitment, confusion, Five Ranks, Ordinary Mind, Practice... |
Nov 14 2015 |
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Golden Age of Zen 6th PatriarchSerial: BZ-02444 Aspects of Practice
Absolute-and-Relative, Cultivation, Five Ranks, Lineage, Nirvana Sutra, Practice... |
Nov 07 2015 |
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Iron Grindstone LiuSerial: BZ-02443 Aspects of Practice
Blue Cliff Record, Book of Serenity, Liberation, Monastic Practice, Practice Period,... |
Nov 02 2015 |
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YunmenSerial: BZ-02441 Aspects of Practice
Anger, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Book of Serenity, Emotions, Gratitude, Heart Sutra,... |
Oct 24 2015 |
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Caring for the Grasstips with Layman Pang and DogenSerial: TL-00389 ADZG Sunday Morning, Practice Period, Sanctuary, Bodhidharma, Peace, Patience |
Oct 18 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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Hui Neng and the Poetry ContestSerial: BZ-02440 Aspects of Practice
Bodhidharma, Doubt, Heart Sutra, Lineage, Platform Sutra, Politics, Practice Period,... |
Oct 17 2015 |
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Feel Me Good Family Practice, Fundraising, Lay, Practice Period, Practice Position, Priest, Priest... |
Oct 03 2015 |
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Ordination and Patience Attachment, Dharma Transmission, Lay, Non-attachment, Ordination, Practice Period,... |
Sep 12 2015 |
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What Makes Zen Center RunSerial: BZ-02432 Part 1 of 2 Family Practice, Fundraising, Lay, Practice Period, Practice Position, Priest, Priest... |
Aug 22 2015 1 |
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What Makes Zen Center Run - Q&ASerial: BZ-02433 Part 2 of 2 Absolute-and-Relative, Bell, Building, Dragons, Monastic Practice, Offering, Passions... |
Aug 22 2015 2 |
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Going Beyond BuddhaSerial: TL-00379 ADZG Sunday Morning, Practice Period, Letting Go, Daily Life, Attachment |
Jul 19 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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How Change Happens Anger, Big Mind, Buddha Mind, Global Warming, Interview, Liberation, New Year,... |
Jun 27 2015 |
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A Big Headache Culture, Discrimination, Interview, Intuition, Passions, Practice Period, Religion,... |
Jun 20 2015 |
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Every Day Is A Good Day - 3 Offering, Chanting, Daily Life, Conversation, Ordinary Mind, Patience, Practice... |
Jun 12 2015 |
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Embodied Awareness Through Zen TherapySerial: RB-03979 Seminar_Zen_and_Psychotherapy Practice, Time, Practice Period |
Jun 2015 Rastenberg |
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Spinal Alignment in Zen PracticeSerial: RB-02179 Sesshin Practice, Practice Period, Time |
Jun 2015 Johanneshof |
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Weeds Everywhere: The Body Always CloseSerial: TL-00376 ADZG Sunday Morning, Practice Period, Monkey Mind, Book of Serenity, Dharmakaya, Manjushri |
May 31 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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Ummon's Every Day Is A Good Day - 2 Big Mind, Continuous Practice, Culture, Ego, Gratitude, Greed, Practice Period, Sixth... |
May 30 2015 |
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Just This: Integration and Harmonious CommunionSerial: TL-00374 ADZG Sunday Morning, Book of Serenity, Ceremony, Realization, Practice Period, Parinirvana |
May 24 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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Everything Changes Composure, Silence, Nirvana, Practice Period, Soto Zen, Greed, Precepts, Buddha... |
May 23 2015 |
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Bringing Practice to Work Concentration, Conversation, Instruction, Posture, Practice Period, War |
May 22 2015 |
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Ummon's Every Day Is A Good Day Blue Cliff Record, Buddha Nature, Practice Period, Zazen Mind, Silence, Posture,... |
May 16 2015 |
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Yunyan's Failure and the Varied MoonsSerial: TL-00370 ADZG Monday Night, Book of Serenity, Manjushri, Conversation, Practice Period |
Apr 20 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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Dongshan Overview: Just This; The Mountaintop; and No GrassSerial: TL-00369 ADZG Sunday Morning, Practice Period, Manjushri, Freedom, Separation |
Apr 19 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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"Nonsentient" Beings Expound DharmaSerial: TL-00368 ADZG Monday Night, Practice Period, Heart Sutra, Book of Serenity, Concentration, Faith |
Apr 13 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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The White RabbitSerial: TL-00367 ADZG Monday Night, Lotus Sutra, Book of Serenity, Practice Period, Cultivation, Bodhisattva Way... |
Apr 06 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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It Now Is You; Practicing SuchnessSerial: TL-00366 ADZG Sunday Morning, Book of Serenity, Practice Period, Jewel Mirror Samadhi |
Apr 05 2015 Ancient Dragon Zen Gate |
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Just This Is It, Always CloseSerial: TL-00364 SFZC Saturday Morning, Separation, Tassajara, Practice Period |
Mar 21 2015 City Center |
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We All Cover the Ground Equally Buddha Nature, Duality, Four Noble Truths, Heart Sutra, Oneness, Peace, Posture,... |
Feb 07 2015 |
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Tuning Presence: Zen's Communal HarmonySerial: RB-02919 Practice-Period_Talks Practice, Practice Period, Time |
Feb 04 2015 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Whispered Wisdom in Zen Silence Blue Cliff Record, Intimacy, Practice Period |
Jan 12 2015 |
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Zen Evolution: Practice in Everyday LifeSerial: RB-03800 Dharma-Wheel_Talks Practice, Practice Period, Sangha |
2015 Johanneshof |
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Whispering Zen into Western LifeSerial: RB-03801 Dharma-Wheel_Talks Practice, Time, Practice Period |
2015 Johanneshof |
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Living Zen: Embrace Every MomentSerial: RB-03532 Practice-Period_Talks Practice, Practice Period, Consciousness |
2015 Johanneshof |
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Deconstructing Perception Through Zen InsightsSerial: RB-03095 Practice-Week_The_Teachings_of_the_Vijnanas Practice, Practice Period, Time |
2015 Johanneshof |
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Transcending Suffering Through Zen StillnessSerial: RB-03097 Practice-Week_The_Teachings_of_the_Vijnanas Practice, Practice Period, Suffering |
2015 Johanneshof |
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Everyone Has a Light Blue Cliff Record, Darkness-and-Light, Duality, Four Noble Truths, Light-and-Darkness... |
Nov 15 2014 |
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Pick Up a Speck of Dust Big Mind, Birth-and-Death, First Principle, Blue Cliff Record, Peace, Constancy,... |
Oct 18 2014 |