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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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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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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Sunday Lecture Buddha Nature, New Year, Right Effort, Conversation, Vows, Practice Period, Suzuki... |
Dec 31 2000 Green Gulch |
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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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Sunday Lecture Study Period, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period, Liberation, Instruction, Renunciation... |
Jan 28 2001 Green Gulch |
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Arbor DaySerial: SF-01069 Sunday Lecture Humility, Mindfulness, Vows, Lotus Sutra, Commitment, Practice Period, Attachment,... |
Feb 18 2001 Green Gulch |
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Wednesday Lecture Practice Period, Instruction, Suzuki Roshi, realization, Buddha Ancestors, Delusion,... |
Feb 28 2001 Green Gulch |
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Wednesday Lecture Silence, Buddha Nature, Practice Period, Non-duality, resistance, Gratitude, Lineage... |
Mar 21 2001 Green Gulch |
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April 2001 talk, Serial No. 00628 realization, Impermanence, Practice Period, Mindfulness |
Apr 2001 |
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Wednesday Lecture Practice Period, Family Practice, Zendo, Mill Valley, Monastic Practice, Ceremony,... |
May 09 2001 Green Gulch |
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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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2001.08.06-serial.00166 Ordinary Mind, Desire, Greed, Practice Period, Silence |
Aug 06 2001 |
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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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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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September 24th, 2001, Serial No. 04040Serial: SF-04040 Monday Enemies, Emotions, training, Monastic Practice, Politics, Peace, Global Warming,... |
Sep 24 2001 Green Gulch |
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Wednesday Lecture Mill Valley, Peace, Fasting, Zendo, Faith, Commitment, Monastic Practice,... |
Sep 26 2001 Green Gulch |
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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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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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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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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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January 30th, 2002, Serial No. 03945 Vows, Practice Period, Delusion, Letting Go, Attachment, Suzuki Roshi, Equanimity,... |
Jan 30 2002 City Center |
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Arbor DaySerial: SF-01071 Sunday Lecture Commitment, Tassajara, Non-violence, Nirvana, Practice Period, Continuous,... |
Feb 10 2002 Green Gulch |
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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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Zen and Poetry Class Light-and-Darkness, Silence, Freedom, Practice Period, Enemies, Bell, Precepts, Zoom... |
Mar 26 2002 Green Gulch |
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April 13th, 2002, Serial No. 00067 Blue Cliff Record, Nirvana, Posture, Practice Period, Demons |
Apr 13 2002 |
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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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Wednesday LectureSerial: SF-01087 A defining moment of metaphor, Dale Wright, time is money, need to create new metaphors for American zen, too green to burn, Daigan and Arlene leaving GGF "AS" realization, Aspects of Practice, Lotus Sutra, Letting Go, Practice Period, Delusion... |
May 08 2002 Green Gulch |
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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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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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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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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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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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Way-seeking MindSerial: SF-04024 Tanto job, informal very ZC (?) Suzuki Roshi, Letting Go, Doubt, Daily Life, Practice Period, Tassajara, confusion,... |
Jun 12 2002 City Center |
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2002.06.19-serial.00154Serial: SF-00154 Wednesday talk. Happiness, Monastic Practice, Don't Know Mind, Practice Period, Conversation,... |
Jun 19 2002 |
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Kinhin and BowingSerial: BZ-00151A Sesshin Day 3 Kinhin, Bowing, Attachment, Monastic Practice, Priest, Lay, Practice Period, Anger,... |
Jun 21 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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How to Draw Sound From the BellSerial: BZ-00152A Sesshin Day 5 Bell, Bell, Precepts, Soto Zen, Chanting, Mindfulness, Practice Period, Doubt, Lay,... |
Jun 23 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Wednesday LectureSerial: SF-01051 A sense of place, a valley of ancestors, apprentices finding their place, Harry Roberts' last remarks, 500-year view, mastodon tooth, mountains and rivers, walking mindfully,... Blue Cliff Record, Dragons, Bell, Practice Period, zen meditation, Commitment,... |
Jul 10 2002 Green Gulch |
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Summer Practice with GuestsSerial: BZ-00115 Lecture Practice Position, Attachment, Teacher-and-Student, Buddha Nature, Sangha, Daily Life... |
Aug 08 2002 |
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September 19th, 2002, Serial No. 00455 confusion, Mindfulness, Practice Period, Evil, Nirvana, Cultivation, Anger,... |
Sep 19 2002 |
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Trip to JapanSerial: BZ-00210B Saturday Lecture Japan, Bell, resistance, soto, American, Heart Sutra, Chanting, Practice Period,... |
Sep 28 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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October 10th, 2002, Serial No. 00973 Tassajara, Practice Period, Mill Valley, training, Rumi, Vows, Intimacy, Commitment,... |
Oct 10 2002 City Center |
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2002.10.19-serial.00059 Suzuki Roshi, Buddha Nature, Zazen, Manjushri, Practice Period, Buddha Ancestors,... |
Oct 19 2002 City Center |
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October 23rd, 2002, Serial No. 00974 Zendo, Suzuki Roshi, Freedom, Mill Valley, Heart Sutra, Birth-and-Death, Letting Go,... |
Oct 23 2002 City Center |
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October 26th, 2002, Serial No. 00169, Side B Aspects of Practice, Mindfulness, Bowing, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period, Posture,... |
Oct 26 2002 |
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November 16th, 2002, Serial No. 00171, Side B Daily Life, true dharma, Lay, Lay Practice, Conversation, Lotus Sutra, Instruction,... |
Nov 16 2002 |
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November 16th, 2002, Serial No. 00977 Ordinary Mind, Practice Period, Mindfulness, Letting Go, Suzuki Roshi, Freedom,... |
Nov 16 2002 City Center |
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December 13th, 2002, Serial No. 03924 Separation, Ceremony, Daily Life, Practice Period, Silence, Passions, Commitment,... |
Dec 13 2002 City Center |