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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."

From Ango on Wikipedia

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Title Speaker

Tassajara Summer and Practice

Serial: BZ-00107

Lecture

Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Practice, Practice Period, Tassajara Zen Mountain...
Jul 21 1993

Consistency and the Path to Destiny

Serial: BZ-00669A

Saturday lecture 

Constancy, confusion, Practice Period, Chanting, Passions, Conversation, Building,...
Jun 19 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Shusho Hossen Ceremony

Serial: BZ-00671

Ceremony

Bodhidharma, Practice Period, Bell, Giving-and-Taking, Renunciation, Ordinary Mind,...
Jun 15 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Tree Practice

Serial: BZ-00653B

Sesshin Day 2

Birth-and-Death, Interdependence, Bodhidharma, Buddha Ancestors, Lay, Dragons,...
Jun 10 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Blue Cliff Record Case #1: Bodhidharma’s Later Years

Serial: BZ-00667A

Lecture

Bodhidharma, Eka, Buddha Mind, Blue Cliff Record, Book of Serenity, Practice Period,...
May 29 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Transmission of Light: The 38th Ancestor Seigen Gyoshi; Not Getting Caught in Stages

Serial: BZ-00666B

Saturday Lecture

Seigen Gyoshi, Liberation, Lineage, Buddha Nature, Bodhidharma, Current Events, Don...
May 22 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Keizan’s Transmitting Light; Tung Shan: the Teaching of Inanimate Things

Serial: BZ-00665B

Lecture

Attachment, Discrimination, Lotus Sutra, War, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period,...
May 15 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Blue Cliff Record Case #1: Bodhidharma’s Coming from the West

Serial: BZ-00665A

Lecture

Bodhidharma, Family Practice, Practice Period, Buddha Mind, Dharma Transmission,...
May 08 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Practice Period: Renewing One's Commitment to Practice

Serial: BZ-00664B

One-Day Sitting

Practice Period, Daily Life, Commitment, Big Mind, Practice Period, Zoom, Building...
May 01 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Bringing Practice into Everyday Life

Serial: BZ-00664A

Lecture

Right Speech, American, confusion, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period, Precepts,...
Apr 24 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Unknown Title

Serial: BZ-00112

Lecture

Practice Period, Commitment, Daily Life, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Gratitude,...
Apr 17 1993
Tassajara

Ten Precepts: Tenth Precept

Serial: BZ-00621

Class 6 of 6

Precepts, Vow, Practice Period, Dharma Transmission, Renunciation, Repentance, Evil,...
Feb 18 1993
6
Berkeley Zen Center

Darkness and Light: The Winter Holiday

Light-and-Darkness, Darkness-and-Light, Five Ranks, Discrimination, Samsara, Teacher-...
Dec 19 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

The Fallow Field, Grassroots and the Ginko: The Being that Refused to Evolve

Serial: BZ-00643B

Lecture

Practice Period, Non-violence, War, Interdependence, Vow, Doubt, Avalokiteshvara,...
Nov 21 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Hongzhi (Zen Master)

Serial: BZ-00642A

Saturday Lecture

Hongzhi, Priest, Priest-and-Lay, Silent Illumination, Lay, Practice Period,...
Oct 31 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Paramitas: Dhyana (Meditation)

Serial: BZ-00614

Class 5 of 6

Concentration, Hindrances, Mindfulness, Instruction, Death-and-Dying, Mahayana,...
Oct 15 1992
5
Berkeley Zen Center

The Dragon Who Never Sleeps: Taisho on Gathas and their Use

Serial: BZ-00640

Lecture

Vow, Priest, Bodhisattva Precepts, Right Speech, Lay, Mahayana, Evil, Practice Period...
Oct 12 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Paramitas: Virya (Effort)

Serial: BZ-00613

Class 4 of 6

Right Effort, Enemies, Attachment, Patience, Birth-and-Death, confusion, Practice...
Oct 08 1992
4
Berkeley Zen Center

Blue Cliff Record: Case #44

Serial: 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

Shusho Hossen

Serial: BZ-00630

Ceremony

Giving-and-Taking, Bodhidharma, Absolute-and-Relative, Dragons, Practice Period,...
Jun 28 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Genjokoan

Serial: BZ-00709A

Sesshin Day 1

Genjokoan, Duality, Birth-and-Death, Non-duality, Emotions, Practice Period,...
Jun 24 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Shosan Ceremony

Serial: BZ-00708A

Ceremony

Shosan, Forgiveness, Right Effort, Silence, Practice Period, Gratitude, Peace...
Jun 15 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

What is Buddha?

Serial: BZ-00713A

Sesshin Day 1

Buddha, Big Mind, Practice Period, Daily Life, Buddha Nature, Absolute-and-Relative,...
May 17 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Introduction to Buddhism: Heart Sutra, Emptiness

Serial: BZ-00278

Class 5 of 5

Heart Sutra, Dependent Origination, Bell, Practice Period, Chanting, Bodhisattva...
Feb 20 1992
5
Berkeley Zen Center

Avatamsaka Sutra: The Ten Stages; First Two Stages

Serial: BZ-00274

Class 1 of 4

Four Noble Truths, Enthusiasm, Passions, Vow, Lineage, Concentration, Practice Period...
Nov 07 1991
1
Berkeley Zen Center

The Fire, Suffering, and Relationship With Japan

Serial: BZ-00702B

Saturday Lecture

Japan, Current Events, Practice Period, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Demons, Birth-...
Oct 26 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

Talk to Tokubetsu Sesshin

Serial: BZ-00624

Sesshin

Practice Period, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Building, Gratitude, confusion,...
Oct 13 1991

Early Days of Suzuki-rôshi

Serial: BZ-00750B

Tokubetsu Sesshin: Japanese and American, Saturday Lecture

Suzuki Roshi, Sesshin, Tokubetsu, Practice Period, American, Transmission, War,...
Sep 28 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

Bringing Zendo Life to the World

Serial: BZ-00715B

Lecture

Family Practice, Daily Life, Giving-and-Taking, Precepts, Practice Period, Vow,...
Sep 14 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

Bodhisattva Ceremony: Plunging In

Serial: BZ-00971A

Lecture

Confession-and-Repentance, Repentance, Vow, Buddha Ancestors, Three Treasures,...
Jul 27 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

Shusho Ceremony

Serial: BZ-00969

Ceremony

Practice Period, Three Treasures, Giving-and-Taking, Sangha, Attachment, Dragons,...
Jul 01 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

Title Unknown

Serial: BZ-00726

Lecture part 2, part 1 is missing

Hindrances, Addiction, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Anger, Doubt, Lay, Ego,...
May 13 1991
2
Berkeley Zen Center

Heart Sutra: The Sutra’s Place in History

Serial: BZ-00267

Class 1 of 4

Heart Sutra, Chanting, Avalokiteshvara, Monastic Practice, Lineage, Practice Period,...
Feb 07 1991
1
Berkeley Zen Center

Genjokoan

Serial: BZ-00698A

Firewood and Ash, Rohatsu Day 6

Birth-and-Death, Monastic Practice, Buddha Nature, Peace, Impermanence, Liberation,...
Dec 07 1990
Berkeley Zen Center

Mumonkan Case 19: Ordinary Mind is the Way

Ordinary Mind, Big Mind, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Dragons, Teacher-and-Student...
Aug 03 1990
Tassajara

Ungan and Yakusan

Serial: BZ-00514B

Sesshin day 3

Birth-and-Death, Hate, Teacher-and-Student, confusion, Practice Period, Attachment,...
Jun 22 1990
Berkeley Zen Center

Tozan Today: Not One

Serial: BZ-00515A

Lecture

Five Ranks, Practice Period, Light-and-Darkness, Monastic Practice, Absolute-and-...
Jun 16 1990
Berkeley Zen Center

The Hinge; Ordinary Mind

Serial: BZ-00505B

Lecture

Ordinary Mind, Commitment, Practice Period, Posture, Lotus Sutra, Attachment, Daily...
May 26 1990
Berkeley Zen Center

Ordinary Mind is the Way

Serial: BZ-00506B

One-Day Sitting

Ordinary Mind, Ordinary Mind, Posture, Ego, Practice Period, Eight Aspects, Doubt,...
May 12 1990
Berkeley Zen Center

Blue Cliff Record Case #2

Serial: BZ-00498B

Lecture

Mill Valley, Bell, Practice Period, Conversation, Priest, Karma, Discrimination,...
Feb 17 1990
Berkeley Zen Center

Pope's Edict

Serial: BZ-00503B

Saturday Lecture

Religion, Doubt, New Year, Practice Period, Renewal, War, Peace, Building
Dec 16 1989
Berkeley Zen Center

Fall Practice Period

Serial: BZ-00386

Saturday Lecture

Practice Period, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Commitment, Priest, Daily Life,...
Nov 05 1989
Berkeley Zen Center

Abbot's Zuisse Ceremony in Japan

Serial: BZ-00385

Saturday Lecture

Zuisse, Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Practice Period, Soto Zen, Study Period,...
Oct 28 1989
Berkeley Zen Center

What Is It?

Serial: BZ-00376B

Sesshin Day 2

Practice Period, Absolute-and-Relative, confusion, Subject-and-Object, Equanimity,...
Jun 22 1989
Berkeley Zen Center

May 27th, 1989, Serial No. 00721

Serial: BZ-00721

Lecture

Precepts, Daily Life, Cultivation, Practice Period, Emotions, Posture, Anger, Birth-...
May 27 1989
Tassajara

Title Unknown

Serial: BZ-00717

Sesshin Day 7

Birth-and-Death, Observe, Bell, Impermanence, Happiness, Liberation, Mindfulness,...
Feb 24 1989
Green Gulch Farm

Title Unknown

Serial: BZ-00327

Monday Evening

Happiness, Enemies, Passions, Practice Period, Emotions, Equanimity, Mindfulness,...
Jan 09 1989
Green Gulch Farm

Title Unknown

Serial: BZ-00330

Sunday Talk

Practice Period, Hate, Non-duality, Monastic Practice, Ego, Buddha Nature, Duality,...
Jan 08 1989
Green Gulch Farm

December 14th, 1988, Serial No. 01471

Serial: BZ-01471

Seventh day of Rohatsu sesshin at Tassajara. 

Teacher-and-Student, Priest, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Intimacy, Commitment,...
Dec 14 1988
7 of 7
Tassajara

December 9th, 1988, Serial No. 01476, Side A

Serial: BZ-01476A

Sojun Roshi gives the Dharma talk on the second day of Rohatsu sesshin at Tassajara. 

Genjokoan, Priest, Teacher-and-Student, Patience, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center,...
Dec 09 1988
2 of 7
Tassajara

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