Registration includes access to all online Ango events.

What is Ango?

During the time of the Buddha, and coinciding with India’s monsoon season, the sangha paused their wandering to come together for shelter, support, and practice. Protected from the rains, in community and under the Buddha’s guidance, monks and lay practitioners celebrated this period by turning inward and intensifying their spiritual practice. In the years that followed, Buddhists in China, Japan, and beyond continued this cyclical form of practice called ango, “peaceful dwelling.”

Why Practice Ango Today?

At OMS these periods of practice take place twice a year. We gather in the deepening quiet of Fall, so conducive to stillness and introspection, and again in the gentle awakening of early Spring. With this schedule, the intensity of a year of Buddhist practice ebbs and flows, moving from the intensive focus of ango to a more open and active awareness and back again, each period supporting the other. Likewise, sitting practice (zazen) encourages us to remain present and aware in our daily activity, and vice versa. Over time, we see that this cyclical rhythm is essential to deepen our awareness, and also to keep our practice balanced and grounded.

To learn more about why we continue this practice today, and about the role of the shuso or chief disciple during ango, listen to the Opening Talk above by Guiding Teacher Zuisei Goddard. The video of this talk, transcript, and related resources to explore, are available here.

We invite you to join us online for the upcoming ango at Ocean Mind Sangha. Return to this page to sign up when registration becomes available.

Preparing for Ango at OMS

In preparation for this intensive period, ango participants are asked to reflect on how they might deepen their Buddhist practice, sharing this with Guiding Teacher Zuisei in their Ango Commitment Form. Every moment and every activity is an opportunity for rich spiritual practice. Listen to this talk by Zuisei on the Power of Bow for an example of how even a simple act may become a powerful, transformative practice.

Sitting for longer or more frequent periods, engaging in the study of a Buddhist text, committing to silent, mindful meals are a few more examples of the ways in which we can intensify our practice. During ango, be encouraged to join OMS for Daily Zazen and Evening Zazen, the Buddhist Study Series, Private Teaching with Zuisei, and extended periods of sitting like Zazenkai, as well as the Dharma Encounter that is part of our in-person sesshin and the conclusion of ango. As the time nears, return here to view the schedule and plan your ango.

Dharma Encounter

A Dharma Encounter is an intimate meeting between the teacher and sangha and a live, spontaneous engagement of the dharma. It takes the directness of daisan (private interview) and opens it up so everyone can learn from the exchanges between teacher and students, helping to test and sharpen their understanding and realization of the dharma. Encounters are modeled on the Chan tradition of Dharma Combat between Buddhist masters and their disciples in 9th century China.

OMS offers a Dharma Encounter at the closing of each ango. In the audio above, Zuisei and the sangha engage in an encounter, delving into the teachings of the bodhisattva Vimalakirti. Watch a video of this encounter here. Dharma Encounters often engage the subject of the Ango Study Series, which changes each season.

To learn more about Ango, join us as we engage this intensive training period. Registration includes access to all online Ango events. Return to this page to sign up when registration becomes available.

If you’d like to join us for an extended sit before then, virtual meditation intensives are also offered online (Half-Day Sit, Zazenkai or Sesshin) once a month.

View our calendar or visit Calendly to learn the date and save your place in our next Ango. This page will also be revised to reflect when Ango registration is open.

To stay informed about our events, sign up for Zuisei’s newsletter Living Dharma on Substack.