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. Together, they were protected from the rains, in community and under the Buddha’s guidance. The 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?
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 talk below by by Guiding Teacher Zuisei Goddard. The video of this talk, transcript, and related resources to explore, are available here.
What is a Dharma Encounter?
The Dharma Encounter is an intimate meeting between the teacher and sangha in 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. It helps to test and sharpen their understanding and realization of the dharma. Encounters are modeled on the Buddhist Chan tradition of Dharma Combat between Buddhist masters and their disciples in 9th century China.
Each ango OMS offers a Dharma Encounter during the In-person Sesshin, often engaging the subject of the Buddhist Study Series, which changes each season. When there is a shuso present, that student leads the encounter with the teacher overseeing. In the audio below, Zuisei and the sangha engage in an encounter, delving into the teachings of the bodhisattva Vimalakirti. Watch the video here.
Ango for Homedwellers: Your Practice
Sitting for longer or more frequent periods, devoting time for a separate study of a Buddhist text, committing to silent, mindful meals are a few examples of the ways in which we can choose to intensify our practice offline. Choose or create a practice that is meaningful to your own path. 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.
Shuso Brian Ryuan Pontolilo and Zuisei Goddard bow to each other at the OMS Fall Sesshin. Photo by Alexandra Komyo Brown.
Ango at OMS
If you would like to take part in ango formally, plan to join us for Fall Ango 2026.
At OMS these periods of practice take place in spring and autumn. In preparation, formal Ango participants are asked to reflect on how they might deepen their Buddhist practice during this time, and to share this with Guiding Teacher Zuisei before the period begins. All ango events are open to everyone, you do not have to be a formal participant to attend. Each ango includes the Buddhist Study Series in which a Zuisei leads for sessions on the chosen theme of that ango, and the In-person Sesshin.
To stay informed about all upcoming events at Ocean Mind Sangha, sign up for here.
*Banner photo by Casey Olsen