ANGO
No one can deny that there is a connection between the time and effort we put into our practice and the depth and extent of our insight. Of course, there is a danger in treating that connection as it it were equivalent to adding more quarters to the gum ball machine and expecting to get more gum balls as a result. (It just doesn't work like that, as anyone who has practiced for any length of time will tell you.) Still, undertaken with right understanding and right aspiration there is value in upping our game from time to time in order to fuel our effort, expose our egos to some much needed abrasion, and bolster our determination going forward. And while we certainly are able to deepen our practice on our own, undertaking such intensification knowing there are others doing the same can only help fortify that bond we share as plain practitioners of the path set forth by the Buddha.
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From the earliest days of the Dharma, periods of intensified practice were built into the annual schedule. In ancient times, these coincided with the rainy season, when roads were impassible and the monastics were stuck together for several months anyway. Later, in Zen circles, these were reformatted as two 90-day periods a year known as ango, or peaceful abiding, when time on the mat was increased and other practices that helped cultivate and hone insight were taken on.
Here at the CZC we schedule two ango periods a year, six weeks each, one in early spring and one in the fall.​ They are intended as opportunities to take more concerted aim at the grounds of ego-delusion by engaging more concertedly in the Center's offerings. What might one undertake during such a period? Here are some suggestions:
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• If you are in town and have never come on a Sunday (missing out on chanting and teisho), you might commit to some particular number of Sundays to take part in the full range of practice.
• If you are in town and do not come during the week (when there is just some solid sitting, especially on Thursdays when the practice block is longer), you might consider committing to some particular number of weeknights or mornings.
• If you have been attending sittings with any frequency but have not availed yourself of dokusan much (or at all), you could commit to making dokusan a more integral part of your practice.
• If you live out of town and are not in the koan collections, you might commit to some particular number of zoom dokusans.
• If you live out of town and are in the koan collections, you might consider committing to one or two zoom dokusans a week.
• If you feel that tending to the temple might strengthen your dedication to your personal and our collective practice, you could commit to some hours of volunteer work around the place.
• If you'd like to hone your understanding of the Dharma you could commit to reading a key text from the tradition and arranging to discuss it with the teacher at times scheduled outside of dokusan. (This option is limited to those who have an established practice already; reading and discussion are not substitutes for, but rather a means for deepening and sharpening one's practice.)
• Finally, if you have never attended sesshin (or haven't attended in quite a while, or have not yet attended a sesshin from start to finish) you could sign on for the sesshin that falls during the ango period.
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Whatever your commitment, make it known to the teacher before ango begins using this form. No one but you and the teacher will know what you are up to (thereby guarding against the temptation, however subtle, for comparing your practice with others). Don't bite off more than you can reasonably chew, but don't be shy about gently pushing some limits, either. Above all, be unflinchingly honest about both your intentions and your practice. If you find your commitment flagging, get yourself back on track or else inform the teacher that you are tapping out.
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Upcoming ango periods will be announced with an email and indicated on the home page and the CZC calendar as they approach.