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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250429
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SUMMARY:[Sonnenhof Mini-Ango - not @ MC]
DESCRIPTION:Valerie Forstman and John Gaynor will be in Germany at Sonnenhof Zen Center for a mini-ango — a month long practice period. This year\, for the first time\, Sonnenhof is dedicating the month to mini-ango participants (no other groups)\, so there will be plenty of space. \nThe dates for 2025 are April 29 (beginning with supper) – May 25 (ending after breakfast). As always\, participants are welcome to come for all or any part of the time. \n  \nSee the full invitation below! \nSo far\, from 2014 to 2024\, Sanbo Zen has held nine Mini-Angos in May\, at Sonnenhof\, in\nthe Black Forest. These Mini-Angos have been led by Valerie Forstman (Associate Zen\nMaster)\, and John Gaynor (Zen Teacher). The next Mini-Ango is booked at Sonnenhof for 29th April to 25th May 2025 (led by\nValerie and John). \nThese Mini-Angos are open to anyone who is a practicing member of Sanbo Zen\, and\nhave always been well supported by members from Germany\, North America\, England\,\nand Europe. They are also open to anyone practicing Zen or Contemplation at Sonnenhof.\nSonnenhof is well equipped to accommodate up to 50 participants. Usually\, there are\nabout 30 participants at any one time\, and many people choose to come for a shorter\nperiod than 28 days\, depending on their circumstances. \nSo what are the reasons for coming to Mini-Ango\, as opposed to a shorter\nsesshin of 5-7 days? \nOne reason is Dogen (1200-1253)\, whose teaching is central to Sanbo Zen. The Sanbo\nZen Web Site states: “The fundamental position of Sanbo Zen is to stand at the origin\npoint of Buddhism\, through the Dharma gate of Dogen.”\nYamada Koun wrote this mission statement\, following his own Great Enlightenment\nexperience\, which itself arose out of his intimate relationship with Dogen.\nPerhaps Dogen’s most famous work is his ‘Shobogenzo’ (‘Treasury of the True Dharma\nEye’). This is a massive work of 96 Essays\, including one Essay entitled ‘Ango’ (90 day\nsummer practice period). In this Essay\, Dogen makes very clear that if we practice sitting\nfor at least one Ango in our lifetime\, we can discover\, experience and explore our true\nDharma nature to its fullest extent.\nHere is some of what Dogen says about Ango:\n“To experience a summer Ango is to experience all buddhas and all ancestors. To\nexperience a summer Ango is to see buddhas and ancestors directly. Buddhas and\nancestors have been produced by the summer Ango for a long\, long time.”\n“Sitting for ninety days of summer is an ancient method used by authentic buddha\nancestors for turning the dharma wheel [freeing all beings].”\n“Participation in Ango is the body and mind\, eye\, and life energy of buddha ancestors.\nBuddhas and bodhisattvas made of mud\, wood\, metal\, or the seven precious substances\nall sit the three-month summer Ango together. Ango is the buddha’s instruction\, an\nauthentic custom that maintains the buddha-dharma-sangha (Three Treasures).”\nAnyone reading Dogen’s exhortations cannot but form the determination one day to attend\nAngo\, or Mini-Ango. This is not just because Dogen is defending a well tried and tested\nBuddhist tradition. It is clear from his passion\, and expressive wording\, that he is\npromoting far more than mere tradition. He is opening the Dharma gate itself. He is not just\ninviting\, but urgently urging you to experience for yourself the opportunity to discover\,\nexplore and intimately realise the full extent of the Buddha Mind itself. Ango and Mini-Ango\nprovide the possibility of being eyeball to eyeball with all the buddha ancestors. \nHistory of the Mini-Ango\nBut the opportunity to hold an Ango took time in coming. Where to do this? It is not so easy\nto find a suitable place that will allow a small group of people to sit for 90 days\, with all the\nsupport that is required. Finally\, in 2009\, after many discussions with other Zen Teachers\,\nLore Molly stepped forward\, and offered her invaluable support at Sonnenhof. Lore had\nonce sat on her own solo Ango\, and knew first hand of the benefits that long periods of\ncontinuous sitting could bring.\nPlans were made to hold the first Sanbo Zen Ango at Sonnenhof in April to July 2012\, and\nthis gave over two years for people to plan ahead for leaving their families\, jobs\, and\nfriends for such a long period of time.\nIn 2012\, the Ango was duly held. Ango participants varied throughout the time from\nbetween 12 to 18. In addition\, there were short courses held by other teachers throughout\,\nso Sonnenhof was used to its full extent. The Ango moved to and fro between the main\nlarge Zendo\, and the smaller upstairs Zendo. We lived and breathed Dogen\, and the\nBuddha ancestors.\nIt was interesting that after 15 days\, there was a sudden deepening of the sitting to a new\nlevel far beyond that attainable on a 5-7 day sesshin. Then after 21-24 days\, many of the\nparticipants experienced insights\, and small and large experiences. After 30 days\, the\nsitting settled into a deep state of samadhi (balanced state of concentration). Of course\,\nthere were occasional sudden upsurges of separate self\, but these rarely lasted more than\na day.\nFor the leader of the Ango\, John Gaynor\, there were many lessons to be learned. So much\nso\, that afterwards\, it seemed necessary for him to go on a 28 day solo retreat at\nSonnenhof in May 2013 in order to assimilate all that had been experienced. This was an\ninvaluable time. \n2. \nOne of the conclusions was that it would be a good idea to have an intermediate form of\nMini-Ango for people to try out\, before leaping from a 5-7 day retreat to a 90 day retreat.\nThe ideal time seemed to be 28 days\, and this proved to be a very manageable time. It\nincluded the vital deepening period after 15 days\, and the insightful period of 21-24\ndays\, and was an easier period for participants to arrange away from their usual\nlives. \nAnother conclusion was that\, ideally\, there needed to be two leaders\, preferably one\nfemale and one male. For this reason\, all the Mini-Ango’s have been led by Valerie and\nJohn\, enabling fruitful sharing of the Teaching through Teisho’s and Dokusans. \nFinally\, returning to the original three questions: What are the reasons for\ndoing Ango or Mini-Ango; What are the likely experiences; and What are the\nlikely outcomes? \nThese are best pinpointed by Joshu\, and Dogen.\nJoshu once said\, “Brothers and sisters\, just sit\, and penetrate the principle. If you do so for\ntwenty or thirty years\, and still do not understand the Way\, then take this old monk’s head\,\nand make it into a ladle for scooping up excrement and urine.”\nDogen commented on this advice\, “The ancient Buddha Joshu spoke like this\, and present\npeople do such practice. How could we be deceived? Simply because of being bound by\nsounds and colours\, and without realising one’s discriminative thinking\, one is not yet able\nto be liberated. Such people are willing to vainly appear and disappear within the dusts of\nsounds and colours. Now we can encounter the current opportunity [to sit intensively\, and\nthereby penetrate the principle\, and better understand the Way].” \nInvitation \nSo please feel free to join the May 2025 Mini-Ango to discover and experience how long\nand intensive sitting can extend the length\, breadth and depth of your daily practice to\naltogether new levels.\nTo book\, just contact Peter Van den Hoeven by email at info@sonnenhof-holzinshaus.de.
URL:https://www.mountaincloud.org/event/sonnenhof-mini-ango-not-mc/
LOCATION:Mountain Cloud Zen Center and Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Retreats,Sanbo Zen,Sesshin,Special Events
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