Special Offering
Fall Ango: Liberating Response—9/16–12/13
Recurrent
Recurrent
A monk asked Yunmen, “What is the teaching of a lifetime?”
Yunmen responds: “An appropriate response.”
A revolution involves making an evolutionary/ revolutionary leap toward becoming more socially responsible and more [compassionately] self-critical human beings. In order to transform the world, we must transform ourselves.
— Grace Lee Boggs, from Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century
Join us as Brooklyn Zen Center gathers for our Fall 2026 Ango: Liberating Response—Engaged Zen Practice In Our Selves and in the World.
Ango, or Practice Period, is a traditional Buddhist practice rooted in the ancient custom of monastics settling in one place for a season of intensive, collective practice. Ango itself means “peaceful dwelling”. It is a time of recommitment and mutual encouragement, a container in which practitioners at every stage — beginners and longtime students alike — turn toward their practice with renewed sincerity and are supported by the energy of the whole community practicing together.
Our 12-week Ango is shaped by the question at the heart of engaged Buddhist practice: how does our internal, personal practice with our own stuff relate to how we show up for and respond to the complexities and suffering of the world?
What are appropriate responses to the suffering in our world, our communities, and also within ourselves? What do we even mean by “appropriate?!” And what creates the conditions for our activity, efforts and practice to be liberative for ourselves and for others?
Our urgency, anger, outrage, confusion, and despair are all appropriate responses to the complexities and pain of our world. So too are our hope, deep intention, resilience and commitments. This fall we inquire into how illuminating all that we carry within ourselves and all that we have inherited — our histories, conditionings, social locations, and particularities — is the foundation and ground for how we more skillfully show up and respond to suffering, inequity, and injustice in the world.
This summer, as a Sangha, we will be reading Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad’s book, The Fire Inside, and have a discussion with Dr. Vesely-Flad on Wednesday, August 26, to kick us off with the themes for the Fall Practice Period. This gives a sense of the relationship between illuminating and being present with personal suffering as the basis for skillful, liberatory responding in the world.
Fee: Free for BZC members. $100 for non-members — and we warmly invite you to consider trying on BZC membership and practicing with us this fall and beyond. This fee helps cover the administrative costs of running Ango — coordinating registration, communications, and logistics for the season. Please reach out if cost is a barrier.
Not in Brooklyn? You Can Still Join: You don’t need to be in Brooklyn to join Fall Ango. You can receive the weekly practice email, and many of our offerings — including weekday zazen, Engaged Practice Groups, and Saturday Dharma Talks — can be joined online. As you go through the Ango Commitment Form, look for events marked “Online.” Remote Dharma Buddies or small groups may also be available, depending on interest — let us know in the form if you’re interested!
Questions? info@brooklynzen.org
Ango begins with an Opening Ceremony on September 16th and concludes with a Closing Ceremony on December 13th at the end of Rohatsu sesshin.
The Ango will include making a practice commitment among the following offerings:
Wednesday Evening Dharma Share is an informal, in-person gathering for the Sangha, typically including a short period of zazen followed by small and large group discussion. This fall, some evenings will focus on the Ango theme, with a new format inviting participants to offer their own brief dharma talks. Others will feature sessions on healthy boundaries in Buddhist sanghas and other community offerings.
Banner image: Mike Newhall, Buddha Field (watercolor).
Our health and wellness policy for all visitors has been updated for our current post-pandemic times while still prioritizing community care.
Please see BZC’s Updated Health & Wellness Policy for more information.
To request a refund for this program you must notify BZC in writing at least 2 days before the beginning of the program. This supports the organizing effort involved in managing registrations and cancellations.