Ango Intensive – Fall

Ango—the traditional three-month training period in Zen—is usually a commitment for residential students. This intensive compresses that spirit into a long weekend, held in the fall at Zen Mountain Monastery in upstate New York. Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi, leads the retreat in the Soto Zen lineage, which emphasizes zazen (sitting meditation) as the direct expression of Buddha-nature rather than a means to an end.

The retreat follows a traditional sesshin schedule: early morning wake, multiple sitting periods separated by kinhin (walking meditation), formal meals, and dokusan (private meetings with the teacher). The specific mention of oryoki bowls for formal students signals that breakfast will be eaten in the traditional Zen manner—a mindful, ritualized practice using nested bowls and cloths—rather than in a dining hall. This is both a practice deepener and a marker of what the center expects from students already training there.

Zen Mountain Monastery sits on 230 acres in the Catskills. If you're new to sesshin, expect silence outside of formal instruction, a simple room, and a pace that feels slow compared to ordinary life. Bring warm layers for November in the mountains, your meditation cushion if you have one, and oryoki bowls if you're a formal student; the center can provide basic supplies for newcomers.