Ango with Myogen: Apr 1 - July 5, 2026 

Ango, or practice period, is an opportunity to focus a bit more intensively on our practice and perhaps to make a commitment to ourselves to stretch a little -- to sit a little more, attend a little more frequently, learn something new or take on a particular activity.  We invite you to consider how you might deepen your practice during this time.

Ango at Sanshin is designed to include the four activities of our practice: zazen, work, study, and ritual.  This three-month period includes a sesshin, a dharma study intensive, formal ceremonies related to the ango, and a precepts retreat, in addition to our regular weekly practice.

During ango we have the additional leadership of a shuso, or head novice, who takes on various responsibilities in the sangha as an opportunity to develop clergy skills.  Our shuso for this ango is Myogen Ahlstrom.  His theme for the ango is "Being."  He will be supporting our practice, and we will be supporting his growth as a leader.  Myogen will be giving a series of eight Sunday talks, serving as doshi for monthly World Peace ceremonies, serving as ino for monthly ryaku fusatsu ceremonies, assisting with sesshin and retreats, and serving the sangha in myriad other ways while in the role of shuso here.  In June, we will recognize the coming completion of his term as shuso with two ceremonies in which he will demonstrate his dharma mastery to the sangha and his readiness to teach and serve independently.

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2026 ango schedule

April 1:  Ango begins
Sunday, April 5: Buddha's birthday
April 27 - May 1 & May 3 - 8: Virtual dharma study intensive with Okumura Roshi: Kesa Kudoku, ​Pt. II
June 2 - 7: Sesshin 
Saturday, June 20: Honsoku gyocha (formal tea and explanation of the case)
Sunday, June 21: Shuso hossen (shuso answers questions on the case)
June 30 - July 5:  Precepts retreat, ending with jukai-e (lay precepts ceremony)
July 5: Ango ends

Sunday talks

Myogen will be offering dharma talks, generally exploring the theme of "Being," described below, on the following Sunday mornings at 10 am during the ango: April 5th, 19th, & 26th; May 3rd, 17th, 23rd, & 31st; and June 28th.

Myogen's theme for the ango 

Myogen says: The description of my theme is Being. We tend to think of being as a property and apply it to our life. We say, "I am sad," as if there is a separate property of sadness apart from me, and it is now part of me. We say "I am stuck in traffic," as if that is a state of existence that is thrust upon us like a heavy blanket. The Indian concept of being is more like becoming. Now it's "I am feeling sad" --  not a property, but what you are currently feeling. Our practice is the same way. I thought when I first started Buddhism that there was this "thing," and once I got it from zazen, I would be happy, content, and not need to sit zazen any more because I got this "thing". Oh how wrong I was.

The case: To be announced

During the ango, Myogen will be working with a koan (case) from the Shoyoroku, or Book of Serenity. There will be a lecture about it during the honsoku gyocha (June 20, 7 pm) and Myogen will answer formal questions about it from the sangha during the shuso hossen (June 21, 10 am).  It will be possible for both in-person and virtual participants to ask a formal question about the case during the shuso hossen. 

About Myogen

In traditional American fashion, Myogen Mark Ahlstrom came to Buddhism through a book, The Razor's Edge ​(see film version here). He couldn't let go of the question of why Larry burned his books on the mountain top. He first took refuge at the Karna Thegsum Choling Dallas with Lama Dudjom Dorjee under the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism in 2006. In 2007 he moved to his native home of Bloomington-Normal Illinois and joined the Bloomington-Normal Zen Group (The Dharma Wind Zen Center), which he eventually ran for about five years. There he met and took precepts with Zuiko Redding at Jikyouji in Cedar Rapids (2010). He took a job with IU as a Database Administrator in 2015, and started practicing at Sanshinji.  Here he tries to balance work-life and and zen-life and usually laughs at the idea -- as if there is a difference! He was ordained as a novice by Hoko Karnegis in July of 2024.