In Person and Online

Tangaryo

Saturday, March 22
7:30am — 5:30pm

Tangaryo

One of the requirements for becoming a Formal Student of Shinryu Roshi and the VZ teaching staff is “Tangaryo,” or all-day sitting. This custom dates to the earliest days of Zen when those wishing to enter into training would sit for long periods of time in order to demonstrate the sincerity of their aspiration. Tanga is a Japanese term meaning “staying until the morning.” It refers to the overnight stay in a Zen monastery of a wandering monk on pilgrimage. The room set aside for this purpose was known as the tangaryo.

At the Village Zendo we have continued this tradition. After discussing their wish to become a student with Shinryu Roshi, student candidates devote a day to Tangaryo. The day begins with zazen that continues until mid-afternoon. The zazen is unstructured — no bells ring to mark the end of the period and there is no kinhin. Candidates may take short breaks, if needed, to go to the bathroom or refresh themselves for further sitting.

In the middle of the afternoon, Tangaryo ends and, shortly afterwards, the new students exchange bows and sit down to tea with Roshi who greets them on behalf of the Village Zendo teaching staff.

It is customary at this time to present Roshi with a small monetary donation in lieu of other gifts. There is no minimum or maximum amount required.

With the conclusion of this ceremony, student initiation is complete and the new student is invited to participate in a short Student Entry ceremony on the day following Tangaryo.

All are welcome to attend. If you have questions, or wish to become a formal student, please contact info@villagezendo.org.

Tangaryo will be held both in person and online.

Tangaryo Schedule

7:30 – 12:00 zazen
12:00 – 1:00 lunch
1:00 – 3:30 zazen
3:30 – 3:45 break
3:45 – 5:00 ceremony

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