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Literally "tranquil" (an 安) "shelter" (go 居) at times when monks are "forbidden" (kin 禁) to wander "on foot" (soku 足). Originally, in ancient India, that was during the season of the monsoon rains. A reason given for the ban on travel in that season was that it was difficult to avoid stepping on and killing living beings. The rainy season, of course, was not a pleasant or healthy time for anyone to walk, sit, or sleep outdoors. In East Asian Buddhism, where observance of both a rains retreat (summer retreat) and a snow retreat (winter retreat) is customary, the rule forbidding travel applies only to monks who are registered in a monastery for a retreat. It insures stability of personnel within the monastic bureaucracy for the duration of the retreat. →"retreat."