April 12: Nyungne Purification Retreat

This event is free and open to all, however, please carefully read the information below to ensure you are comfortable with the requirements for participation. Please arrive a few minutes early. The retreat will begin promptly at 6:30 am and late arrivals will not be permitted. You must attend the 6:30am Precepts in order to participate in any part of this retreat. No registration – just walk-in.

On this special day, we will celebrate Buddha’s Enlightenment Day. This marks the occasion when Buddha Shakyamuni showed the manner of accomplishing the ultimate goal of living beings – the attainment of enlightenment – at Bodh Gaya, India in 589 BC. With this auspicious deed, he demonstrated how each of us can overcome all internal and external obstacles and hindrances and become an enlightened person. To celebrate this special day, we will engage in a one-day Nyungne Purification Retreat.

Nyungne is a special fasting and purification practice performed in conjunction with prostrations and prayers to Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion. This is a very powerful method for purifying negativity of body, speech, and mind, and for pacifying strong delusions such as desirous attachment and hatred. It is also a special way of receiving blessings and for improving our minds of love, compassion, and bodhichitta. This practice is done annually at Kadampa Buddhist centers throughout the world to celebrate Buddha’s Enlightenment Day.

To participate in this retreat you must agree to do the following:

1. Take and observe precepts for one day. Precepts are special vows of moral discipline that you promise to observe diligently for 24 hours. A ceremony for taking precepts will be conducted at 6:30 am. You must participate in this ceremony in order to attend the retreat. You may participate in any one or all of the 3 sessions after taking precepts at 6:30 am.
2. Please continue reading below for more detailed information about the precepts.
3. Engage in fasting for one day. This involves abstaining from all meals during a 24-hour period, except for lunch on Saturday. You should also avoid eating certain foods during lunch, including alcohol, meat, eggs, onion, garlic, and spices.

Please note that this retreat mainly involves chanting prayers and making physical prostrations. A brief explanation of how to engage in the practice will be given during the 6:30 am session, however after that, no further instruction or guidance will be given. You may wish to have a yoga or exercise mat available for making prostrations.  If you are unable to do physical prostrations, you can do mental prostrations only.

24- Hour RETREAT SCHEDULE 
**Note: Attending the 6:30 am Precepts is required to participate in any part of this retreat.**
Precepts   6:30 – 7 :15 am
Retreat 1   7:30 – 8:45am
Retreat 2   9:45 – 11:00 am
Lunch 11:30 am – 12:30 pm (vegetarian lunch provided)
Retreat 3   1:00 – 2:15 pm
Please note: Participants must continue fasting and observing the precepts until 6:30 am the following morning.

About the Precepts

The practice of taking and keeping the eight Mahayana precepts is a special practice of moral discipline that is performed with bodhichitta intention, the compassionate wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. The essence of this practice is taking eight precepts and keeping them purely for twenty-four hours. When we take precepts, we explicitly promise to abstain for twenty-four hours from eight actions which include: (1) killing; (2) stealing; (3) sexual activity; (4) lying; (5) taking intoxicants; (6) eating after lunch (meaning we only eat lunch); (7) sitting on high or luxurious thrones or seats; (8) wearing ornaments, perfume, singing & dancing.

Because this practice is motivated by bodhichitta it is especially powerful for purifying negativities, accumulating merit, and creating the cause for us to attain the unsurpassed happiness of enlightenment.

If you have any questions about this retreat, please contact us at info@meditationinfortmyers.org.

Prayer Booklets
We will be using the following prayer booklets during the retreat. Copies will be available to use onsite during the retreat.
A Pure Life
The practice of taking and keeping the eight Mahayana precepts
Drop of Essential Nectar
A special fasting and purification practice in conjunction with Eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara

If you wish to purchase your own copy of these prayer booklets you may do so via Tharpa Publications using the link below. Pure Life https://tharpa.com/us/a-pure-life-bookletDrop of essential Nectar https://tharpa.com/us/drop-of-essential-nectar-booklet