Details:
Date: 12th – 17th February
Retreat Leader: Francesca Sanchez
Requirements: having faith in Buddhist teachings
Cost: We have received a very generous donation from Nick Grant who kindly offered to cover the cost of up to 10 retreatants to practice this double Nyung Nay retreat at Land of Joy.
Our hope is that from this sponsorship we can develop and nurture a committed Nyung Nay practice group at Land of Joy of both new and more experienced retreatants. This as an opportunity to familiarise and go deeper into the Chenrezig practice together, creating oodles of merit during Losar, whilst simultaneously fulfilling the wishes of the sponsor, Nick.
The sponsorship will cover the next four years. In return, we only ask of the retreatants to offer their heartfelt practice.
Format: onsite only
Start and Finish times: a detailed schedule will be published closer to the time
Accommodation: Land of Joy wishes for everyone who visits the centre to feel welcome, accepted, safe and secure. Our accommodation options are very limited, with mostly single sex shared accommodation and only one single room (which is sometimes needed by volunteers). This means single accommodation can only be offered to those who need it the most, but still won’t always be available. Camping can be an option at certain times of year if you have your own tent but space is very limited. Please read the relevant sections of the booking form carefully.
About the Retreat
The Nyung Nay retreat is a two day intensive practice of Chenresig, the Buddha of Compassion, involving meditating on bodhicitta, visualizing Chenresig, reciting prayers, chanting compassion mantras, and performing prostrations. We start early in the morning taking the 24-hour Mahayana Precepts with the addition of complete fasting (no food or drink) and silence on the second day. Doing even one Nyung Nay for just two days is said to be as effective as three months of other purification practices and is extremely powerful for purifying negative karma and opening the heart to compassion.
What you need for the retreat: Preferably a mala, vajra & bell and offerings for the altar
12th – 17h June: All two Nyung Nays
It may be possible to come for one Nyung Nay, depending on numbers.
What is the purpose of this practice?
Lama Yeshe says, “It is nothing other than developing and expanding the dedicated heart of bodhicitta…take the practice of thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara…the whole reason for having your consciousness manifest as a divine light-being with one thousand arms is so that you can lend a hand to one thousand suffering beings.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, “While doing a Nyung Nay, we may experience hunger, thirst, tiredness, pain and other difficulties. The more difficulties…the greater the purification…and we experience the hardships not only for ourselves but for the sake of the happiness of all sentient beings…Since it’s an intense practice, it’s very helpful for realizations…With Nyung Nay practice, you also receive the blessings of Guru Chenrezig in your heart, which makes your mind softer… When you meditate on renunciation, impermanence and death, compassion or bodhicitta, you will feel it strongly. You recite the words and then you feel them in your heart. Otherwise, you recite the words but your heart is like stone; there’s no connection between your heart and the words.”
About the Teacher
