Nyungne Purification Retreat: Buddha’s Enlightenment Day Celebration
Ritual practice for purifying negative karma
Friday April 11 and Saturday April 12
Free – Everyone welcome!
Please make sure you are comfortable with the requirements of this activity; it is an advanced practice.
Please note: We are offering this retreat in person only. You must attend and take Precepts to attend any of the sessions.
Schedule each day
| 6:30 am – 7:15 am | Precepts (required) |
| 7:30 am – 8:45 am | Session 1 |
| 10 am – 11:15 am | Session 2 |
| 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm | Session 3 |
What is Nyungne?
A special fasting and purification practice performed in conjunction with Eleven-faced (or Thousand-armed) Avalokiteshvara. 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 in a retreat – called the Nyungne Purifying Ritual Practice – to celebrate Buddha’s Enlightenment Day.
When we take the eight Mahayana precepts, we explicitly promise to abstain for twenty-four hours from eight actions:
- Killing
- Stealing
- Sexual activity
- Lying
- Taking intoxicants
- Eating after lunch (meaning we only eat lunch – no other food before or after, until the next morning)
- Sitting on high or luxurious thrones or seats
- Wearing ornaments, perfume, etc, and singing and dancing, etc