The Nyung-Nay or fasting retreat is a Vajrayana practice, from the Kriya (“Action”) class of Tantra. It is a powerful, quick and effective method to purify a lot of negativities and at the same time collect a vast amount of merit. Meditators of the past have been known to purify such diseases as leprosy through this practice. However, the principal purpose of the practice is the attainment of supreme enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings.
One should have received an Avalokitesvara initiation in order to do this retreat. If this is not the case, one should have received a complete initiation from one of the three higher classes of tantra, or an initiation of one of the deities of the tathagata or lotus family of Kriya Tantra. As an absolute minimum, one should have taken refuge.
A Nyung Nay retreat consists of 7 sessions spread over 3 days. In each session we practice the sadhana (“The Means of Achievement of the Eleven-Faced Great Compassionate One”) of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha-form symbolizing compassion. The sadhana involves meditating on bodhicitta (the aspiration to attain enlightenment in order to help all beings), visualizing, reciting prayers and mantras, and performing prostrations. Each session takes between 2 - 3 hours.
Participants arrive at the retreat center the evening before the first day. On the first day of the Nyung.Nay, we take the 8 Mahayana Precepts: avoidance of killing, stealing, sexual activity, telling lies, taking intoxicants, eating more than one meal, singing, etc., wearing ornaments, etc. and using high seats or beds. Three sessions of the sadhana are practised on the first day.
On the second day, we take the 8 Mahayana Precepts, as above, with the additional vows of not eating, drinking or speaking for the next 24 hours. Three sessions of the sadhana are practised on this day. Although we vow to keep silence, we continue to recite the prayers and mantras of the sadhana. If communication between participants is necessary, it must be done through writing notes.
The second day is the most difficult part of the retreat. We experience hunger, thirst, tiredness and aches and pains from doing prostrations. Some people feel ill from the fasting. However, if we understand the purpose of the practice, we will not mind the discomfort. By experiencing hardships in our Dharma practice, we are able to purify a great deal of our negative karma accumulated over countless previous lives. We can also build up positive habits and states of mind to counteract the negative ones. Although the Buddha advised the “middle way” - not too soft, not too tough - the discomfort experienced during a nyung.nay is bearable and not too tough. Also, it helps us have better understanding of the suffering experienced by animals and hungry ghosts (and some humans!), and thus develop greater compassion for sentient beings, and greater renunciation of samsara.
We do the 7th and last session of the Nyung.Nay in the early morning of the third day. Following that, the fast is broken with a soothing drink. Participants are free to leave after breakfast.
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