Definition of Nyungne Practice

THE FASTING PRACTICE of Nyungne is a well known, very popular, and profound purification practice that is widely performed in Tibet. One set of Nyungne consists of two days of practice. The first day is the preliminary day, and the second day is the actual fasting day. One takes what is called the Tekchen Sojong vow, the mahayana vow of Restoring and Purifving Ordination, with a total of eight precepts, and on the preliminary day one eats only one meal with drinks for the entire day. The meal is completely and purely vegetarian, which means it is free from any meat sub¬stance as well as onions, garlic, eggs, etc. The next day is a complete fast with no meals or drinks, and one must also be silent.

This important and well cherished fasting practice can be done by anyone. The only requirement is that if you are not a Buddhist, you must take the vow of refuge as well as the bodhisattva vow, and you must receive the empowerment for Thousand-Armed Chenrezig. As long as one is willing to receive these teachings, one is welcome to participate in the practice.

The Benefit of Doing Nyung Nay

By keeping the eight vows which are:

l. No killing

2. No stealing

3. No sex

4. No telling lies

5. No drinking alcohol

6. No singing or dancing, makeup or ornaments

7. No evening meals

8. No sitting in high seats

for a period of 48 hours, along with The Chenrezig Practise
and reciting The Mani Mantra, by doing these things brings a real
benefit to the practioner and to the place where he or she practices.
By keeping the eight vows thoroughly for twenty-four hours purifies
the bad karma that will cause an individual to fall into The Hell
Realm and by fasting one purifies the bad karma to be reborn in The
Hungry Ghost Realm. By keeping silent one purifies the bad karma to
be reborn in The Animal Realm.

All suffering and misfortune comes front negative powers, so The
Nyung Nay practice is to increase the positive powers so that it can
bring happiness and harmony. It is one of the most effective
practices to purify our defilements, and to purify environmental
pollution.

By doing group practice one creates a very efficient method for
extending our lives, and stopping disease, drought, and also war. The
Nyung Nay practice was founded by Bhikshuni Phalmo who was a serious
leprosy patient. By doing this practice for a period of twelve years
along with The Chenrezig practice, she became a great Siddhi. By
reciting The Mani Mantra it purifies the six seeds of the six realms
and it pacifies the suffering of all beings and brings peace to the
world, so in this degenerate time it is the best practice for the
cause of World Peace. Finally, it brings enlightenment, Bhikshuni
Phalmo attained The Celestial Body, she sees Chenrezig anytime.

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Nyung Nay

Nyungne (pronounced nyung-nay) is a traditional retreat which includes vows for fasting and silence. Periods of group mediation are interspersed with periods for individual practice, study and reflection. Each day, we eat a large midday feast together, with assigned groups alternating cooking responsibilities and observing no meat or eggs. Nyungne, literally "ritual fasting," is a practice that belongs generally to the Mahayana, and more specifically to the Kriya Tantra tradition. However, the wonderful thing about this practice is that it generally acts as a framework for discipline and diligence, and practitioners of all levels--from beginners to practitioners of Atiyoga Dzogchen--can do the practice together, each at their own level. We focus on generating Bodhichitta and training in the view of meditation, relying upon the practices of Avalokitesvara and Medicine Buddha. Anyen Rinpoche also gives general practice instructions each morning.

A Brief History of Nyungne

Nyungne was adopted as a formal style of practice after a great female Siddha from India, named Gelongma Palmo, attained realization using just this method. Gelongma Palmo was born a princess in the land of Orgyen, also the birthplace of Padmasambhava. Because she was highly educated and had a strong aptitude for Dharma, she developed renunciation and became a nun. However, after joining a nunnery, she developed leprosy and was cast out to live on her own in the wilderness. Gelongma Palmo took up ritual fasting as a strict, daily discipline. She focused herself wholly on the practice of 1000-Armed Avalokitesvara, until she saw the face of Avalokitesvara himself, and attained realization that equaled his. After this divine vision, her body healed and she no longer showed any signs of illness.

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