This wonderful two day retreat is a special fasting and purification practice, Nyungnay, based on the sadhana ‘Drop of Essential Nectar’ and includes the practice of taking the eight Mahayana precepts.

This practice is a very powerful method for purifying our body, speech and mind, and for pacifying delusions. It is also a special method for receiving blessings and improving our experience of love, compassion and the supreme good heart of bodhichitta.

We can spend two days with Thousand-Armed (eleven-faced) Avalokiteshvara – “Mahakaruna” – the nature of our Guru’s great compassion, making exquisite offerings, praises, and prostrations and thereby accumulate huge merit, purify vast negativity for ourselves and others and receive the most powerful blessing to propel ourself swiftly along our path to enlightenment.

The Practice

Both days will begin with the Mahayana precepts, where we take vows to abstain from certain actions for 24 hours (everyone attending the retreat will need to attend this morning session). On the first day it is customary to abstain from all meals apart from lunch. On the second day we engage in a complete fast, abstaining from all food and drink for 24 hours. On both days, we will do three sessions of meditation, combining prostrations with chanted meditation. Those who are unable to engage in a complete fast can still participate in the sessions on the second day, by abstaining from all meals apart from lunch.