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Mangutovo, meditation practice nyungne, Vesna Čavić (RS)

26.05.2017 (Friday) - 29.05.2017 (Monday)
who: Vesna Čavić (RS)
what: Nyungne retreat
where: Mangútovo
info: +421 904 166 231 (Janka)

Information about Nyungne

Dear friends:

Nyungne is a practice of the eleven-faced, 1000-armed form of Buddha Loving Eyes – Chenrezig. Loving Eyes is the embodiment of all love and compassion of all Buddhas of the past, present and future in the form of bodhisattva. By his very nature he is a great bodhisattva who benefits all beings continually. For this reason Loving Eyes is regarded as the source of all blessings.

The lineage history begins in VIII century with Gelongma Palmo, formerly known as princess Lakshminkara, the daughter of King Indrabuthi of Uddiyana, and continues up to Gyalsay Tomgay (author of Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas) who transmitted the Nyungne so widely that it became part of all major Tibetan lineages, and continues to this day.

The literal meaning of Nyungne is “abiding in the fast”. Fasting is indeed an important part of Nyungne but, as you will see, it is only one feature of this rich and complex practice. This is a very strong purification practice, where we on one side get rid of a lot of old stuff from our store consciousness and on the other side we build up a great mass of good impressions and merit, which is very useful on our way to enlightenment. Here we generate supreme altruistic motivation of boddhicitta as the internal basis for our practice.

Nyungne is a retreat, in which we focus on meditation. During the practice all the participants stay in the power field we create. Since this is Kriya Tantra practice, ritual aspect is emphasized which includes high degree of cleanliness, both personal and of the place. We also follow certain rules like not smoking cigarettes, not drinking alcohol and eating vegetarian which also includes not eating, drinking and speaking on the second day of the retreat. If it is necessary, some exceptions can be made for participants, for example in case of health reasons.

About the transmission

My name is Vesna Čavić (Vesna Chavich) from Belgrade, Serbia. I’m Lama Ole's disciple since 1994.

Renate Scholz, who is main Nyungne teacher in Diamondway centers around the world, asked me to help her with many practice requests. After Lama Ole gave his blessing, in 2006 I went to Montchardon, France, where I’ve got the transmission by doing so called “White Nyungne” – 8 Nyungne’s in a row.

I teach and do Nyungne retreats with friends since 2008.

Time-table

Friday

Introductory lecture - talk about Loving Eyes, benefits of Nyungne practice together with basic instructions and explanation about promises. For those who do the Nyungne for the first time, presence at the introductory lecture is obligatory. It is also open for those who will not attend the retreat. Before the explanations we will prepare the altar and the thormas for the retreat.

Saturday, 1st day of 1st Nyungne

  • 06.oo – 09.oo promises, meditation
  • 09.oo – 1o.oo breakfast
  • 1o.oo – 13.3o meditation and questions/answers concerning the meditation practice
  • 13.3o – 16.oo lunch, break
  • 16.oo – 18.oo meditation
  • 18.oo – 19.oo break
  • 19.oo – 22.oo finishing the last session, Mahakala, explanations for tomorrow, questions/answers

All meals are strictly vegetarian (without eggs, garlic, onions and/or strong spices)

Sunday, 2nd day of 1st Nyungne

  • 06.3o – 08.oo promises, meditation
  • 08.oo – 09.oo break
  • 09.oo – 12.oo meditation
  • 12.oo – 15.oo cleaning the place, break
  • 15.oo – 17.oo meditation
  • 17.oo – 18.oo break
  • 18.oo – … finishing the last session, Mahakala

Second day is the special Nyungne – day, when we don’t eat, drink and speak, just focussing on the meditation. In breaks we can rest, read books, write something, give massages or go for a walk. It's good idea to watch some dharma movie after the last session.

Monday, 3rd day morning

  • 6.oo – 7.oo meditation (no promises)
  • 7.oo – 7.3o rice soup
  • 7.3o – 9.oo meditation – finishing practice

The very last session we can also start very early, so that people can leave for work, if necessary. Session takes approximately 3 hours. During the session we'll have a rice soup or oat porridge as first meal after fasting.

At the end of the retreat we should have a good, rich breakfast, non vegetarian. (It is not necessary, but comfortable to have some time for relaxation, if you can arrange this with your work.)

General questions / answers

Can new people come to the retreat?

Yes, if they have Refuge. However, they should know that we practice 9 hours each day, that participant's presence at every session is required and that it is not possible to leave in the middle of practice, before the promises we take every morning expire. Having this in mind it's easy to understand recommendation from Lama Ole that this practice is mostly for practitioners who at least have been doing Ngondro for a while. However, if they like to meditate and really like Chenrezig – they're welcome!

What if someone doesn't have time for the whole retreat?

If someone really has no time for the whole retreat (meaning at least one whole Nyungne which is two and a half days), it is possible to make a half Nyungne. It means to stay one full day and until the end of first session on the next day. However, this should be only in special cases and only for those who have done Nyungne before. Again, it must be checked beforehand with the organizers and me.

Is it possible to sleep at home during retreat?

No. Nyungne is closed retreat, so all participants stay at the retreat place all the time.

Do we need some special clothes?

No. However, since we do some prostrations during the retreat, it's useful to have enough fresh clothes. As I already mentioned, this is Kriya tantra practice so the ritual aspect is emphasized. It means that both retreat place and us should be very clean and tidy – we should treat it as if Karmapa or Chenrezig himself resides there.



Buddha