Nyungne (pronounced nyoonay) is a well known and long-cherished Buddhist purification practice that was begun by a famous, completely enlightened nun named Gelongma Palmo. She was born a princess and decided early in life to give up royalty and lead a purely spiritual life as a nun. Consequently she developed leprosy and was cast out by society. Through her practice of Nyungne and the great blessings of Chenrezig, she was able to overcome the disease and attain enlightenment. Beginning with Gelongma Palmo, the lineage comes down to the present day.

Nyungne is a two day fasting practice with prayer, mantra recitation, and prostrations. The Eight Precepts Vow, or Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination, is taken each morning. On the first day, only one vegetarian meal is eaten. On the second day, no food or drink is taken and everyone is silent. The practice ends early in the morning of the third day at which time the fast is broken.

 

As the foremost contemporary master of Nyungne, Rinpoche travels worldwide, leading students in the practice. In addition to leading retreats in Asia and Europe, Rinpoche leads an annual 8 Nyungne (16 day) retreat in Taiwan and a 25 Nyungne (50 days) retreat at his retreat center SER CHO LING in North Fork, California. As part of his commitment to making the practice as widely available as possible, Rinpoche authored the book Buddhist Fasting Practice: The Nyungne Method of 1,000 Armed Chenrezig, the only comprehensive treatment in English of the powerful teachings. The book has since been translated and published in Chinese.

 

Everyone is welcome to participate in Nyungne practice as long as you take the Refuge and Eight Precepts vows and receive the empowerment to do the 1,000-Armed Chenrezig practice. The benefits of participating in this practice are enormous, and therefore everyone is strongly encouraged to attend as often as possible.