Nyungne ~ Fasting & Purification Retreat
Praises & Prayers to Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara with Gen Kelsang Thekchen
This two-day retreat, done in conjunction with Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara practice, is very powerful for purifying negative karma of body, speech, and mind, and for pacifying strong delusions such as desirous attachment and hatred. This practice involves taking the Mahayana precepts (a promise to avoid all non-virtue for 24 hours), combined with the practice of prostrations. Through this we improve our mind of compassion. In order to participate in this retreat, you must take precepts at 6:30 a.m. each morning you participate. You may engage in one or two full days of the retreat.
This practice is done over two days, with the eight Mahayana precepts being taken at the beginning of each day. 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 do three sessions of meditation, combining prostrations with chanted meditation. Those who are unable to engage in a complete fast can participate in the sessions on the second day, provided they take the Mahayana precepts on that day. The lunch we have on the days we are eating must be free from so called “black foods” which include meat, garlic, eggs, spices and garlic.
Introduction to the Practice: Our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Thekchen, will give an introduction to the Practice and the Retreat on Friday morning, April 14th, in the first session. No previous experience of Buddhism or meditation is required. Everyone is welcome!
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This event will take place at:
Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada
631 Crawford St. Toronto ON M6G 3K1 -
Friday, April 14, 2023
6:15 a.m: Doors open
6:30 a.m: Precepts
7:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m: First session
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m: Second session
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m: Third session
Saturday, April 15, 2023
6:30 a.m: Precepts
7:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m: Fourth session
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m: Fifth session
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m: Sixth and final session
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Offering to the Spiritual Guide
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Our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Thekchen, is a senior Teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU). He began practising Kadam Dharma in Toronto in 1995 and has been a Kadampa monk and Teacher under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for 24 years.
He has been the Resident Teacher at Kuluta Buddhist Centre in Kingston, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada as the National Spiritual Director, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Vancouver as well established Kadampa Centres, Madhyamaka KMC and Bodhisattva KMC in the U.K.
He is well known for his ability to present Buddha’s teachings in a simple, practical and often humorous way, making them easy to put into practice in everyday life.
At Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada, he usually teaches the Sunday morning class, the Tuesday evening class, as well as special events, courses and workshops and two in-depth study programs; the Foundation Program and the Teacher Training Program.
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*Please note: These fees include the retreat fees and the precepts lunch on Friday, April 14th.
Regular: $30 / person
Class pass holders: -50% for class pass holders ($15 / person)
(click here for more information about the monthly class pass)How to book: You can book in advance via our website or simply drop in and register upon arrival. Pre-registration is encouraged to allow a smoother registration process and decrease your wait time at the door. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the event.
To book in advance, click on the booking button below and fill out the booking form. At the end of the booking process, you will receive an email confirming your booking.
Promo code: If you are a class pass holder, you may enter your promo code at the top of the booking form to get your discount.
Your promo code has been given to you when you first signed up to become a class pass holder.
It is the letters in the first part of your email address (before the @), excluding dots ( . ), hyphens ( - ) or underscore ( _ ) and with a maximum of 16 digits.
Payment methods: For pre-registration via our website, we accept credit cards. For registration on site upon arrival, we accept cash, debit and credit cards.
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If you have any questions or booking inquiries, please email: [email protected]