Upcoming Retreats

  • Camping – $749.00
  • RV/Camper Van – $844.00
  • Women's Dorm – $925.00
  • Men's Dorm – $925.00
  • Women's Quad – $1,282.00
  • Men's Quad – $1,282.00
  • Private Room- Twin Bed – $1,632.00
  • Private Room- Double bed – $1,632.00
  • Private Cabin #1 - "Vajrapani" – $1,632.00
  • Private Cabin #2 - "Chenrezig" – $1,632.00
  • Private Cabin #3 - "Vajrayogini" – $1,632.00
  • Private Cabin #4 - "Chakrasamvara" – $1,632.00
  • Private Cabin #5 - "Tara" – $1,632.00
  • Private Cabin #6 - "Yamantaka" – $1,632.00

Nyung Nae Retreat

Venerable Charles

July 5 - 14, 2025

Save the Dates!

Our most precious Venerable Charles has graciously agreed to return to Vajrapani in July 2025 to Lead 4 Nyung Naes. These dates are tentative. Please sign up for the waitlist and when the dates are confirmed, we will open up registration.

 

The lodging prices reflect a 25% discount if students attend all 4 Nyung Naes.

“Nyung naes take such a short time but brings strong purification. So many eons can be purified in this life; it makes it so easy to have attainments.” – Kyabjé Lama Zopa Rinpoche

 

Venerable Charles leads Nyung Nae retreats around the world, including 108 Nyung Naes annually in France.  Last Year’s Nyung Nae retreat was incredible and we are humbled and honored to have Venerable Charles back to lead us again in this precious Nyung Nae practice.

If you have a wish to purify yourself quickly to develop your heart and mind to benefit all benefit to all beings, Nyung Nae is the answer. This devotional and intensive practice involves visualizing Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion, reciting prayers and mantras, and performing prostrations.  Each session lasts approximately 3 to 4 hours. Day 2 also involves refraining from eating and drinking as well as observing silence.

 

The full retreat will complete 4 full Nyung Naes with each Nyung Nae lasting approximately 2.5 days.

 

We hope you are able to take advantage of this unique opportunity here in the States to attend all or part of this special retreat blessed with Venerable Charles’ profound experience in the practice.

 

Student Level

To engage in this practice, it is best to have taken the Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and if possible, to have received an initiation (tib. wang) of the Action Tantra. However, it is also possible to attend if you have generated a level of faith and conviction in the Buddha and his teachings.

If you have never done Nyung Nae before it is preferable but not required to attend the very first Nyung Nae offered here so you receive an explanation of the practice on the first evening of the retreat but it is not required. Venerable Charles will be answering questions on the non-silent days during each Nyung Nae. 

 

Schedule

July 5 – Check-in day, introduction, and orientation — suggested but not required for those doing NN for the first time.

July 6-7 – NN #1 — Leaving after breakfast on the 8th

July 8-9 – NN #2–Leaving after breakfast on the 10th

July 10-11 – NN #3 — Leaving after breakfast on the 12th

July 12-13 – NN #4 Leaving after breakfast on the 14th

July 14 – final morning session for NN #4, breakfast, and check out

 

 

Can I Only Attend Part of the Retreat?

It is possible to sign up for only 1, 2, or 3 Nyung Naes instead of the full four.  When we get confirmed dates, we will open up registration pages for each Nyung Nae to register individually.

 

Note that each NN consists of two full days + a morning practice.  Check in is between 3 – 5 pm the day before the first full day of the NN.  That means if someone wanted to attend the 1st round of NN, on July 6 & 7, then they check in between 3-5pm on July 5th, and leave after breakfast on July 8th.

 

About Vajrapani Institute

Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture was one of the first Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Centers in America.  Vajrapani aims to provide a friendly and conducive environment for people of all nationalities to learn and put into practice the teachings of the Buddha, and connect with other Dharma practitioners.  Located on 70 acres of secluded land within the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains, Vajrapani Institute has been an immersive space for people of all backgrounds to find and deepen their spiritual practices, with the main goal of bridging the gap between the head and heart of practice.

 

About Retreat Fees (includes accommodation, 3 meals a day, and facility costs)

The collected registration fees include all accommodations, 3 nutritious vegetarian meals a day, and general facility/operating costs.  Retreat registrations help support the center to keep everything operating, allowing us to invite so many precious teachers, and to hold this precious space of 70+ acres of secluded redwood forest to allow guests to have the quiet, contemplative space to continue spiritual growth.

 

Teacher’s Offerings

Traditionally, spiritual teachings are considered priceless; offerings to our teachers are not included in the fee information detailed on this page. Instead, we invite you to consider bringing a cash donation with you to express your gratitude for the teachings.

 

The Buddha encouraged the practice of generosity as it develops non-attachment, loving-kindness, and compassion and deepens the awareness of our interconnectedness. Offering Dana to our teachers, a Pali word for “generosity,” is said to benefit both the giver and the receiver, helping the giver to practice generosity and the receiver to practice acceptance. Your offering of Dana can be whatever feels generous to you in your heart and your particular financial situation. If you can’t afford to give a cash offering as Dana, a thank you note is perfectly generous.

 

Participants will get a chance to present a cash offering to the teachers on the last day of the retreat and this is supplemented by a donation from Vajrapani Institute. Please note that we don’t offer a credit card option for Dana.

 

Financial Aid/ Scholarships

We want to make retreats available to everyone. With this in mind, we will gladly work out a payment plan with you if needed. If more assistance is necessary, we offer several scholarships. Please note that the scholarship deadline is one month before the retreat begins.

Our utmost goal is to help as many beings as possible to have the gift of retreat. If you have additional questions after reviewing the guidelines for payment plans and/or scholarships, please email the Office at office@vajrapani.org.

 

 

 

Teacher

Venerable Charles
After being a resident at VajraYogini Institute, Venerable Charles was ordained in 1989. Then he spent many years in solitary retreat in the Pyrenees and in California. He has been guiding every year the 108 Nyoung-Nés retreats for several years now. He is a fully ordained monk guiding Nyoung Naes 9 months a year and doing solitary retreat the rest of the year.
Learn more about Venerable Charles