Contents

1. Overview
2. Impermanence of Computers
3. My Dharma Activities
4. Immediate Needs
5. How to Help
6. Financial Forecast
7. Dharma Activities Calendar
8. Gratitude
9. A New Song For You
10. Contact

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Overview

My Precious Sangha and Dear Supporters, it is taught by the Buddhist masters that the generosity of supporting Dharma teachers generates positive effects that ripple forward, creating benefits for countless beings for all time. By rejoicing in and supporting the activities of Dharma teachers, you join in the merit—the good karma—being generated by Dharma teachers. By rejoicing in the activities of a Dharma teacher and dedicating properly, it is even possible for a Dharma supporter to gain the same or greater amount of merit than the person who physically engaged in the virtuous activities.

The interdependent activities of Dharma teachers and their Dharma supporters vastly benefits all beings in all worlds and joins with the Bodhicitta wisdom of all enlightened beings and Buddhas. It is an uncomfortable fact that all beings experience suffering. Fortunately, there is a way to transcend and elminate suffering. Through receiving Dharma teachings and subsequent disciplined practice, beings can come to understand, experience, and realize that there is a way out of the cycle of samsaric suffering to which we as sentient beings are subjected. Each of us can awaken to our own true nature and find true happiness and in the process, help others to do the same.

On this traditional day of giving thanks in America, I want to express deep and heartfelt gratitude for all of the support I've been given over the years by my teacher His Holiness Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, my parents and family, my precious sangha members, and my many kind patrons. Without all of your support as well as the blessings of all Buddhas and the positive thinking of all beings I would not be experiencing all of the joy I do today. I would not be able to dedicate my life to Dharma, or honestly ask you to help me to help all beings.

Dharma teachers need tools and resources to most effectively engage in their Dharma activities, and it is for that reason I am writing this letter.

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Impermanence of Computers

My venerable MacBook Pro notebook computer has been serving me for nearly nine years, but it is rapidly coming up against impermanence. When I purchased this MacBook Pro in early 2004, it was a top-of-the line notebook computer with the fastest processor and biggest screen of the day. It cost me about $6,000 including all the multimedia software I needed. Due to my years of careful handling, many software updates, and a few hardware replacements, this system has lasted beyond its obsolesce date, but today, I can honestly say it is barely functioning in comparison to a new model and is demonstrating signs of immanent failure.

In the past, I would not have thought twice about buying a new computer. In fact, during the 1990s, as the co-founder and co-owner of two successful multimedia and Internet companies, I purchased over 50 Macintosh computers and a number of PCs as well. But since 2002, I've gradually developed a deeper and deeper commitment to the Dharma and my focus on my worldy careers has become less and less.

My personal computer needs to be replaced immediately in order for me to continue to engage effectively in my many Dharma activities that are benefiting all beings. I’m planning teaching tours and retreats in the both the Western United States and Asia, and through this letter I am seeking your support for upgraded computer hardware and software as well as the funding needed to maintain my touring vehicles, and kick start my planned teaching tour.

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My Dharma Activities

In the ten years since I met Khen Rinpoche, I’ve engaged in many volunteer Dharma activities. Based on the virtuous activities and practices I've engaged in over the past few years, it has become easy for me to develop a clearer and clearer vision about my future activities. Please pray for my continued success, rejoice in my beneficial activities, and dedicate the merit!

If you feel like you’d like to do more than pray, rejoice, and dedicate, then some other ways to help are listed in the “How to Help” section below. The list below includes some of my past accomplishments, my ongoing efforts, and my plans to continue with similar Dharma activities as fueled by your support.

1. Helping compose and edit The Buddha Path, both 2nd and 3rd Editions
2. Helping compose and edit parts of Khen Rinpoche’s other writing projects
3. Creating memos, minutes, and planning documents for the Dzogchen Shri Singha Foundation USA in my various capacities over the years as Corporate Member, Board Director, Secretary, Interim President, and currently, Vice President
4. Significantly contributing to the purchase, improvements, and maintenance of the Dzogchen Retreat Center USA, with a real value of over $1.3 million USD
5. Creating and updating the “Chantmaster Handbook” edition of The Buddha Path (AKA “Responsibilities of the Buddha Path”) which has been used by many group practice leaders (Udzes) since 2008 to lead hundreds of practices
6. Writing and editing “Advice to retreat Directors,” a handbook for volunteer directors who manage Dzogchen Lineage retreats and Dharma events
7. Taking both public and private Dharma notes for a total of over 21 months spent in intensive teacher training retreats including four Dzogchen Lineage internships and more than 25 other seasonal retreats all led by Khen Rinpoche or his senior students
8. Directing numerous Dzogchen Lineage retreats and events including the 2009 Internship and several seasonal retreats. I am currently directing the upcoming 2013 Dzogchen Winter Retreat in Las Vegas.
9. Publishing over 60 Dzogchen Lineage Newsletters and special announcements to over 2,000 subscribers
10. Maintaining and updating DzogchenLineage.org, Buddhapedia.org, and PathBuddha.com which enable more people to connect with our lineage and learn Dharma
11. Planning my 22-month international Dharma teaching tour that took place during 2009–2011 and creating web pages and posters to promote the 321 public Dharma teaching sessions of that tour
12. Creating and video projecting Dharma presentations and lyrics shown during my teaching and community signing events
13. Social networking and email communications with Dharma students, Sangha members, event organizers, and event participants.
14. Creating over 40 custom registration websites for almost every Dzogchen Lineage retreat and special event since 2003
15. Editing countless photographs from Dharma retreats and events
16. Creating and administering Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche’s two databases of his students and supporters
17. Creating and collecting musical arrangements for Dzogchen Lineage mantras and Dharma songs and compiling them into the “Dzogchen Lineage Songbook”
18. Writing and recording many Dharma songs. For your reference, I have produced some amateur demo recordings of my music available for free at www.perceptual.com. I plan to professionally record some of these songs along with more recent material for an album of Dharma music. This album will be used to encourage Sangha to learn Dzogchen music and will encourage new people to participate in our lineage
19. At Khen Rinpoche’s request, teaching the week-long Dzogchen Summer Retreat at the DRC in July 2012. Khen Rinpoche recently asked me to teach the week-long Dzogchen Summer Retreat at the DRC in July 2013

Accumulating merit is similar to learning a new language. Both involve many tiny steps, countless little choices. It may not always seem that you are making progress, but if you don't give up by abandoning your goal, you will continue to gather something important. Eventually the result will become self-evident to everyone.

I'm happy to say that I have, to the best of my ability, been wisely spending the donations I've received in the past. By keeping Bodhicitta in mind, I make much better choices. Of course I can and I must keep improving and perfecting all of my qualities until I become Buddha. Relative Bodhicitta is not a static accomplishment, it is a journey to be followed by gradually increasing your wisdom and compassion without giving up. The Bodhisattva vow commitment you have made needs to be strengthened by practicing it, testing it, examining it, fine-tuning it, and most of all, by living it.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I deeply rejoice that Buddha came to this world, that he taught the precious Dharma, that these Dharma teachings remain in the world via the wisdom of beings, that I encountered a gateway to meet the Dharma in this life, that I found the perfect Vajra Master for me and he is unerringly guiding me toward enlightenment. I rejoice that I'm making steady progress on my path, I think this is in large part because of all the virtuous activities I've been engaging in as outlined above.

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Immediate Needs

Some of the money I need to fund the budget for my Financial Forecast below will come from the donations I am likely to receive during the Asian and Southwest legs of my teaching tour, but I immediately need to raise money to pay for up-front expenses such as replacing my faltering computer, replacing a bald tire on my Honda, buying my air tickets while fares are still relatively low, and securing Oregon auto insurance for my Honda Element, which besides being my transportation to get me to the next teaching, is my home-away-from-home when I’m not at the DRC. I feel an urgent need to quickly raise about $7,000, which about one-third of my total forecast for 2013.

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How to Help

Any amount will be appreciated and is a way for you to participate in my merit. To support my activities, you can pledge your donation by contacting me directly at hazlitt@gmail.com or 408-647-4258.

You can also read my donation page which outlines some of the various ways you can convey donations to me:
http://www.pathbuddha.com/donate.html

Another little way you could help me is by purchasing or recommending my children’s book, a fun-filled yet practical book that teaches kids ages 7–14 the fundamentals of video production. The second edition, titled “Attack of the Killer Video Book Take 2: Tips and Tricks for Young Directors” came out in early 2012. You can find it on Amazon by clicking this link:
http://tinyurl.com/aotkvb-t2-sc

 

 

 

 

 

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Financial Forecast

You can refer to the full details of my financial forecast for the next year by clicking here.

The executive summary is: I need to replace my old MacBook with a powerful new MacBook Pro and updated software. With good care, the new system could last me another nine years! My estimate for the complete new system is $4,977.

The other expenses I’ve projected for the upcoming six months include:  expenses for my vehicle, buying fuel for my planned Western US teaching tour, buying air tickets to teach in Asia (in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong), professionally recording and duplicating my first Dharma music album, and attending teacher-training retreats led by Khen Rinpoche and his senior students.

If all goes as I’ve envisioned, I’ll be spending a total of $21,706 on my Dharma activities for 2013, which includes $16,729 for the other expenses just mentioned, and $4,977 for the computer mentioned earlier.

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Dharma Activities Calendar

You can refer to my projected calendar of Dharma teachings and activities from now until November 2013 here:
http://www.pathbuddha.com/calendar-pending-events.html

The dates in the calendar are not yet totally fixed, but I'm beginning to make arrangements for some of the events and locking down some dates.

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Gratitude

I’m so very grateful you took the time to read all this. Even if I don't yet know you personally, I always wish you the best. May you have happiness, and may you especially have the causes of happiness! May you realize your generosity as the root of your future abundance. May you remember Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha countless times per day. May your karma ripen in beneficial ways that encourages you to deeply study, contemplate, and meditate Dharma. May you constantly feel all Buddhas in your heart. May you teach Dharma. May you let go. May you relax. May you hold the perfect profound view. May you always begin each action with Bodhicitta, maintain with awareness, and conclude with dedication.

If you joyfully practice these simple things with discipline and the other six transcendet perfections, I'm confident you will become Buddha as swiftly as possible. By becoming Buddha in this lifetime, you will create inconceivable benefits for all beings. There is no generosity greater to others than swiftly becoming Buddha while teaching on the way. You should skillfully teach what you have come to understand, experience, and realize while not mistakenly teaching beyond your current capacity. Thank you all for practicing and teaching Dharma!

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A New Song For You

Here's a little gift from me, a demo of a recent group-sing-along-Dharma-song I wrote and produced with Tina Tung called "Everything Will Be Alright." This recording is a rough demo of one of the songs that I plan to include on the Dharma album I will professionally produce with your support.

Right-click on the link below (for Windows) or Control-Click (for Macintosh) and save the MP3 file for "Everything Will Be Alright" to your hard drive. Click to download.

Peace and Love,

 

 

 

 

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Contact

Skype: hazlitt.krog
Email: hazlitt@gmail.com
Google Voice: 408-647-4258
Music: http://www.perceptual.com
Dharma: http://www.pathbuddha.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hazlitt
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