Support Nick's Long Long Retreat
Donation protected
Against the ancient Tibetan tradition of not talking about what you plan to do beforehand, so obstacles to those plans don't arise, Hey everybody - I recently moved back to the US from Nepal, where I studied Tibetan and Sanskrit languages in a Himalayan Buddhist community. My teacher 'suggested' I enter a long-term (years in the plural) solitary meditation retreat in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism quite soon (January 2019). In his words, this retreat can be my offering to all sentient beings just as being in Nepal studying the dharma and translating was my offering to all sentient beings. And so, following his advice, I am begging and borrowing (but not yet stealing) to try to make it happen.
Since several people over the years have asked to let them know if I ever did retreat, and on the advice of several other people more trustworthy than I, here we are with this crowd-fund-and-awareness-raiser. This is to help me raise money so I can focus on impermanence, compassion, and emptiness—integrating the Buddhist teachings I have heard over the last thirteen years of study—rather than on my finances. The funds raised here will go towards my cabin costs, provisions of food and medicine, and offering substances. As I see it there are three ways you might support me:
1) Donate to me via this fundraiser or any other method with money or in kind donations, which will directly support my retreat aspirations.
2) Donate to any charity that works to alleviate suffering, or do any offering practices you normally do while thinking of me and my aspirations (i.e., offerings of light, incense, music, food, alms, etc.) with an attitude of boundless generosity for the benefit of all sentient beings.
3) Rejoice in the merit that I must have previously accumulated to even think positively about intensive practice in solitude, in the merit I might make while in retreat, and in the merit of bringing my experience into the world after the retreat.
Any of these are welcome contributions and make an immense difference to the sustainability of this retreat by reinforcing the positive circumstances that led me here. (I can not stress that enough!) A subtext of this campaign is to raise awareness so that anyone in my network can connect to this retreat however they can, inviting all obstacles, and forging positive karmic connections, as I go along. As egotistical as all this has been, it has long been my personal prayer that I and everyone connected to me awaken to our true nature together, instantly. This is a small step towards actualizing that, as every person who makes a connection to me and this retreat will receive the positive karmic results of the entire retreat.
As Padmasambhava advised the Tibetan imperial court,
“Offer whatever you can afford to practitioners in retreat,
And you will obtain an equal share of merit, Emperor and subjects!"
Some Details and Questions Hopefully Answered:
My retreat will be logistically semi-supported in far Northern California. My teacher has done a similarly long retreat himself, and has been leading students in long-term solitary retreats for over twenty years (with pretty great results, if you ask me). I consider it an honor that he made the suggestion that I follow in their footsteps. This isn't my only avenue of fundraising or supporting myself, and so this represents but a portion of my projected budget well into the 2020's. However, any funds I raise before I enter retreat dramatically affect my outlook and planning - every small offering helps. If you want to contact me about my budget or to ask any other questions, please feel free. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
Yours in the Dharma,
Nick Schmidt
Since several people over the years have asked to let them know if I ever did retreat, and on the advice of several other people more trustworthy than I, here we are with this crowd-fund-and-awareness-raiser. This is to help me raise money so I can focus on impermanence, compassion, and emptiness—integrating the Buddhist teachings I have heard over the last thirteen years of study—rather than on my finances. The funds raised here will go towards my cabin costs, provisions of food and medicine, and offering substances. As I see it there are three ways you might support me:
1) Donate to me via this fundraiser or any other method with money or in kind donations, which will directly support my retreat aspirations.
2) Donate to any charity that works to alleviate suffering, or do any offering practices you normally do while thinking of me and my aspirations (i.e., offerings of light, incense, music, food, alms, etc.) with an attitude of boundless generosity for the benefit of all sentient beings.
3) Rejoice in the merit that I must have previously accumulated to even think positively about intensive practice in solitude, in the merit I might make while in retreat, and in the merit of bringing my experience into the world after the retreat.
Any of these are welcome contributions and make an immense difference to the sustainability of this retreat by reinforcing the positive circumstances that led me here. (I can not stress that enough!) A subtext of this campaign is to raise awareness so that anyone in my network can connect to this retreat however they can, inviting all obstacles, and forging positive karmic connections, as I go along. As egotistical as all this has been, it has long been my personal prayer that I and everyone connected to me awaken to our true nature together, instantly. This is a small step towards actualizing that, as every person who makes a connection to me and this retreat will receive the positive karmic results of the entire retreat.
As Padmasambhava advised the Tibetan imperial court,
“Offer whatever you can afford to practitioners in retreat,
And you will obtain an equal share of merit, Emperor and subjects!"
Some Details and Questions Hopefully Answered:
My retreat will be logistically semi-supported in far Northern California. My teacher has done a similarly long retreat himself, and has been leading students in long-term solitary retreats for over twenty years (with pretty great results, if you ask me). I consider it an honor that he made the suggestion that I follow in their footsteps. This isn't my only avenue of fundraising or supporting myself, and so this represents but a portion of my projected budget well into the 2020's. However, any funds I raise before I enter retreat dramatically affect my outlook and planning - every small offering helps. If you want to contact me about my budget or to ask any other questions, please feel free. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
Yours in the Dharma,
Nick Schmidt
Organizer
Nick Schmidt
Organizer
Sacramento, CA