Gaia: Prison Dharma

Introduction

http://Nadinerose.gaia.com — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:47:44 GMT

Hi All,

Have been meaning to introduce my self for a long time and am finally getting to it. I have been a prison Dharma volunteer going on my third year now. It has been one of the most satisfying things I have done and a real learning experience. Sometimes I wonder if it I get more out of my involvement than the inmates!

I am part of a group of 5 to 6 Buddhist volunteers at a minimum security prison. At least one of us goes up there every week and each of us tries to go at least once a month. We are fortunate that there are enough of us so that we don't burn out. Plus the prison is located 40 miles away which is not very far all things considered but then not nearby either.

We do a couple all day retreats during the year which all of us enjoy. It is a good chance for the inmates to do some deeper meditation (and I think there are also some really quality naps going on too!).

Although the prison is currently minimum security there is a medium security section under construction that will eventually have about 1200 beds if I remember correctly. The chaplain has been encouraging us to expand our Buddhist/meditation program into that section when it is open. We would like to do that but have not finally committed yet. We will see when it gets closer if we have the resources to commit to that. This is a good time in my note to mention how fortunate we are to have a great chaplain who fully supports and encourages us. He even attends our retreats!

This intro has become too long and I need to leave for work. I hope to become a more active participant in this pod. Thank you all for all your kindness and I look forward to hearing and sharing ideas and experiences.

Colleen

Re: Hi!

http://peacemakerboulder.gaia.com — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 17:43:17 GMT

Welcome Jane! and thanks for the link. I hope you and your son are doing well.

happy new year!
kate

Recommending: Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

http://riverside101.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:07:06 GMT

for a steadfast compilation of current news articles on prisons and catagorized archival material.

http://realcostofprisons.org/blog/

Hi!

http://riverside101.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:00:21 GMT

I'm Jane (aka Riverside101).....

Kate, we corresponded last time my son was in jail. you kindly sent him (twice) copies of
Dharma in Hell. Lovely to find and join this group (deep bow to you all!)

While my practice tradition is the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism (since 1971), I've found the vast prison dharma outreach of so many different schools of Buddhism to have a profound impact on my thinking over the last four years of my son's journey.

In particular

http://www.engaged-zen.org/articles/Kyogen-Facing_the_Storm.html

Facing the Storm

....There is a Buddhist figure called Fudo-myo-o, or Alaya vidya raja
in Sanskrit, which means "The Immovable One." He is one of the Kings of
Light and a Dharma protector. He is portrayed as chained to a rock,
surrounded by flames, holding a sword and a rope. He made a vow to
remain steadfast in the flames of hell in order to liberate all
sentient beings. I think this is another good image for prison
practice...... 

We have all chained ourselves to that rock, eh? Doesn't much matter 
which side of the bars one is on.  

 Thanks for all your inspiration!

Re: yoooooooohooooooo!!

http://peacemakerboulder.gaia.com — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:51:08 GMT

hey shannon, love visualizing you in your red and green spreading xmas cheer and trying to get singing going!

im sure the guys really appreciate it ...even if they can't admit it. we are reallly lucky here currently to have some pretty supportive guards in our programs locally (one of them is even a meditator herself)...but i'm sure that it's rare. the whole scene is just sooo difficult.

i really wonder how we could get some discussion going here as well. there aren't many folks on this list but we could still 'talk' about issues as they arise no?

anyone have any ideas or things they'd like to discuss??

xo,
kate

yoooooooohooooooo!!

http://shannonorama.gaia.com — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 05:44:01 GMT

hey there hi there

I worked last night and today at the prison. Working with the mentally ill/severely mentally ill population, I was surprised and happy that they were all "ok" with the holidays, not the level of sadness that I expected. I went around for the last few weeks in my red and green clothes, and my candy striped Chuck Taylor all-stars, singing Christmas music.... (I kept waiting for someone to say, "Shannon, we are already being punished, please don't sing" but they didn't. on the other hand, when I said, "everybody sing!" no one did....)

Of course, the prison would not allow me to bring anything in, not a cookie or piece of candy or walnut! so, all i had to give was my smile and "how ya doin'?"

I do "have" a couple of offenders who are in touch with the prison dharma network, and others. One is copying the lotus sutra by hand out of a library book! Some of them get that they have a perfect time and place to change. An offender landed in my unit the other day from another where he'd assualted his cellie.......... anyway, he's been incarcerated for awhile and has 20-to life to go. He was telling me about all of his problems outside, and he said, "so by coming to prison, I'm finally free."

I would love to see this pod blossom some, I feel like I need all the support that I can get to go back and face the negativity, craziness, violence, unhappiness, disrespect and abuse. And that's the officers! (i wish i were kidding)

~peace
Shannon

Re: Introducing: Core

http://peacemakerboulder.gaia.com — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 17:39:09 GMT

hey charlie, thanks for introducing yourself and describing your journey to dharma.

welcome! im not sure how much discussion will happen on this pod??? not sure how to get it going???

anway, thanks for speaking up!

kate

Introducing: Core

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:51:00 GMT

Hi Zadzsters!

My name is Charlie (aka core). I work at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) as the IT Manager. I recently received an e-mail from one of our volunteers about PDN. I have tremendous compassion for anyone incarcerated. So, I decided to check it out.

I just received my PDN packet. I'm browsing the list to see if there's an inmate I resonate with. My primary practice is vipassana, since that's emphasized at my work place. I'd like to explore the jhanas soon. I'm interested in the history of Buddhism and it's bifurcated growth throughout our little planet.

I was in the US Army Reserves for an 8 year commitment. I first started meditating while still in the military. Meditation helped me stay centered in my aspiration to seek liberation in this lifetime. When I joined the military I was an angry atheist. A mystical experience changed everything and catalyzed a newfound spiritual urgency within me. Ever since I've been trying to free myself from the thicket of views through the Buddhas emphasis on sila, samadhi, panna (morality, concentration, wisdom). A few months ago I took the 8 Lifetime Precepts for householders through Bhante Gunaratana. These encompass the Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood components of the Noble Eightfold Path.

I'm studying the Sabbasava Sutta. For about a year now. I listened to talks on the sutta online and read various translations. Maybe 6 months ago, I found a book in the IMS staff library called “Mind Overcoming Its Cankers” entirely on this particular sutta. It seems as though this was a synchronicity of sorts. :-)

I don't feel any different from those who've committed crimes. I know my humanity and understand that if the conditions had ripened just slightly differently I would be behind bars instead of writing this message. I feel that there is always redemption and look forward to sending Dharma books and words of encouragement to an inmate or two. I'm also trying to get some books together with the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies to send to Carson City and Lovelock prisons in Nevada. And I'd like to explore Buddhist Chaplaincy eventually. I participate in the discussion list on Yahoo!

Peace,
Charlie

Re: Resources

http://my-head.gaia.com — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 12:19:12 GMT

This may also be appropriate to consider - namely the experience of another prisoner that you can find here - just select Articles then Not in Prison by Richard Lang

Resources

http://peacemakerboulder.gaia.com — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 16:03:03 GMT

from a recent post on the prison dharma talk listserv:

The good news is that the twelve step program has been integrated with the Dharma. Here's a book on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/One-Breath-Time-Buddhism-Twelve/dp/1579549055

A excerpt here: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/150/story_15027_1.html

and workshops here: http://www.shambhalamountain.org/programs/623

More here: http://www.kevingriffin.net/excerpts.html

Here's other renditions: http://www.sasana.org/Buddhist12steps.html http://www.geocities.com/b12steps/index.html

Also, here's an article on the world's possibly most radical approach to addiction. Interesting reading. It illustrates an extreme and very different approach to addition and detox than the one used in the West. It is based on a vow: satja. Apparently it has worked for Australians and a handful of British addicts.
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/11-9-2002-29949.asp
http://www.thamkrabok.org.au/
http://www.thamkrabok.org/klosteren1.html

Re: $66 billion

http://my-head.gaia.com — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 11:13:01 GMT

From the time that I was a teen-ager at Grammar School in the UK - I was inspired by Paul Valery's 1945 statement about the European condition - We hope vaguely, we dread precisely - & dreamt of a unified and integrated Europe - which would alleviate the conflicts and wars which had afflicted our continent for so many centuries.

As a direct result of Jean Monnet's - vision of how not to have a vision - I spent several years living and working in the European Community - in the early 1970s - and became very dissillusioned as to its long term potential success - and as a result became part of the EU reformer camp. To this day, however, as Mark Leonard has stated - Europe is a journey with no final destination, a political system that shies away from the grand plans and concrete certainties that define American politics. Its lack of vision is the key to its strength.

Despite the fact that massive reform still needs to take place in so many important areas -CAP et al - the single most important reason for why the EC was established was to prevent war between the member states - which it has summarily obtained - and continues to do so with an ever increasing number of member states.

Lest it is perceived - " what on Earth has this to do with the American PRISON system ? " just compare it - in the first instance - with that of the EU member states - to which alas the UK still does not belong.

$66 billion

http://teacherofpeace.gaia.com — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:54:52 GMT

VISIONS FOR (no) PRISONS
$66 Billion Re-direction of Funds Plan

www.visionsforprisons.org
www.teacherofpeace.org

Prisons as Human Ecology Centers

OUR TEACHER OF PEACE MISSION INCLUDES DECLARING PEACE IN THE WAR ON DRUGS AND TRANSFORMING OUR ARCANE AND MEDIEVAL PRISON SYSTEM. WE CAN DO MUCH BETTER AND WE MUST!! WE CURRENTLY SPEND OVER $66 BILLION PER YEAR ON INCARCERATION AND PROBATION.

Here in America we imprison over 2.3 million people. Many of them are young inner city youth who are nonviolent drug offenders... we have created massive prison industry where hundreds of thousands of young people become criminalized... an undeniable fact which is costing society in so many ways they are incalculable... Our prisons are in great need of comprehensive reform.

It is time get serious about rehabilitation. It is essential that the reformed prison system promotes respect, compassion, and forgiveness towards those who have transgressed arcane, autocratic drug laws... Rather than warehousing our youth, lets implement a healing approach toward these inmates and help transform these energetic young "criminals' into healthy responsible engaged young citizens by providing them with meaningful community service work...

There is plenty to do in this rapidly approaching age of Ecological Awareness. Lets create community gardens. Plant hundreds of millions of fruit bearing trees as well as re-mineralizing the soil so that we can assure future generations' healthy, vital food.

It is time to graduate from punitive reptilian brain thinking from punishment to compassion. It is time to implement enlightened programs which empower individuals to actualize their highest potential ...Lets turn our prisons into Human Ecology Centers and provide state of the art educational and detoxification programs..

Through this educational reformation we will provide the extraordinary opportunity for our young people and other members of society to heal themselves while constructively contributing to their respective communities.

The new form of prison, emptiness.

Love & Light, Dan