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We provide
meditation instruction, in person and through
correspondence, to prisoners throughout the
United States. Meditation is taught and
practiced as a spiritual discipline, as a means
of deepening of one’s understanding of any
spiritual path he or she chooses to walk, or as
a secular path to increase understanding of
one’s emotional patterns, depending on the needs
of the inmates requesting our services. Many
inmates fear the mental states which resulted in
their present circumstances, and they are
extremely appreciative of tools that allow them
to tame their minds and increase stability and
tranquility. In other instances, inmates
welcome the opportunity to avail themselves of
the guidance offered so that they can make the
best use of the time spent in prison. Through
engaging in traditional and contemplative wisdom
disciplines, an inmate can access an element of
inner strength and potential so that he or she
is not overpowered by thoughts and emotions.
The inmate practitioner is able to keep his or
her seat in the storm.
Our work includes
developing and distributing correspondence
courses for inmates. We currently offer
three
courses. The Myth of Freedom, based on
the text by the same name, written by Chogyam
Trungpa Rinpoche, addresses the irony that,
notwithstanding our belief that we have freedom
(and notwithstanding our innate nature to be
able to determine the course of our lives), our
habitual patterns create knee-jerk responses in
which we react to situations according to
preconditioned habits, rendering our sense of
choice and freedom somewhat of a “myth.” The
second course is entitled The Power of
Patience, Healing Anger, which is a formal
contemplation of the destructive qualities of
anger and the innumerable benefits of patience.
When requested, we offer personal tutoring via
correspondence on academic subjects such as
psychology, grammar, writing and spelling.
The Ratna Prison Initiative donates spiritual and educational
books and other items that support an inmate’s
spiritual path, including prayer beads and
meditation cushions. We devote particular
attention to the needs of inmates who are locked
down in solitary confinement, a situation that
is dehumanizing, emotionally disturbing and
devastating.
We support many
inmates in the practice of hatha yoga, and
particularly encourage this practice for those
who are being held in solitary confinement. We
view yoga as a physical meditation practice that
can have the effect of alleviating the bodily
stress and nervous energy that can accumulate
within the chaos of a prison environment.
The Ratna Prison Initiative visits a large number of prisons
throughout the United States, where we teach
meditation in either a religious or a secular
format, depending upon the requests of the
inmates. We have visited over 25 prisons, many
of these on a regular basis. We have a database
of over 500 prisoners with whom we correspond. Over
150 inmates are currently participating in the
Myth of Freedom Correspondence Course,
and 30 inmates, having completed the first
course, are now taking the second course.
Our post-release
program includes continued communication with
inmates on their correspondence courses. In
geographic areas where it has been possible, we
have assigned personal meditation instructors to
recently released individuals, providing support
for the continuation of their practice and
friendship to help ease their transition back to
society.
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