Unlocking Your Potential

To request a hard copy for an incarcerated person, see details below.
Copyright © 2019 by Sravasti Abbey. This book is strictly for free distribution. It is not to be sold.

About the book

It is well known that Michelangelo Buonarroti transformed a block of marble into the statue of David. Actually what he did was remove all that was not David from the stone. By doing so, Michelangelo made it possible for us to see the David that was already there. He freed the statue that was imprisoned in the marble by changing the way we see it.

In many ways we are like that marble block. We want to transform ourselves into something better, more useful, and kinder. But sometimes we don’t have all the skills necessary to do so. We need a skilled guide to get us going in the right direction. This booklet is designed to encourage you to examine yourself — your past, your perceptions, your thoughts, and your current conditions—and to help you decide what adjustments to make to initiate positive change and create the causes for happiness.

This booklet is a joint effort of Venerable Thubten Chodron and Mr. Calvin Malone, a former civil detainee at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island in Washington State. Venerable Chodron and Calvin had been corresponding for many years, and she has taught Dharma to the Buddhist groups in prisons where Calvin was residing. Venerable Chodron shared some of the discussion and meditation questions she used with Buddhist groups, and Calvin had the idea of incorporating them into a booklet, together with other material. This booklet could then be used by inmates to help bring more awareness to their mental states and behavior, and encourage mental and emotional transformation that would bring them and those around them more happiness and peace in their lives. Since all of us are imprisoned by our ignorance, anger, and craving, all of us — no matter which side of the razor-wire fence we’re on — could benefit from learning about and improving our perspective on life.

How to request a hard copy

Hard copies of the book are generously being published for free distribution by the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation in Taiwan.

• If your organization works with incarcerated people and you would like to request hard copies of the book in bulk, please write to prison-project [at] sravastiabbey [dot] org.
• If you are an incarcerated person who would like to request a hard copy of the book, please write to Sravasti Abbey, PO Box 1289, Newport, WA 99156-9998.

Excerpt from the book

The Buddha taught that we all have Buddha nature—the innate ability to attain awakening, a state in which all our mental afflictions have been forever abandoned and all our wonderful qualities and potential have increased limitlessly. It’s like growing a garden. The seeds are already in the soil; all we need to do is remove the rocks and nourish the seeds with water and fertilizer. This booklet utilizes Buddhist philosophy to help you examine the areas of your life that you want to change and learn the ways to do that. The aim is to have a more realistic and beneficial way to look at the world. When we have that, our behavior will naturally align with our values.

You do not need to be Buddhist to take advantage of the methods outlined in this booklet. All you need is a desire to change, to improve your life, to see the goodness inside you that is currently hidden but has the potential to grow. Like Michelangelo and his block of marble, we can carve out all that is not part of our Buddha nature and polish the beautiful Buddha nature that remains. By transforming our thoughts and emotions, we will free ourselves and will be able to be satisfied no matter what is going on in our lives.