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By Incarcerated People

Reflections, essays, and poems by people in prison about their Dharma practice.

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Prison Poetry

Sravasti Grove

An incarcerated person expresses his gratitude for having met the Dharma.

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Illustration of an ear with sound waves going into it.
On Meditation

Meditation with noise

There are many distractions to meditation in prison. This is how one incarcerated person deals…

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Gray stone and rings in sand of Zen rock garden.
Prison Poetry

The garden notices the rocks moving

An incarcerated person writes about seeing others as equal in worth.

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Closeup of face of man contemplating.
On Love, Compassion, and Bodhicitta

My prison education

If you can open yourself up to another person’s suffering, you are quickly motivated to…

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Looking through prison bars to blue sky outside.
On Overcoming Anger

I would normally have been upset

Even a small incident can give us a chance to practice compassion.

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Chain Link Fence with sunshine
On Meditation

Tears of compassion

A meditation on mindfulness brings strong feelings of compassion for others.

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Shiney Medication Capsules
On Addiction

The allure of drugs

An incarcerated person examines his relationship with drugs.

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Multi-colored candy in heart-shaped bowl
On Addiction

Addiction

The first steps toward recovery from drug addiction.

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Closeup of Buddha's face.
On Cultivating Wisdom

The sangha in us all

A person in prison uses his understanding of Buddhism to connect with all religions he…

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Man with eyes closed.
Prison Poetry

A glimpse into the ultimate

A powerful meditation on using the mind to shatter illusions.

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Man writing in a notebook.
Prison Poetry

A suicide

An incarcerated person learns of his cousin's death.

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Piece of chocolate cake.
Prison Poetry

Big piece

Complaining about our lot just leads to more confinement. An incarcerated person talks about contentment.

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